Hot Docs Festival to open with film on queer rock icon Carole Pope

TORONTO – A film about the career and life of queer rock icon Carole Pope is opening this year’s Hot Docs festival, which organizers say is looking to its future and spotlighting pressing issues around the globe while rebuilding the event at home.

The 33rd edition will kick off in April with the world premiere of “Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions,” directed by Canadian filmmaker Michelle Mama.

As co-leader of Toronto new wave group Rough Trade, Pope pushed radio boundaries with the 1981 hit “High School Confidential,” which explored lesbian desire.

Mama says Pope is “a living legend” in Canadian music and a role model for queer youth.

“We’re in challenging times right now for queer people, for all kinds of people, and the key is to stand strong and keep pushing through,” Mama said in an interview Tuesday.

“She’s lived through all of it, so it’s testament that if you just really dig down and dig deep, you can live through anything.”

This year’s Hot Docs slate will feature 115 documentaries from 51 countries.

Among other high-profile fare announced Tuesday are the world premieres of “Love Apptually,” exploring dating app algorithms; “Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart,” following the life and career of the famed hitmaker; and “Myspace,” about the rise of the pioneering social networking

Raha Shirazi’s “A War on Women” charts four decades of feminist resistance by Iranian women against the Islamic Republic, while Kim Nguyen’s “Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom” spans continents and reveals a connection between two families and an iconic Vietnam War photo.

Gabor Pertic, Hot Docs lead programmer, said the goal of the festival “has always been to be as global as possible.”

“There are so many places that don’t get the focus and I think me and my team were really … trying to put that to light, because those stories are also the ones that need to be told,” he said in an interview last week.

Pertic added the festival received 2,800 submissions this year and he’s “really excited” about the future of the event.

“I know right now there are so many doc filmmakers that are getting their cameras out and going all over the world. We’ll be seeing those next year and I so look forward to it.”

Several other Canadian films will be making their world premieres, including Sébastien Trahan’s “Code of Misconduct,” which follows the sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team.

Also set to premiere is “Nekai Walks,” a story about the recovery and activism of teenager Nekai Foster after he was shot in Toronto’s Jane and Finch area. Director Rico King said he hopes audiences are inspired by Foster’s story.

“I hope they take away that anything’s possible, the power of the human spirit,” said King. “You’ve got a child who survived the unsurvivable. It’s going to inspire people from different walks of life.”

Other Canadian films include “Black Zombie,” which explores the origin of the zombie and its roots in Haitian folklore, and “The Tower That Built A City,” which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Toronto’s CN Tower. Director Mark Myers said his goal is to show how the monument came to symbolize the city’s identity.

“I hope people walk away with a sense of pride,” said Myers. “The tower is this ambitious, iconic structure that at one point was just a drawing on a piece of paper. Hopefully people are inspired to think big and make bold decisions.”

Myers added he’s especially proud that the film is premiering in its hometown.

“I was beyond thrilled, almost a little tear in my eye when I heard that the film was going to be at the festival,” Myers said. “It means a lot to me.”

This year’s event is meant to be a turning point after a turbulent period for the festival. In 2024, former president Marie Nelson resigned just one year into the role as the festival grappled with financial difficulties. Last year, the organization saw two veteran executives depart.

The future of its flagship theatre on Bloor Street was up in the air until August, when Hot Docs announced it had sold it to an anonymous buyer and will continue to run the space.

Executive Director Diana Sanchez said this year’s festival is an “important step.”

“This past year was my first year at Hot Docs, and it has been one of stabilization and rebuilding and we’re continuing to do that,” said Sanchez at a press conference.

Sanchez later added in an interview that the documentary is “a Canadian art form” that offers a shared understanding of the world.

“The whole community wants Hot Docs not just to survive but to thrive,” Sanchez said. “I think that level of commitment has been really important and that’s what’s going to take us into the future.”

The Hot Docs Festival will run from April 23 to May 3.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2026.