2025 Scorching Docs Declares Awards

Scorching Docs, the internationally famend nonfiction movie pageant in Toronto, introduced awards tonight for the 32^nd version of the occasion.

Finest Worldwide Characteristic Documentary went to I, Poppy, written and directed by Vivek Chaudhary. The movie facilities on a son who “fights corrupt officers whereas his mom tends their poppy farm in India.” The award comes with a $10,000 money prize.

“A movie of negotiations – with household, with group, with the techniques that restrict our decisions and bind our fates,” famous the jury, comprised of Brett Story, Inti Cordera, and Shane Smith, describing I, Poppy as a “transferring and thoughtfully crafted chronicle of a household navigating conflicts, contradictions and uncomfortable truths.”

The Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Characteristic Documentary was awarded to River of Grass, directed by Sasha Wortzel, “an ode to the Florida Everglades that explores its historic and ongoing challenges via the writings and testimonies of environmentalists, educators and present denizens.” That award comes with a $5,000 money prize, in reminiscence of Joan VanDuzer, a longtime Scorching Docs supporter.

Jurors saluted the movie’s “inventive imaginative and prescient and loving gaze,” writing, “Lyrical, contemplative and layered storytelling establishes a robust sense of place, whereas introducing us to the magnificent techniques established by nature however positioned in peril by the hubris of humanity,”

Within the class of Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Characteristic Documentary, the jury additionally acknowledged I Dreamed His Title, directed by Angela Carabalí. Scroll for full particulars on the Scorching Docs prize winners.

The Rising Worldwide Filmmaker Award was offered to Amilcar Infante and Sebastian González Mendez, administrators of Unwelcomed. Their movie “examines contrasting views across the migrant disaster in Chile following the nation’s most violent anti-immigrant protest, sparked by an unprecedented inflow of migrants from Venezuela.”

The award goes to “a world filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie,” and features a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Donner Canadian Basis.

Final June, Unwelcomed earned a pitch award at Sunny Facet of the Doc in La Rochelle, France. At Sunny Facet, Infante informed Deadline in regards to the expertise of migrants fleeing Venezuela.

“It’s individuals which have been traumatized already of their nation as a result of you need to be touring for a yr in go via Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. And in anywhere you go, you obtain a kick within the butt. Who desires a poor migrant? No person!” he mentioned. “Our film, in comparison with different good films that discuss migration, it’s not the arc of the migrant, it’s additionally the individuals who obtain them and the way they face their very own humanity, their hate… This large migration generates a really large drawback within the northern cities [of Chile]. This [led to] a parade the place over 5,000 individuals marched towards migrants they usually had been burning their tents, their belongings, and it was very robust.”

The award for Finest Canadian Characteristic Documentary went to Agatha’s Almanac, directed and produced by Amalie Atkins, “a cinematic portrait of easy seasonal dwelling wherein a fiercely unbiased Mennonite girl lives alone on her ancestral farm in Southern Manitoba.” The winner receives a $10,000 money prize, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

“Poetic and playful, but intensely political, and a movie – and a protagonist! – that places into follow what others solely preach, this one is a uncommon and valuable flower within the backyard of up to date cinema,” wrote the jury, comprised of Mads Ok. Mikkelsen, Sarah Ouazzani, and Noland Walker. “Handcrafted with nice care in a very inventive spirit over a number of years, it’s a reminder that what may seem radically anti-conformist each as a lifestyle and of filmmaking might merely be essentially the most genuine.”

The DGC Particular Jury Prize-Canadian Characteristic Documentary, together with a $5,000 money prize, was awarded to Paul, directed by Denis Côté. “To deal with melancholy and social nervousness,” the movie’s logline says, “Paul finds consolation in doing home chores for dominant ladies.”

“Now and again you watch a movie that takes you utterly abruptly,” the jury mentioned. “A movie that zigs while you suppose it should zag, a movie that drops you into the lives of people that you won’t think about figuring out with and but one way or the other do—powerfully so. For the members of this jury, Paul is that movie. From its deceptively easy opening scenes, we’re launched to Paul, a shy obese younger man who has a social media following, an obsessive penchant for cleansing, and the aim of shedding weight. But, scene by scene, we study that Paul has a set of deeper, extra sophisticated wishes—his shoppers are dominatrixes, and he’s their subordinate. By way of nuanced statement of complicated, hierarchical, boundaried, sexually charged punishment-reward relationships, we see Paul regularly study to navigate, advocate for and, ultimately, specific himself. He learns to attach. In lesser arms, this movie might have been a large number; as a substitute, it’s a revelation.”

The Invoice Nemtin Award for Finest Social Influence Documentary is offered to makers of a Scorching Docs movie “who discover and inform compelling tales that encourage social or political change, and encourage their audiences to vary their attitudes or behaviors or attempt for coverage change.” For that prize, jurors chosen the Sudan-themed Khartoum, directed by Phil Cox, Ibrahim Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Timeea Ahmed, and Rawia Alhag.

“Listening to the goals and reminiscences of the members within the movie, using distinctive and impressed ways to visualise them involving participant-led reenactments and collaborative storytelling, we had been thrilled to look at this playful, charming, emotional and dynamic movie that shared with us the complete vary of the human expertise throughout instances of peace and struggle,” jurors mentioned. “This movie’s sturdy political assertion towards struggle comes via with readability and exemplifies the very important significance of truth-telling in instances of political turmoil, fulfilling important standards for the Invoice Nemtin Award.”

The $10,000 money prize from the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund will assist allow the profitable movie staff to optimize the impression of the documentary via outreach and advertising and marketing actions.

Within the Finest Social Influence Documentary class, the jury additionally acknowledged Writing Hawa, directed by Najiba Noori and co-directed by Rasul Noori.

Scorching Docs kicked off April 24 and runs via this Sunday. The Scorching Docs Rogers Viewers Award for Finest Canadian Documentary will probably be introduced on Sunday at a particular encore screening at 7:00 pm at Scorching Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The highest Canadian characteristic within the viewers ballot will obtain a $50,000 money prize, courtesy of Rogers. Winners of the Scorching Docs Viewers Award for characteristic/mid-length documentary and quick documentary will probably be introduced after the shut of the 2025 Competition.

Beneath are full particulars on the juried prize winners for the 32^nd Annual Scorching Docs pageant:

Scorching Docs Betty Youson Award for Finest Canadian Brief Documentary, supported by John and Betty Youson, was offered to Delta Daybreak (D: Asia Youngman | Canada | 26 min), which chronicles the electrical rise to fame of wrestling sensation Daybreak Murphy within the Eighties and early Nineties. Often known as Princess Delta Daybreak, she was the primary Indigenous and Canadian girl to compete professionally in Japan. The Award features a $3,000 money prize.

Jury assertion: “For expertly utilizing hybridity to create an area of reflection that enables for a dialogue between who the protagonist was and who she is as we speak, and for bringing the patriarchal world of wrestling right into a feminist perspective that features the nuances of identification, empowerment and indigenous legacy, the jury awards Finest Canadian Brief Documentary to Asia Youngman for Delta Daybreak.”

Scorching Docs Finest Worldwide Brief Documentary, sponsored by TVO Docs, was offered to Alice (D: Gabriel Novis | Brazil | 17 min), wherein Alice, a trans girl, finds solace in browsing the waters of Maceió, Brazil. Scorching Docs is happy to current the winner with a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of TVO Docs.

Jury assertion: “For the delicate, nuanced and sensible means wherein the cinematography and script brings us into the expertise of the protagonist and transports us right into a actuality that’s each filled with kindness and sweetness, but in addition extraordinarily harmful and threatening for trans individuals in every single place, the jury awards Scorching Docs Finest Worldwide Brief Documentary to Gabriel Novis for Alice.”

Scorching Docs is an Academy Awards® qualifying pageant for brief documentaries and, as winners of the 2025 Scorching Docs Finest Worldwide Brief Documentary and the Scorching Docs Betty Youson Award for Finest Canadian Brief Documentary, respectively, Alice and Delta Daybreak will qualify for consideration within the Documentary Brief Topic class of the annual Academy Awards® with out the usual theatrical run, supplied they adjust to Academy guidelines.   

Canadian producer Cornelia Principe, producer of Shamed (D: Matt Gallagher | P: Cornelia Principe | Canada | 2025 | 90 min), wherein a web based vigilante, self-described because the “Creeper Hunter,” seeks out potential sexual predators and ambushes them in videotaped confrontations, exposing them to the court docket of public opinion, obtained the Scorching Docs Don Haig Award, introduced earlier within the Competition. The Award is given to an excellent unbiased Canadian producer with a movie within the Competition in recognition of their inventive imaginative and prescient, entrepreneurship and monitor report for nurturing rising expertise, and comes with a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Basis.

Scorching Docs Finest Mid-Size Documentary, sponsored by Mubi, was offered to Local weather In Remedy (D: Nathan Grossman | P: Cecilia Nessen | Sweden, Norway | 2025 | 64 min), wherein seven local weather scientists collect to debate a taboo topic of their area: feelings. What emerges is a transformational dialogue that humanizes the enormity of the local weather disaster, powerfully voicing the unspeakable. Scorching Docs is happy to current the winner with a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Mubi.

Jury assertion: “The Scorching Docs Finest Mid-Size Documentary goes to a daring and emotionally resonant experiment in documentary filmmaking. Nothing is staged—what unfolds on display is uncooked, unscripted, and profoundly genuine. This unfiltered method is exactly what made us snicker, cry, and really feel so deeply related to the characters. The modifying is outstanding, permitting moments of silence to ring with which means and even laughter, whereas delicate glimmers of hope emerge in an issue that’s typically overwhelming and disheartening. The movie breaks down partitions with its intimate and deeply human portrayal of its members. Their vulnerability, braveness, and spontaneous interactions create a bunch dynamic that feels solely pure and unscripted, but artfully formed by the director’s delicate lens. This improvisational spirit brings a uncommon freshness to the display and raises considerate questions in regards to the ethics of filmmaking, illustration, and shared house. What actually struck us was how shut we felt to the individuals on this movie—they felt like our buddies, relations, neighbours, or lecturers. Their tales and struggles stayed with us lengthy after the credit rolled. We might have watched them for hours. For its authenticity, artistry, and emotional energy, we’re honored to current Local weather in Remedy with this award.”

The Lindalee Tracey Award, which honours an rising Canadian filmmaker with a passionate viewpoint, a robust sense of social justice and a way of humour, was offered to Regan Latimer. The winner will probably be awarded $5,000 from the Lindalee Tracey Fund, a $5,000 in type voucher from Image Store for tools leases and companies, and a lovely hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz.

Scorching Docs Docs for Faculties Scholar Selection Award was offered to Writing Hawa (D: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori (co-director) | P: Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min), wherein, after liberating herself from a constraining 40-year organized marriage, the filmmaker’s mom hopes for a brighter future, not just for herself but in addition her daughter and granddaughter, however her goals are decimated by the Taliban’s return to energy in Afghanistan. The winner will obtain a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of Scotiabank.

Scorching Docs first look Awards for Works-In-Progress had been offered to The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Gap (D: Tetiana Khodakivska, P: Elena Saulich, Tetiana Khodakivska, Government Producers: Josh Penn, Kevin Macdonald, Maxym Asadchyi); Land of No Ache (D: Émilie Martel, P: Émilie Martel), and Untying the Knot (D: Chona Mangalindan, P: Chona Mangalindan, Maxime Spinga, Government Producer: Félicie Roblin). Every of those works will obtain a $5,000 money prize courtesy of Suzanne DePoe , Peter Goring and Richard Sugarman. Scorching Docs first look is a curated entry program for philanthropic and documentary-loving supporters that grants them behind-the-scenes entry to new initiatives in improvement and the world of documentary pre-production and manufacturing financing. This yr Scorching Docs first look members have awarded a complete of $15,000 as a part of Scorching Docs’ Works-In-Progress business occasion.

Scorching Docs Earl A. Glick Rising Canadian Filmmaker Award is given to a Canadian filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie. The Award, which features a $3,000 money prize courtesy of the Earl A. Glick Household, was offered to Damien Eagle Bear, the director of #skoden (D: Damien Eagle Bear | P: Damien Eagle Bear | Canada | 2025 | 75 min), wherein an iconic Indigenous meme sparks a poignant exploration of the unhoused Alberta man behind the viral phenomenon.

Jury Assertion: “We’re honoured to current the Scorching Docs Earl A. Glick Rising Filmmaker Award to #skoden directed by Damien Eagle Bear. The movie affords a poignant exploration of identification, reclamation, and group via the lens of a viral meme. Centred on Pernell Dangerous Arm, a homeless Indigenous Blackfoot man from Lethbridge, Alberta, whose picture, initially appropriated and misused by on-line trolls rooted in racist stereotypes, was subsequently recontextualized and embraced by the filmmaker.”

Scorching Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Finest Social Influence Documentary, sponsored by the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund, which acknowledges the producers of a Scorching Docs 2025 official choice movie who discover and inform compelling tales that encourage social or political change, and encourage their audiences to vary their attitudes or behaviours or attempt for coverage change, went to Talal Afifi and Giovanna Stopponi of Khartoum (D: Phil Cox, Ibrahim Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Timeea Ahmed, Rawia Alhag | P: Talal Afifi, Giovanna Stopponi | UK, Germany | 2025 | 80 min), wherein a bunch of displaced Sudanese filmmakers empower 5 of their fellow residents to re-enact dramatic testimonies of their nation’s descent into civil struggle and their journeys to neighbouring East Africa in search of refuge. The $10,000 money prize from the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund will assist allow the profitable movie staff to optimize the impression of the documentary via outreach and advertising and marketing actions.

Jury Assertion: “Scorching Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Finest Social Influence Documentary is awarded to a documentary that captivated us with its inventive and revolutionary portrayal of a difficult subject. The filmmakers started documenting the lives of 5 completely different individuals dwelling in a rustic they liked previous to the outbreak of struggle, and when the scenario on the bottom meant filming on location was now not protected or tenable, an impressed and creative method was borne out of necessity in addition to the filmmakers’ dedication to proceed telling these tales. Listening to the goals and reminiscences of the members within the movie, using distinctive and impressed ways to visualise them involving participant-led reenactments and collaborative storytelling, we had been thrilled to look at this playful, charming, emotional and dynamic movie that shared with us the complete vary of the human expertise throughout instances of peace and struggle. This movie’s sturdy political assertion towards struggle comes via with readability and exemplifies the very important significance of truth-telling in instances of political turmoil, fulfilling important standards for the Invoice Nemtin Award. We’re delighted to award Khartoum with the  Scorching Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Finest Social Influence Documentary for its distinctive means of celebrating the human spirit on movie and for drawing our consideration to the primary hand lived experiences of these affected by probably the most pressing points on the planet as we speak.  

Within the Finest Social Influence Documentary class, the jury additionally acknowledged Writing Hawa (D: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori (co-director) | P: Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min).

Scorching Docs DGC Particular Jury Prize-Canadian Characteristic Documentary, sponsored by DGC Nationwide and DGC Ontario, was offered to Paul (D: Denis Côté | P: Karine Bélanger, Hany Ouichou | Canada | 2025 | 87), wherein, to deal with melancholy and social nervousness, Paul finds consolation in doing home chores for dominant ladies. The award comes with a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of DGC Nationwide and DGC Ontario.

Jury Assertion: “We’re honoured to current the Particular Jury Prize to Paul, directed by Denis Côté. Now and again you watch a movie that takes you utterly abruptly. A movie that zigs while you suppose it should zag, a movie that drops you into the lives of people that you won’t think about figuring out with and but one way or the other do—powerfully so. For the members of this jury, Paul is that movie. From its deceptively easy opening scenes, we’re launched to Paul, a shy obese younger man who has a social media following, an obsessive penchant for cleansing, and the aim of shedding weight. But, scene by scene, we study that Paul has a set of deeper, extra sophisticated wishes—his shoppers are dominatrixes, and he’s their subordinate. By way of nuanced statement of complicated, hierarchical, boundaried, sexually charged punishment-reward relationships, we see Paul regularly study to navigate, advocate for and, ultimately, specific himself. He learns to attach. In lesser arms, this movie might have been a large number; as a substitute, it’s a revelation.”

Scorching Docs Finest Canadian Characteristic Documentary, supported by Telefilm Canada, was offered to Agatha’s Almanac (D: Amalie Atkins | P: Amalie Akins | Canada | 2025 | 86 min), a cinematic portrait of easy seasonal dwelling wherein a fiercely unbiased Mennonite girl lives alone on her ancestral farm in Southern Manitoba. The winner will obtain a $10,000 money prize, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

Jury Assertion: “Poetic and playful, but intensely political, and a movie – and a protagonist! – that places into follow what others solely preach, this one is a uncommon and valuable flower within the backyard of up to date cinema. Handcrafted with nice care in a very inventive spirit over a number of years, it’s a reminder that what may seem radically anti-conformist each as a lifestyle and of filmmaking might merely be essentially the most genuine. We’re very completely satisfied to offer the 2025 HotDocs Finest Canadian Characteristic Documentary award to Agatha’s Almanac by Amalie Atkins.”

Scorching Docs Rising Worldwide Filmmaker Award, supported by Donner Canadian Basis, was offered to Amilcar Infante and Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez, administrators of Unwelcomed (D: Amilcar Infante, Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | P: Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | Chile | 2025 | 68 min), which examines contrasting views across the migrant disaster in Chile following the nation’s most violent anti-immigrant protest, sparked by an unprecedented inflow of migrants from Venezuela. The award is given to a world filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie, and features a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Donner Canadian Basis.
Jury assertion: “A movie that introduced house one of many defining problems with our period – the query of who has the fitting to maneuver, and the way borders come to outline the bounds of our solidarity with others. Instructed with care, braveness and ambition, Unwelcomed is the winner of the Scorching DocsEmerging Worldwide Filmmaker award.”

Scorching Docs Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Characteristic Documentary, in reminiscence of very long time Scorching Docs supporter Joan VanDuzer, was given to River of Grass (D: Sasha Wortzel | P: Danielle Varga, Sasha Wortzel | USA | 2025 | 83 min), an ode to the Florida Everglades that explores its historic and ongoing challenges via the writings and testimonies of environmentalists, educators and present denizens. Scorching Docs is happy to current the winner with a $5,000 money prize,  in reminiscence of Joan VanDuzer.

Jury assertion: “Lyrical, contemplative and layered storytelling establishes a robust sense of place, whereas introducing us to the magnificent techniques established by nature however positioned in peril by the hubris of humanity. For its inventive imaginative and prescient and loving gaze, the Scorching Docs Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Characteristic Documentary goes to River of Grass.”

Within the class of Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Characteristic Documentary, the jury additionally acknowledged I Dreamed His Title (D: Angela Carabalí | P: Sandra Tabares Duque, Angela Carabalí | Colombia | 2025 | 86 min).

Scorching Docs Finest Worldwide Characteristic Documentary was awarded to I, Poppy (D: Vivek Chaudhary | P: Vivek Chaudhary, Xavier Rocher | India | 2024 | 81 min), wherein a son fights corrupt officers whereas his mom tends their poppy farm in India. Scorching Docs is happy to current the winner with a $10,000 money prize.

Jury Assertion: “A movie of negotiations – with household, with group, with the techniques that restrict our decisions and bind our fates. For its transferring and thoughtfully crafted chronicle of a household navigating conflicts, contradictions and uncomfortable truths, the jury presents the Finest Worldwide Characteristic award to I, Poppy.”

Scorching Docs is an Academy Awards® qualifying pageant for characteristic documentaries. The winner of Scorching Docs Finest Worldwide Characteristic Documentary, I Poppy, will qualify for consideration within the Finest Documentary Characteristic class of the annual Academy Awards® with out the usual theatrical run, supplied the movie complies with Academy guidelines.      

The 2025 awards for movies in competitors had been decided by 4 juries.

Canadian Characteristic Documentary Jury:

Mads Ok. Mikkelsen, Head of Programme, CPH:DOX; Sarah Ouazzani, Inventive Director, DOXA Documentary Movie Competition; Noland Walker, Principal Content material Advisor/Co-Curator, Impartial Lens (ITVS)

Worldwide Characteristic Documentary Jury:

Brett Story, Director/Producer; Inti Cordera, Government Director, DocsMX; Shane Smith, TVO Docs Programmer

Mid-Size Documentary + Invoice Nemtin Award For Finest Social Influence Documentary Jury:

Alison Duke, Author/Director/Producer; Sabine Lange, Commissioning Editor, ARTE; Ali Weinstein, Filmmaker

Brief Documentary Jury:

Aeyliya Husain, Filmmaker; Yvonne Ashley Kouadjo, Sequence Producer, Op-Docs (The New York Instances); Ruth Somalo, Filmmaker / Programmer & Impartial Curator