40 documentaries will participate in this year’s Deal Maker at Hot Docs. The one-on-one stream of Hot Docs’ Industry programming allows film teams to connect with producers and find financial partners for their docs.
This year’s selection includes eight Canadian projects. Among them are Acid: Who Stopped the Rain?, directed by Victoria Lean and produced by Lean and Jonas Prupas; Curl Power, directed by Josephine Anderson and produced by Anderson and Mike Johnston; Saints and Warriors, directed by Patrick Shannon and produced by Michael Grand; Singing Back the Buffalo, directed by Tasha Hubbard and produced by Hubbard, George Hupka, and Jason Ryle; The Golden Door, directed by Robinder Uppal and produced by Marc Serpa Francoeur; The Sandbox, directed by Kenya-Jade Pinto and produced by Pinto and Shasha Nakhai; Breaking the Wall, directed by Weichao Xu and produced by Yiqian Zhang; and Until Our Hearts are on the Ground, directed by Dawn Lavell Harvard and Pam Palmater and produced by Jeanette Vivian Corbiere Lovell and Mark Peachey. Also on the listed is an untitled Chilean-Canadian-American co-production directed by Carola Fuentes and produced by Rafael Valdeavellano.
“Hot Docs Industry is committed to fostering a vibrant marketplace for documentaries, offering a vital platform where films can take significant strides towards fruition by connecting with crucial partners and funders,” said Elizabeth Radshaw, Hot Docs’ Industry Programs Director, in a release. “These compelling projects are poised to captivate audiences worldwide.”
“We’re extremely proud to congratulate this year’s Deal Maker line-up bringing together 40 inspiring and innovative projects from 31 countries, 13 of which are first features,” added Deal Maker programmer Lauren Clarke. “This year’s selected projects showcase the work of extraordinary artists exploring urgent stories that underpin our society. With the current state of the world and documentary marketplace, building deep authentic relationships, and finding your partners, collaborators and co-conspirators is more essential than ever.”
Hot Docs also noted that Singing Back the Buffalo will premiere at this year’s festival among the official selections. Also screening at Hot Docs 2024 are past Deal Maker participants Yintah, Adrianne & The Castle, The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine, My Sextortion Diary, and Standing Above the Clouds. The full line-up is scheduled to be announced on March 26.
Docs participating in this year’s Deal Maker are:
#NunsToo
Director: Lorena Luciano
Producer: Filippo Piscopo
Executive Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
Production Companies: Film Take Productions, Inc. (USA), Mighty Entertainment, Inc. (USA)
Acid: Who Stopped the Rain?
Director: Victoria Lean
Producers: Victoria Lean, Jonas Prupas
Executive Producer: Michael Kronish
Associate Producer: Jade Blair
Production Companies: Parrhesia Films (Canada), Muse Entertainment (Canada)
Barbara Forever
Director: Brydie O’Connor
Producer: Elijah Stevens
Executive Producers: Christine Vachon, Claire Edelman
Production Companies: Barbara Forever LLC (USA), Space Time Films (USA), Killer Films (USA), Kartemquin Films (USA)
Breaking the Cycle
Directors: Aekaphong Saransate, Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn
Producers: Komtouch Napattaloong, Tanwarat Sombawattana
Production Company: Pop Pictures (Thailand)
Breaking the Wall
Director: Weichao Xu
Producer: Yiqian Zhang
Production Company: Touchstone Productions Inc. (Canada)
Brücher. Unheard of Botanical Chronicle
Directors: María Camila Menéndez, Mariana Elena Guzzante
Producers: Silvana Diaz Coppoletta y Cristina Escobar
Production Companies: Curandero Producciones (Argentina), El Gatoverde Producciones SRL. (Spain)
Camionero
Director: Francisco Marise
Producers: David Pérez Sañudo, Agustín Delgado, Kevin Iglesias
Executive Producer: Elena Maeso
Production Company: Amania Films SL (Spain)
Curl Power
Director: Josephine Anderson
Producers: Mike Johnston, Josephine Anderson
Executive Producers: Mike Johnston, Josephine Anderson, Ken Tsui
Associate Producers: Diana Parry, Andy Alvarez, Martin Calvo, Alex Bohs, Claire Sanford
Production Companies: Studio 104 Entertainment Inc. (Canada), Secret Bench Films Inc. (Canada)
Dreams of the Wild Oaks
Director: Marjan Khosravi
Producers: Milad Khosravi
Co-Producer: Stephanie von Lukowicz
Executive Producers: Milad Khosravi, Stephanie von Lukowicz
Production Companies: Seven Springs Pictures (Iran), Lukimedia, sl (Spain)
En Garde
Director: Mateusz Majda
Producers: Paweł Ziemilski, Łukasz Długołęcki, Mateusz Majda
Production Company: MX35 Wajda Ziemilski sp. j. (Poland)
Girl Island: The Sandy Stone Story
Director: Marjorie Vecchio
Producers: Susan Stryker, Marjorie Vecchio
Executive Producer: Zackary Drucker
Consulting Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Production Companies: MJV Productions, LLC (USA), 13th Gen, Inc (USA)
Holder of the Sky
Director: Tsanavi Spoonhunter
Producers: Ciara Lacy, Cristina Costantini
Line Producer: Christian Lee Collins
Production Company: Mahebe Media LLC (USA)
Holloway
Directors: Daisy-May Hudson, Sophie Compton
Producers: Alice Hughes, Polly Creed
Executive Producer: Claire O’Neill
Production Companies: Beehive Films Limited (UK), Power Play Productions CIC (UK)
Kind Ones
Director: Max Lowe
Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Ann Rogers
Production Companies: Fishbowl Films (USA), Humble Heart Films (USA)
La Pietà
Directors: Pepe Andreu, Rafa Molés
Producers: Pepe Andreu, Rafa Molés, Ólafur Rögnvaldsson, Arunas Matelis
Production Companies: SUICA Productions S.L. (SUICAfilms) (Spain), Axfilms ehf (Iceland), Ultra nominum, UAB (Studio Nominum) (Lithuania)
Land of My Dreams
Director: Nausheen Khan
Producer: Nausheen Khan
Production Company: Nausheen Khan (India)
Matininó
Director: Gabriela Díaz Arp
Producers: Karla Claudio Betancourt, Wendy Muñiz, Guillermo Zouain
Production Companies: Matininó, LLC. (USA, Puerto Rico), Rabbit Raccoon (USA), Viewfinder (Dominican Republic)
Memento Mori
Directors: Briar March, Alyx Duncan
Producers: Briar March, Alyx Duncan
Executive Producer: Alex Behse
Production Companies: On the Level Productions Limited (New Zealand), Monsoon Pictures International Ltd (New Zealand)
My Dream to Fly
Director: Asmaa gamal Elgafrie
Producer: Asmaa gamal Elgafrie
Production Company: REC & Roll (Egypt)
Saints and Warriors
Director: Patrick Shannon
Producer: Michael Grand
Executive Producers: Patrick Shannon, Vinay Virmani, Scott Moore
Production Companies: Grand Scheme Productions Inc. (Canada), Ball is Life Entertainment Inc. (Canada), First Take Entertainment Ltd. (Canada)
The Sharp Edge of Peace
Director: Roya Sadat
Producers: Leslie Thomas, Ana Ramic, Christy Denes, J. Matthew Jacob, Aziz Deldar, Alka Sadat Executive Producers: John Ptak, Jamie Wolf Co-Executive Producer: Nathalie Seaver Production Companies: MIRA Studios LLC (USA), Roya Film House (Afghanistan/USA), Foothill Productions (USA)
Singing Back the Buffalo
Director: Tasha Hubbard
Producers: Tasha Hubbard, George Hupka, Jason Ryle
Executive Producer: Bonnie Thompson
Production Company: Buffalo Song Productions Inc. (Canada)
Streets Loud with Echoes
Director: Katerina Suvorova
Producers: Aruan Anartayev, Viktoriya Kalashnikova
Production Company: Tihiy Svet (Quiet Light) (Kazakhstan)
The Art of War (El Arte de la Guerra)
Directors: Grecia Barbieri, Gonzalo Benavente Secco
Producer: Carolina Denegri
Executive Producers: Grecia Barbieri, Gonzalo Benavente Secco, Carolina Denegri, Jaén Mujica Coronado
Production Companies: Autocinema SAC (Peru), Animalita EIRL (Peru)
The Golden Door
Director: Robinder Uppal
Producer: Marc Serpa Francoeur
Production Company: Lost Time Media Inc. (Canada)
The Good Man of Pachalum (working title)
Director: Renato Borrayo Serrano
Producer: Inés Nofuentes, Jorge Lopez, Nacho LaCasa
Executive Producer: Inés Nofuentes
Associate Producer: Mo Scarpelli
Production Companies: Curuxa Cinema SL. (Spain), Cronopio Cinema (Guatemala), Capitán Araña (Spain), Rake Films (USA)
The Most Important Prisoners
Director: Zakaria Rahmani
Producers: Arne Birkenstock, Michael Mallie
Production Companies: Fruitmarket Arts & Media GmbH (Germany), Ard Mhacha Productions (Ireland)
The Sandbox
Director: Kenya-Jade Pinto
Producers: Shasha Nakhai, Kenya-Jade Pinto
Executive Producers: Rich Williamson, Jennifer Baichwal, Bob Moore
Production Company: 1000543880 Ontario Inc. (Canada)
The Soldier’s Journey
Director: Helena Maksyom
Producers: Adrian Privu, Yasmin C. Rams, Renko Douze, Dea Gjinovci
Production Companies: Privu A. Adrian PFA (Romania), Perennial Lens GmbH (Germany), Een Van de Jongens (Netherlands), Astrae Productions (Switzerland)
Together (working title)
Director: Yasmin Mistry
Producers: Yasmin Mistry, Thu-Huong Hoang
Consulting Producer: Jin Yoo-Kim
Production Company: idesygn creative LLC (USA)
Until Our Hearts are on the Ground
Directors: Dawn Lavell Harvard, Pam Palmater
Producers: Jeanette Vivian Corbiere Lovell, Mark Peachey
Executive Producers: Dawn Lavell Harvard, Alanis Obomsawin, Pam Palmater (producer)
Production Companies: Warrior Life Studios, Inc. (Canada), The Digitalist (1044667 Ont. Inc) (Canada)
Untitled Eitaro Project
Directors: Koodae Kim, Teruhisa Yoshida
Producers: Michael LaPointe, Koodae Kim, Teruhisa Yoshida
Consulting Producer: Doug Block
Production Companies: Pointe Media, LLC (USA), TenFrames, LLC (USA)
Untitled Chilean Documentary
Director: Carola Fuentes
Producer: Rafael Valdeavellano
Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry, Ina Fichman
Production Companies: La Ventana Cine Ltd. (Chile), Drymen Pictures, LLC (USA), Intuitive Pictures (Canada)
Untitled Middle East Project
Directors: Janay Boulos, Abd al-Kader Habak
Producers: Sonja Henrici, Janay Boulos, Abd al-Kader Habak
Production Companies: Habak Films Ltd. (UK), Sonja Henrici Creates Ltd. (UK)
The Noble Half (working title)
Director: Khaula Haider Malik
Producers: Afnahn Khan, Brit Fryer, Khaula Malik
Production Companies: Forest Ave Films (USA), Third Cousin Pictures, Inc. (USA)
War on Women
Director: Maris Salumets
Producer: Elina Litvinova
Co-producer: Volia Chajkosukaya, Tereza Nvotova
Production Companies: Three Brothers OÜ (Estonia), Allfilm OÜ (Estonia), Talking Stones s.r.a (Slovakia)
Wild Gleaming Space (Luminoso Espacio Salvaje)
Director: Mauro Colombo
Producers: Abner Benaim, Arturo Méndiz, Isabella Gálvez
Production Companies: Apertura Films, S.A. (Panamá), Bastian Films 2 S.L. (Spain)
Will They Ever Come Back?
Director: Ángela Carabalí
Producers: Sandra Tabares-Duque, Ángela Carabalí
Productions Companies: Sandelion Productions S.A.S (Colombia), Carabalí Films & New Media S.A.S (Colombia)
XiXi
Director: Fan Wu
Producers: Fan Wu, Venice de Castro Atienza, Sona Jo, Yoonsoo Her
Production Companies: Svemirko Audiovisual Art Productions (Taiwan), Svemirko Film Productions (Philippines), Sona Films (Republic of Korea)
