Hot Docs lineup includes 'The Nest,' 'Deaf President Now!,” Apocalypse in the Tropics'

A scene from the documentary film "The Nest," is shown in a handout. Hot Docs has announced the first batch of films that will screen in its Special Presentations program this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Hot Docs

The embattled Hot Docs festival has announced the first batch of films that will screen in its special presentations program this year.

A personal doc called “The Nest” from Canada’s Chase Joynt and Julietta Singh will make its world premiere. It follows Singh as she returns to her childhood home in Winnipeg, uncovering stories of resistance and resilience woven through Indigenous, Deaf, Japanese and South Asian narratives.

Among international premieres is “Deaf President Now!,” an account of the 1988 student protest that redefined accessibility rights in the U.S., and “Life After,” in which filmmaker Reid Davenport explores the implications of assisted suicide laws on disabled individuals.

Canadian premieres include “Antidote,” a doc-thriller following journalist Christo Grozev and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza as they confront Russia’s government; “Apocalypse in the Tropics,” filmmaker Petra Costa’s deep dive into the rise of religious fundamentalism in Brazil; and “Coexistence, My Ass!,” in which comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi takes on the Israel-Palestine conflict in a one-woman show.

Hot Docs temporarily closed its flagship Toronto theatre last spring and laid off staff over the summer, citing “urgent” financial challenges. It reopened on a limited basis in the fall and said it had made “significant progress” to address its deficit and governance issues as it searched for a new leader, who has yet to be announced.

The Hot Docs festival will run from April 24 to May 4 in Toronto.

Among other Canadian premieres at the festival are “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” an intimate look at the Oscar-winning Deaf American actor, and “Saints and Warriors,” which profiles the rivalries and strong community bonds of British Columbia’s All Native Basketball Tournament.

This year’s full Hot Docs lineup will be announced at a press conference on March 25.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press