This issue and POV’s online TIFF coverage was generously sponsored by Telefilm Canada.
Issue 124 - Fall/Winter 2025
In Still Single, directors Jamal Burger and Jukan Tateisi observe omakase chef Masaki Saito — Toronto’s only chef with two Michelin stars — in action and the commitment entailed in living your dream with the highest standards for success. The doc leads our look at new films on the fall festival circuit.
Digital issues available via Press Reader, Magzter, and Zinio.
Photo: Rhombus Media/Common Good
This issue will be en route to subscribers at the beginning of September.
Inside this issue:
Publisher’s Note by Pat Mullen
Editorial by Marc Glassman
Policy Matters by Julian Carrington
DOC fights for indies at CRTC.
Festival Circuit
Giving Lilith Fair Its Due by Susan G. Cole
Ally Pankiw’s music doc highlights the festival where women took centre stage.
A Not So Sentimental Education by Justine Smith
Andrea Werhun makes the case to respect sex work as labour in Modern Whore.
Table for One by Pat Mullen
Still Single offers a candid look at rock star sushi chef Masaki Saito.
Min Sook Lee on Her Mother’s Story by Jason Gorber
There Are No Words is the filmmaker’s most personal doc to date.
The Roots of Black Zombie by Courtney Small
Maya Annik Bedward deconstructs the undead and its roots in Haitian Vodou.
A Travelling Spirit by Daniel Glassman
Peter Mettler’s While the Green Grass Grows is a film diary that takes on spiritual and physical journeys.
Fight the Power
The Kids Are Alright by Nidhil Vohra
The art of student protest fuels A Night of Knowing Nothing and The Encampments.
The Impact of Images by Gesilayefa Azorbo
Two iconic photographs from the Vietnam War are still revealing truths after sixty years.
The Truth, Ruth by Alexander Mooney
Spike Lee’s documentary oeuvre shifts a personal filmmaker towards the collective.
Advanced Style
Investigating the Lives of the Rich and Famous by Rachel Ho
Films about Elvis Presley, Pamela Anderson and Paul Reubens exemplify the multiplicity of celebrity docs.
A Canadian General in America by Daniel Glassman
How Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal’s awkward comic, encapsulates a distinctly Canadian ethos.
Faking It by Winnie Wang
Mockumentaries find a kind of truth through fiction.
Industry Beat
The Nature of Change by Adam Benzine
How does CBC’s The Nature of Things fare in a changing market?
On Mentorship by Jennifer Baichwal
The veteran filmmaker reflects on the hands that help us.
Freeze Frame by Marc Glassman
Remembering Debbie Nightingale
Now Nathan Fielder's brand of comedy with The Rehearsal and Nathan for You displays a distinct character of Canadianness by blurring humour and non-fiction.
Read More![Jennifer Baichwal (director, at centre), Peter Mettler (director of photography, right) John Price (camera assistant, at far right), and crowd in Wushan, China, during production of Manufactured Landscapes (2006). [Credit:] Mercury Filmworks / Mongrel Media](https://povmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/MF1-480x480.jpg)
Jennifer Baichwal, acclaimed director of Manufactured Landscapes and Anthropocene, reflects on the guidance that helped carry her through the early years of her career.
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Black Zombie director Maya Annik Bedward tells how her new documentary explores the Haitian Vodou roots of zombie culture.
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On the documentaries of Spike Lee and an artist who never shies away from the truth, whatever form the story takes.
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How mockumentaries like The Dirties, Punishment Park, and The Clowns play with our suspension of disbelief and the line between fiction and non-fiction.
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A fond farewell to a Hot Docs founder and the Documentary Organization of Canada’s first executive director, Debbie Nightingale.
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Modern Whore director Nicole Bazuin and star Andrea Werhun make the case that it's high time to consider sex work as labour with all the rights and protections that entails.
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Celebrity documentaries like Pamela, a love story; Pee-Wee as Himself; and Elvis Presley: The Searcher represent varying degrees of access and exploration in a growing field of docs about famous names.
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Documentaries The Encampments and A Night of Knowing Nothing share the art of student protest with distinct methods.
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As The Nature of Things enters its 65th season with new hosts and a renewed push for international coproductions, Canadian filmmakers are adjusting to a shifting landscape
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