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33rd edition
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Toronto, Canada
April 23 – May 3, 2026
11 days
About Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Hot Docs is a Toronto-based documentary film festival founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada. It is widely regarded as North America's largest documentary festival. The organization also operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto's Annex, billed as the world's first and largest documentary cinema. Winning films qualify for Oscars, BAFTAs, Spirit Awards, BIFAs and Canadian Screen Awards.
Festival details
Location
Toronto, Canada
Scope
International
Focus
Documentary · Canadian documentary · International documentary
Duration
11 days
Founded
1993
Special programs
Hot Docs Festival
Annual 11-day festival with around 115 documentary films from dozens of countries.
Doc Soup
Year-round screening series with special guests.
Docs For Schools
Educational programming for students in grades 5-12.
Curious Minds Festival
Thematic speaker series tied to documentary topics.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Year-round documentary cinema in Toronto.
For filmmakers
Submission deadline
2026-01-08
Eligible production years
Completed after January 1, 2025
Screening eligibility
Features/Mid-Length require Ontario premiere; Shorts require Toronto premiere. English or English-subtitled only.
Accepted formats
Features (66+ min), Mid-Length (41-65 min), Shorts (≤40 min), Episodic series
Best Documentary Films
Award-Winning Documentaries
Curated For You
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