Documentaries·Now Streaming

Watch exclusive first-run feature docs from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival at home on CBC

CBC partners with Hot Docs to offer Canadians a multiplatform festival-at-home experience

CBC partners with Hot Docs to offer Canadians a multiplatform festival-at-home experience

President George W. Bush with aide on 9/11, Duck a l’orange, grown and harvested from animal cells, young Mennonite girl (Hollie) on a swing (CBC)

Watch Hot Docs at Home on CBC, a multiplatform festival-at-home experience providing Canadians with front-row access to titles from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival premiering Thursday nights starting April 16.

Following the postponement of the 2020 Hot Docs Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a selection of exclusive first-run feature documentaries that would have debuted at the Festival will now premiere on CBC, the free CBC Gem streaming service and documentary Channel. CBC will also partner with Hot Docs to expand the at-home audience experience with interactive, livestreamed Q&As with filmmakers and other original digital content at CBC Docs

How to watch

On CBC:  Exclusive feature-length documentaries from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival will premiere Thursdays at 8 pm starting April 16. More details below. 

On CBC Gem: A special Hot Docs at Home playlist will offer the new collection from Hot Docs and a selection 2020 Festival short docs including Hollie's Dress and Nancy's Workshop. We'll also be including documentaries from past Hot Docs Festivals. 

On documentary Channel:  The exclusive 2020 Hot Docs Festival premiere films will be rebroadcast Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT starting April 16. We'll also be offering an expanded schedule of Hot Docs programming until May 10, showcasing feature-length documentaries from past Festivals. Visit the documentary Channel website for details.

Watch exclusive documentaries from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art
Thursday April 16 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT

An entertaining and suspenseful look at the dark side of New York's art scene, and the bizarre characters behind the largest art fraud in American history.

9/11 Kids
Thursday April 23 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

It's the most famous whisper in American history. President Bush learns of the 9/11 attacks while sitting in front of 16 schoolchildren. Today those kids are in their mid-20s and offer a fascinating window into post 9/11 America. 

Finding Sally
Thursday April 30 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

A personal investigation into the mysterious life of the director's aunt Sally, an Ethiopian aristocrat-turned-communist-rebel who disappeared during the Ethiopian Revolution.

Meat the Future
Thursday May 7 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

The prospect of meat consumption doubling by 2050 is a wake-up call for solutions. The planet's future may lie with cell-based meat, a food science that grows meat from animal cells, without the need to slaughter animals.

They Call Me Dr. Miami
Thursday May 14 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

In a world obsessed with self-image Dr. Michael Salzhauer is a rising star. This in-demand plastic surgeon livestreams butt lifts and breast augmentations and is followed by millions on Snapchat.  He's also an Orthodox Jew, married for 20 years, with five children. The film explores both his family life and religious beliefs, along with his internet pop-culture fame and persona, Dr. Miami.

Influence
Thursday May 21 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Investigating the rise and fall of the world's most notorious public relations and reputation management firm, the film charts the recent advancements in weaponized communication.

The Walrus and the Whistleblower
Thursday May 28 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT

A whistleblower is sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus and falls down the rabbit hole of a personal quest while calling for an end to marine mammal captivity.