News

Hot Docs is excited to unveil the recipients of its latest funding initiative, as five Canadian music documentary projects are set to receive a collective sum of $127,500 CAD from the prestigious Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund. Pioneering as the first of its kind in Canada, the Fund was established in May 2020 to champion filmmakers committed to crafting compelling, high-quality stories that celebrate music in all its forms while showcasing the profound impact of Canadian music on the global stage. The Fund also welcomes international music stories told through the distinctive lens of Canadian filmmakers. To date, the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund has funded 20 projects and disbursed $517,500 CAD. 

“Through the lens of these music documentaries, we embark on a journey that transcends genres and generations, celebrating the essence of musicianship and the artistry that defines it,” said Heidi Tao Yang, Hot Docs’ Director of Funds & Labs. “These films challenge preconceptions and reveal the enduring legacy of social change, all while capturing the heartbeat on the diverse narratives that shape the world of musicians and filmmakers alike.”

“The Slaight Family Foundation is pleased to support this program that provides filmmakers the opportunity to receive creative and professional development support while featuring both Canadian musicians' role in the world as well as international music stories told via Canadian filmmakers,” shared Gary Slaight, President & CEO of The Slaight Family Foundation.

Eligible projects were considered by the selection committee, which included Aisling Chin-Yee (Fluent Films, filmmaker), Yiqian Zhang (Hot Docs) and Barnaby Marshall (Slaight Music).

Development Funds

DONNA GRANTIS: EARTH PERCENT
D: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier
P: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Tyler Levine
Production company: Mercury Films Inc.
Province: Ontario
Donna Grantis: Earth Percent follows acclaimed guitarist Donna Grantis on her ambitious and groundbreaking Culture vs Policy music project which pairs her virtuosic guitar work in collaboration with samples of text and speeches by the world’s most prominent environmental activists.

LOOPING (Working Title)
D: Carol Nguyen
P: Camille Mongeau, Louis-Emmanuel Gagné-Brochu
Production company: 9457-4977 Québec Inc
Province: Québec
A creative and intimate documentary that follows Québecoise singer, Charlotte Cardin, during the making of her third album. We witness private moments during her major career growth, dive behind the scenes in creative sessions and see the roller coasters that come with modern world imagery.

Production Funds

ANTI DIVA: THE CAROLE POPE CONFESSIONS
D: Michelle Mama
P: Bill Taylor, Allison Grace, Michelle Mama
Production company: Gay Agenda, Fall From Grace
Province: Ontario
Queer rock legend, Carole Pope, rides the highs and lows of being a 77-year-old working musician.

DISCO’S REVENGE
D: Omar Majeed, Peter Mishara
P: Noah Segal, Christina Piovesan, Sam Sutherland, Dave Harris
Province: Ontario
For too long disco music has been seen as a joke; a curious musical genre, now long dead. But disco never died. It lives on in the music of today and carries the legacy of radical politics and social change.

TURTLE ISLAND RAP
D: Alexandra Lazarowich
P: Rodrigo Bascuñán, Jessica Ford, Alexandra Lazarowich, Anupa Mistry, Darby Wheeler
Production company: Scenario Media
Province: Ontario Turtle Island Rap is a verité documentary that follows young Indigenous rappers over a year as they fight to make it in the music industry, strive to be free of colonialism, and challenge prejudice through their art.