Jackie Shane, a jazz singer who rose to prominence in the 1960s as a Black transgender musician, had disappeared almost entirely from the public eye. Decades later, her work gets rediscovered and reassessed, giving her one last chance to be appreciated properly.

A moving portrait that shines a light on the career of a trailblazer who was ahead of her time, this incredible story won the Special Jury Prize for Best Canadian Feature at Hot Docs 2024.

“A compelling investigation of an elusive life, as well as a talent so striking you’ll be amazed it remained forgotten for so long.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety 
 

In early 2020, the Wetʼsuwetʼen land defense exploded into the headlines, and sparked a national conversation  – but the story behind it had been brewing for nearly a decade. Exploring the work of the Indigenous leaders of the blockade, including the sacrifices they made to dedicate their lives to this cause, this documentary offers new insight into this crucial moment in Canadian history.

Capturing footage that startlingly echoes Alanis Obomsawin’s 1994 film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, this is a story we can’t afford to forget. Winner of the Audience Award at Hot Docs 2024.

“An incendiary feat of filmmaking” – Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
 

After receiving a small gift from a mysterious stranger, 7-year-old Alex begins collecting his own delicate objects, retreating into the quiet sanctuary of his bedroom, his cocoon.

A closeted Arab wholesale perfume seller, attempting to mask his identity with excessive amounts of Polo Sport adjacent cologne, is knocked off center when a charming customer sees through his act.
 

A musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and Moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country. Visiting the last original blues devils, many in their 80s, still living in the deep south, working without management and touring the Chitlin’ Circuit. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, RL Boyce, Jimmy ’Duck’ Holmes, Lil Buck Sinegal, LC Ulmer and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.

By turns earnest and riotously entertaining, this documentary feature expands on director Nicole Bazuin and performer and co-writer Andrea Werhun’s book and short film of the same name. Werhun interviews a diverse community of sex workers and dancers, exploring their professions’ risks and rewards. Modern Whore is a revealing film that exposes the silencing effects of shame and stigma, a culture that fetishizes trauma, and the vulnerabilities that underlie a lack of labour protections.

Trudy Vachon was a soft-spoken teen with an unusual dream: she wanted to carry on in the footsteps of her famous dad, Paul “Butcher” Vachon, and her uncle Mad Dog. Defying expectations for “lady wrestlers”, who were typically treated as bimbos at the time, she adopted a demonic snarl and the nickname Luna, and shaved half her head: a Heavy Metal fighter, and genuinely scary (even to friends and family). Kate Kroll’s touching documentary mixes admiration with sadness: Luna was bipolar, and the wrestling world she grew up in was riven with abuse. She achieved fame, even got her own action doll, but her life was full of pain and heartache.

Brendan’s short films reflect the yearning and instability of contemporary life. They are vignettes of loneliness, desire and fleeting human connection.

Welcome to the House of Borealis! For Star (Dillian Chiblow), this East Van drag house is the home they’ve been searching for, an alternate family that’s genuinely supportive and inspiring. At its centre is Mother (Stewart Adam McKensy), who’s seen it all, been it all, and somehow knits together a wayward group of orphans and runaways. Corey Payette’s musical blends drag spectacle, Indigenous storytelling, and soaring emotion in a film that celebrates chosen family and the liberating magic of performance.

A foul-smelling gravedigger's romance ends in tragedy, spurring her to attempt a resurrection through a madcap series of science experiments. Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie’s film is a zany DIY horror that zaps fresh life into Mary Shelley's classic.

With Heartbeats, Xavier Dolan captures the beautiful absurdity of unrequited love. Two friends fall for the same enigmatic stranger, and their friendship slowly unravels under the weight of fantasy and projection. Stylish, playful, and emotionally raw, the film examines how desire often says more about our own longing than about the person we chase. Dolan’s pop-infused aesthetic turns heartbreak into something both painfully relatable and strangely glamorous.

For the last twelve years, Marisela and Ely Ortíz have been roaming the US-Mexico desert. Their goal: to seek, find and return to their families the bodies of migrants who died while crossing on foot. This all-consuming calling takes a crushing toll on them, but how could they stop? Spare My Bones, Coyote! follows their work, dedication, and difficult lives they have chosen to live.
 

A program of shorts that introduces daring new voices in Canadian cinema. Personal, playful, provocative, and self-financed, these films offer the freedom to express boldly through practices rooted in filmmaking among friends.

Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.

Behind every great role is an actor bold enough to believe in himself. In this surrealist sketch, we learn lessons on acting and life—straight from the fox’s mouth.

In 1985, the Haida Nation stood in the path of destruction—and changed the course of Canadian history.

The boys return from jail to find the park has deteriorated, with a brand new park being created beside it. They attempt a series of get rich quick schemes and robberies, while a freshly drunk Lahey threatens to derail their plans.

Frustrated with the lack of chivalrous guys her own age, a college senior gives up on dating for love to date an older man in exchange for gifts instead.

An evening outing takes a dangerous turn for two Indigenous women.
 

A feature documentary about one of Canada's most beloved bands whose songs are like lifelong friends, having seeped into every stage of our lives. Theirs is a tale of determination, success and 40 years of enduring friendships.