Hot Docs is rolling out more titles ahead of next week’s main line-up announcement. This year’s festival adds several Sundance favourites to the Special Presentations slate, including the international premiere of Come See Me in the Good Light. The film directed by Ryan White (Pamela: A Love Story) and produced by White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, and Stef Willen offers a cathartic portrait of spoken word artist Andrea Gibson as they share their experience with a terminal cancer diagnosis and relish the time left with partner Megan Falley. POV named Come See Me in the Good Light the top doc at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and the audience agreed with the film winning the overall Festival Favourite Award. Producer Notaro is no stranger to Hot Docs, either, as her documentary Tig opened the 2015 festival.
Also coming to Hot Docs is 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Mstyslav Chernov’s follow-up to his Oscar winner 20 Days in Mariupol. The film won Chernov the directing prize at Sundance this year. Andriivka presents a harrowing portrait from the front lines as Ukrainian soldiers embark on a quest to traverse a violent territory with hopes to reclaim a small village from Russian invaders. (Read more about the film in our upcoming print issue.)
Also touching down in Toronto after opening to good buzz at Sundance are Heightened Scrutiny, Selena Y Los Dinos, and The Dating Game. Heightened Scrutiny, directed by Sam Feder and produced by Amy Scholder, Paola Mendoza, and Feder. The film follows American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio as he readies to argue the case of his life before the Supreme Court and defend the rights of transgender youths across America.
Selena Y Los Dinos, meanwhile, tells the tragic story of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla whose life was struck down as she was on the cusp of breaking into the English market. The doc directed by Isabel Castro and produced by Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, J. Daniel Torres, David Blackman, and Simran Singh won a special prize for archival storytelling at Sundance. Violet Du Feng’s The Dating Game observes three Chinese bachelors as they enlist the help of a smooth operator dating coach with hopes of winning over the ladies. Du Feng directs and serves as producer alongside Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, and Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas.
Canadian premieres joining the line-up include Assembly, directed and produced by Rashaad Newsome and Johnny Symons. Newsome works in collaboration with Symons to chronicle his 2022 exhibit that transformed a former military facility into a “queer Afro-futurist utopia.” Assembly recently premiered at SXSW and marks Newsome’s feature debut, while Symons’ work as director and producer includes the award winner Daddy and Papa.
Also coming to Hot Docs after a well-received SXSW premiere and rounding out today’s announcement is Spreadsheet Champions. The film directed by Kristina Kraskov and produced by Anna Charalambous, Charlotte Wheaton, and Nick Batzias uses the tried and tested mode of the competition documentary to engage audiences in the cutthroat world of the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship as six challengers excel to take the top spot.
Hot Docs will announce the full slate of titles for the 2025 festival on March 25. It previously revealed titles including The Nest and Saints and Warriors. Of the 15 titles announced so far out of a line-up that’s anticipated to cover approximately 100 docs, only The Nest is tapped for a world premiere at the festival.
The titles announced today are:
2000 Meters to Andriivka
D: Mstyslav Chernov | P: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath | Ukraine | 2025 | 106 min | Canadian Premiere
From the Academy Award–winning director of 20 Days in Mariupol comes an immersive and harrowing look at a Ukrainian platoon on the front lines of the war as they traverse a heavily fortified forest to liberate the strategic village of Andriivka.
Assembly
D: Rashaad Newsome, Johnny Symons | P: Rashaad Newsome, Johnny Symons | USA | 2025 | 99 min | Canadian Premiere
Interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome adds “documentarian” to his extensive CV with this dazzling record of his titular 2022 exhibition, a multisensory extravaganza that summons a cast of global performers to transform a historic military facility into a queer, Afro-futurist utopia.
Come See Me in the Good Light
D: Ryan White | P: Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen | USA | 2025 | 104 min | International Premiere
After receiving an incurable cancer diagnosis, spoken word artist and poet laureate of Colorado Andrea Gibson, alongside their partner and fellow poet Megan Falley, embarks on a poignant journey filled with humour and love that culminates in a final career-defining performance.
The Dating Game
D: Violet Du Feng | P: Violet Du Feng, Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas | USA, UK, Norway | 2025 | 86 min | Canadian Premiere
In China, where men vastly outnumber women, three desperate bachelors join a controversial dating boot camp promising romantic success through deception. Their journey exposes the harsh realities of modern dating in a post-one-child-policy world.
Heightened Scrutiny
D: Sam Feder | P: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza | USA | 2025 | 85 min | Canadian Premiere
As assaults on trans rights sweep across America, ACLU attorney Chase Strangio must fight legal battles and public opinion pitched against his community as he prepares to be the first openly trans person to argue in front of the Supreme Court.
Selena y Los Dinos
D: Isabel Castro | P: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, J. Daniel Torres, David Blackman, Simran Singh | USA | 2025 | 106 min | International Premiere
Dubbed the “Queen of Tejano Music,” Selena Quintanilla was an iconic superstar whose voice continues to resonate across generations. Exquisite family archives and intimate testimonies chart the rise of this vocal powerhouse who broke down barriers for women in the genre.
Spreadsheet Champions
D: Kristina Kraskov | P: Anna Charalambous, Charlotte Wheaton, Nick Batzias | Australia | 2025 | 86 min | Canadian Premiere
Six students from around the world show off their impressive spreadsheet skills as they excel in the hyper-competitive Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship—the most challenging and prestigious Excel competition—where a win could change their life.
