Hot Docs at Home Stay connected with these uplifting docs and enjoy ‘dinner & a movie’ ideas courtesy of our partners at Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants We’ve collaborated with our partners at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to round up films that make us feel connected and reassured and remind us of all the wonderful and enriching parts of the human experience that will endure. Hand picked by Hot Docs staff, these favourites from the Hot Docs Collection are easily accessible through various streaming and on-demand platforms such as CBC Gem, Crave, and Netflix. Paired with each film is a recipe from Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants and canadas100best.com to make from the comfort of your home. We hope they’ll bring you as much joy as they do us. Scotiabank is proud to be the As school is out, or more precisely founding partner of Docs for moved into the home, Docs for Schools – thoughtful documentary Schools program is pleased to curate programming that offers students an a variety of free, online documentary opportunity to engage with current films for the whole family to watch issues, raise critical questions, and together. The selected films will interact with new perspectives, show our world in inspiring and outside of traditional media or informative ways. classroom perspectives. Check out the films here at Docs for Schools at Home. Presenting Platinum Partner ON Hot Docs Festival-at-home experience Watch Hot Docs at Home on CBC for front-row access to the digital premieres of select documentary titles from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival. Films will air Thursday evenings starting April 16. MADE YOU LOOK: A TRUE STORY ABOUT FAKE ART World Premiere: April 16 8:00pm CBC and CBC GEM Established in 1846, New York City’s Knoedler & Company was one of the most respected art galleries in the USA, selling masterpieces by the world’s most sought-after artists. By 2011, that reputation was severely tarnished and the establishment in ruins. Rumours and accusations surrounding Knoedler’s transactions of fraudulent modern artwork decimated the gallery and its high- profile president Ann Freedman. Millionaires keen to build their prestigious personal collections instead ended up with impressive forgeries imitating Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, all painted by one man in a Queens garage. The abstract masterpieces at the centre of this controversy are merely commodities to be acquired and traded by an elitist culture ripe for exploitation. The elaborate con artist scheme and the outrage that followed makes for an entertaining true crime drama, where everyone is willing to share their side of the story, but no one takes responsibility for their actions. Visit Hot Docs at Home on CBC for more titles and premiere dates. CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER Is there a more romantic image of a writer than that of someone hunched over their typewriter passionately working away, the clicks and dings sounding off as they go? Discover extensive collections of trusty typewriters, all carefully selected by brand and generation, curated by those who are not so quick to shrug off old technology. Many artists and writers who still swear by the machine—among them Tom Hanks, John Mayer and the late Sam Shepard—share their thoughts on its value as a tool and source of inspiration. California Typewriter also looks at one of the last surviving typewriter repair shops, run by a man determined to Watch on Crave keep the tradition alive. Something about Tom Hanks makes me feel like everything is going to be Pair with okay. His love letter to the typewriter is a gorgeous meditation on creativity Miss Thing’s restaurant’s and analog communication. Its also an opportunity to pause and take The Oldest Fashioned pleasure in the simple things we normally take for granted. cocktail Alan Black Managing Director, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM When the barking of their beloved dog leads to an eviction notice from their tiny LA apartment, John and Molly Chester make a choice most of us only dream of, trading in the city hustle to live in harmony with the land. But the couple’s naïve ambition of building a sustainable farm takes a series of wild turns as they come to realize that to survive, they will have to reach a deeper understanding of the intricacies of nature, and of life itself. Filled with breathtaking images of plants and animals, The Biggest Little Farm is an inspiring ode to uncompromising idealism and a beautiful homage to the natural world. Watch on Netflix For my fellow nature lovers out there, this portrait of a couple who pursue their dreams of owning a farm is a ray of sunshine—and a reminder that life Pair with always finds a way. John Morris’ Roasted Beet and Jessica Gyll Heirloom Carrot Salad Programming Manager, Hot Docs ECHO IN THE CANYON Travel back to Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s to a pivotal music scene moment and the influential emergence of folk rock. From The Byrds, to The Beach Boys, to Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas, these iconic bands were inspired by The Beatles and then went on to in turn inspire The Beatles—as well as future generations of musicians. Guided by Jakob Dylan, Echo in the Canyon captures this moment of unparalleled creativity and collaboration and features musical performances and original interviews with David Crosby, Norah Jones, Cat Power, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and more. Watch on Crave From The Byrds to the Beach Boys, countless musicians would not have existed were it not for Laurel Canyon’s thriving music scene. Not only is Pair with Lynn Crawford’s this film a reminder of the strength of art and community, it’s an excellent Dad’s Meat Loaf with sing-along antidote to these days of isolation. Onion Gravy Robin Smith, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Programmer HIP HOP EVOLUTION There’s no doubt hip-hop dominates popular music culture today. Its influences are far-reaching and its performers international superstars. How did this New York house party experiment evolve into one of the most dominant sounds in music? The Banger Films team brings a powerhouse of a film starring hip-hop legends and pioneers to trace the genre’s evolution. Acclaimed Canadian rapper Shad acts as our informed and enthusiastic guide, travelling to the Bronx and Harlem to talk with hip-hop’s originators and biggest stars—Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, among many others—tracing the Watch on Crave or Netflix music’s development and influences from the underground to the global phenomenon it is today. Fascinating and sometimes surprising, full of music and archival film, Hip-Hop Evolution goes beyond the hype to place hip-hop in the canon of musical history. Pair with The Chase Caesar Join famous fans like Dwayne Johnson and treat yourself to this Toronto- produced, Emmy-winning masterclass of a series for a dose of mood- boosting inspiration and education—oh, and a killer soundtrack too. Sarah Li-Lun MacArthur Programming Coordinator, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema MINDING THE GAP For three young men growing up in in Illinois, adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it are quickly approaching. After the carefree summers of their adolescence spent skateboarding around Rockford, the stressors of fatherhood, money, racial tensions, domestic abuse and more start to threaten their decade-long friendship. Filmmaker Bing Liu returns home to reconnect with his two friends, bringing with him footage shot over the course of the last 10 years. Through this personal footage and present-day interviews, Minding the Gap offers a vulnerable and powerfully honest look at the many struggles Watch on CBC Gem of growing up and the difficulties of moving forward from heavy pasts into uncertain futures. Pair with Beautifully bridging that gap between childhood and adulthood, this Oscar- Armand Bernard’s nominated film is a personal, coming-of-age look at the legacy of childhood Avonlea Mac & Cheese trauma and how we strive for better. A rare gem. Olena Decock Industry Programmer, Conference and Funds PUGLY Pugly follows a year-in-the-life of a group of three rescue pugs, their triumphs and tribulations, and the growing community of people devoted to the “squishy-faced” dog. Despite the head-to-tail health issues common in these breeds, pugs are more popular than ever— and they’re full of surprises. From Helmut, star of Toronto’s monthly Pug Grumble, to Titus, the half-blind dog who will not give up chasing speeding trains, find out why everyone is falling for these loveable little hounds and living the pug life. Watch on CBC Gem Follow the wonderful stories of three pugs in the care of Toronto’s Pugalug Pug Rescue, an amazing network of folks who fight for these squishy-faced dogs when nobody else will. Fun fact: I was so moved from watching this film at our cinema that I adopted its star, Gunner! Pair with Sarah Kieffer’s Jenn Shah Chocolate Chip Cookie Director of Sponsorship Marketing THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS For three teenage boys living in New York in the 1980s, what starts as an uncanny resemblance quickly turns into an extraordinary stranger-than- fiction story. The discovery that Bobby, Eddy and David were triplets separated at birth and adopted by three different families catapults the former strangers to international fame. But their incredible reunion also unlocks a secret that gives this bizarre and charming tale a mysterious and troubling origin story. See one of the most talked-about films of Hot Docs 2018 on our screen after sold-out screenings.