Hot Docs and Netflix Fund Five Canadian Documentaries with CAD 150,000 in Incubator Program

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

Canada

Hot Docs has unveiled the five Canadian feature-length documentary projects selected for the second edition of the Hot Docs Incubator program, backed by Netflix. This initiative provides CAD 150,000 in funding to support mid-career Canadian documentary filmmakers, including directors, producers, and editors, who are working on projects with significant creative and market potential.

The Hot Docs Incubator is designed to propel the careers of these filmmakers by offering project grants, comprehensive training, mentorship, and financial support. Participants will engage in intensive workshops focusing on story development, market readiness, and career advancement. Their work-in-progress will be showcased at the Hot Docs Festival 2025, allowing international industry professionals and decision-makers to preview their projects.

Elizabeth Radshaw, Director of Industry Programs at Hot Docs, expressed enthusiasm about the selected projects: “It gives us great pleasure to announce the selection of these five dynamic documentary projects and companies for the second installment of the Hot Docs Incubator. Following the success of our inaugural program, we are thrilled to extend this support to a new slate of remarkable Canadian documentary companies and projects by promising mid-career filmmakers. Over the next eight months, our cohort will embark on a transformative journey for their company development and film story support, engaging in intensive training sessions with top-tier mentors and key industry decision-makers. Congratulations to all the selected projects!”

The Hot Docs Incubator Selection Committee, including María José Arauz, Sara Ben-Saud, Robert Y. Chang, Elizabeth Radshaw, and Ann Shin, reviewed the eligible projects for their creative and market potential.

The five selected documentary projects are:

1. "Ba's Book" / Director: Ashley Duong / Producers: Ina Fichman, Ashley Duong / Production Company: Ba’s Book Productions (Intuitive Pictures, Da-Lê Films)
   A father writes a memoir about his experiences in the Vietnam War and the Iranian Revolution, which his daughter responds to by making a film about their intergenerational legacy of war.
2. "Becoming a Landscape" / Director: Emily Graves / Producer: Aeyliya Husain / Production Company: November Films Inc.
   Visual artist Sarah Gerats explores the personal impact of climate change through nude self-portraits in one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth.
3. "Gawlo" / Director: Aïcha Diop / Producer: Aïcha Diop / Production Company: Studio Tokosel
   Filmmaker Aïcha Diop uncovers her ancestral roots and engages in a global journey with her cousin to explore their shared history, revealing secrets in the American South, Canada, France, and Senegal.
4. "Land of No Pain" / Director: Émilie Martel / Producers: Émilie Martel, José Guayasamin / Production Company: Kannon Films Inc.
   A conservationist struggles to save endangered primates from inbreeding in the Ecuadorian Amazon while seeking justice for environmental damage caused by an oil spill.
5. "Sega: The Music of the Indian Ocean" / Director: Vincent Toi / Producer: Guillaume Collin / Production Company: Arpent Films Docs Inc.
   Emerging Mauritian musician Sarah Honoré seeks to reclaim her Creole identity through Séga music, a genre tied to European colonization and slavery.

These projects will benefit from the Hot Docs Incubator’s support, aimed at advancing their development and showcasing their progress at the Hot Docs Festival 2025.