Although the lineup at Hot Docs is quite a bit leaner this year — 113 films being screened in 2025 vs. 168 in 2024 — there’s no shortage of awesome documentaries unspooling. As usual, I’ve spent the past few weeks screening docs about everything from whistleblowers to Marlee Matlin to spreadsheet competitions, and have been marking down my faves. Here are the first six I’ve loved so far!
Antidote (7/8)
When I heard that Christo Grozev — the central figure in this insanely tense and super-slick biographical documentary from director James Jones — would be in attendance for the film’s screening at the festival, I gulped. I can’t imagine how much security will be needed, and I applaud audience members brave enough to be in the same room as a guy who’s been targeted for assassination. A Bulgarian journalist and the lead investigator at investigative-journalism hub Bellingcat, Grozev’s groundbreaking work exposing Russian kill teams has landed him squarely in their crosshairs — and forced him into a life in exile. Featuring interviews with Grozev, his family and assorted colleagues, the doc also explores the somewhat parallel lives of two other equally imperiled Putin critics: imprisoned political opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza, and an anonymous scientist who blew the whistle on the poisoning of Putin’s political opponents. Unfolding like a taut spy thriller, the film skillfully reveals the courage it takes to stand up to a terrifying regime, and the myriad personal repercussions that can follow after doing so.
Agatha’s Almanac (8/8)
Colourful, eccentric and ridiculously charming not only describe director Amalie Atkins’ film, but also its wildly endearing titular heroine, whose creativity and zest for life are rivaled only by her love for duct tape. Shot over several years, and in 16mm for a perfectly fitting low-fi/analog vibe, the documentary profiles Atkins’ elderly aunt, who lives alone on a 54-acre farm and meticulously tends to her land. Spirited and self-sufficient, Agatha shares recollections and reflections of her life alongside countless pearls of wisdom, and offers up plenty of clever tips for planting, harvesting and preserving a vast array of crops. Simple and straightforward, the doc is a warm and wonderfully whimsical portrait of what it means to age well, a heartfelt family tribute, and a reminder that, as Agatha says, “It’s a good life out in the country.”
Heightened Scrutiny (7/8)
This comprehensive and compelling documentary follows ACLU attorney Chase Strangio in the months leading up to his appearance before the Supreme Court. The first openly trans attorney to argue a case before the Court, Strangio is preparing to oppose a high-profile Tennessee law that would ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. Wrapped in expert commentary and thoughtful insights from trans advocates, journalists, scholars and celebrities, director Sam Feder’s doc follows Strangio through his preparation, practice arguments, and public appearances, both pre- and post-hearing. It also debunks fear-mongering falsehoods about the trans community, and deftly lays out the evidence regarding the media’s role in promoting and propagating them. Perhaps as important, the film itself feels more urgent and timely now than ever before, as rights are quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) being eroded away for Americans of all stripes in 2025.
Holloway (7/8)
I could have easily watched six more hours of this thoroughly engrossing documentary from co-directors Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson, I was that engaged. Set against the backdrop of the decaying, soon-to-be-demolished walls of the titular UK women’s prison, the film follows six former inmates as they return to revisit their time served, and excavate (and begin to heal) trauma through a series of facilitator-led group-therapy exercises. For Sarah, Aliyah, Mandy, Brenda, Tamar and Gerrah — who resemble the archetypes of many fictional women-in-prison TV series (the brash youngster, the sage elder, the hippie, the tough gal, etc.) — what begins with skepticism, posturing and resistance gradually gives way to honesty, revelation and connection. Each woman’s story is complex and compelling, and all of them could easily have formed the basis for documentaries all their own. Together, though, they make for a raw and honest look at how adversity can breed strength and sisterhood.
Spare My Bones, Coyote! (7/8)
The entire time I was watching this absorbing film from director Jonah Malak, I kept wondering if, given the actions of the U.S. administration over the past few months, the generous and selfless work of its subjects would be put in jeopardy due to the documentary’s existence. I hope not. The film profiles the members of “Águilas del Desierto,” a non-profit search-and-rescue organization operating along the U.S./Mexico border. Led by Ely Ortiz Sanchez, its members regularly set out to recover the remains of migrants who die in the wilderness while attempting to cross into the States, often contacted to find migrants in distress along the way. Sometimes they find only fragments of a life — a shoe, a backpack — sometimes a body, but often times it’s nothing and no one. Malak’s camera follows these everyday heroes as they diligently go about their unpaid work, and quietly captures the physical and emotional toll of bringing peace and closure to families left behind in Latin America.
Writing Hawa (7/8)
As I say every year: I love documentaries that examine Big Issues through small, personal lenses. This is one such film… but I had a knot in my stomach throughout worrying over the fate of its subjects. Co-directed by Najiba Noori and her brother, Rasul Noori, the deeply personal doc examines the devastating impact of Taliban rule on the lives of women in Afghanistan through, first, the story of their mother, Hawa, and then later, their 14-year-old niece, Zahra. Both are trying to escape the shackles of the patriarchy — the former, by launching an embroidery business, and learning to read and write; the latter, by fleeing an abusive father in the hopes of pursuing an education — but both find their dreams quashed once the U.S. pulls troops out of the country. Upsetting, unsettling, heartfelt and somehow infused with hope amid the tragedy, the Nooris film is a testament to resilience, and yet another in a growing list of exceptional documentaries about the loss of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Check out more of our Hot Docs 2025 coverage here!
