Hot Docs has named the 20 projects that will be presented at this year’s edition of the Hot Docs Forum, the annual industry event that allows filmmakers to pitch their feature-length docs to a panel of potential investors, with the goal of securing co-production financing.

Taking place throughout this year’s Hot Docs festival, which runs from April 28 to May 8 in Toronto, the online forum will result in cash prizes awarded to the top pitchers, as well as possible on-the-spot funding commitments from participating financiers. The First Look program, a curated access program for philanthropic supporters of documentary filmmaking, will endow $100,000 to up to three projects, while the CMF-Hot Docs Forum Canadian Pitch Prize, presented in partnership with Canada Media Fund, will award $10,000 to the best Canadian project.

Confirmed participants for this year’s forum panel of decision-makers include representatives from Al Jazeera, Amazon, American Documentary POV, ARD-NDR, ARD – SWR, ARD – WDR, Arte France, Arte G.E.I.E, Bell Media, BBC Arabic, BBC Storyville, CBC, Catapult, Channel 8, Chicken & Egg, Discovery Channel, Disney+, Doc Society, EBS Korea, ESPN, Field of Vision, First Look Media, Ford Foundation, Fork Films, France Télévisions, The Guardian, HBO Europe, Hulu, Impact Partners, ITVS, Knowledge Network, National Geographic, Netflix, The New York Times – Op Docs, NHK, Participant Media, Perspective Fund, PTS, RAI, The Redford Center, RTS, SBS Australia, SVT, Sandbox Films, SBS Australia, Sony Pictures Classics, the Sundance Film Institute, TRT World, TVO, TVP, The Whickers, yesDocu, YLE and ZDF/Arte.

The 20 projects participating in this year’s Forum represent 19 countries and were created by 26 filmmakers, 14 of whom are women and 15 of whom are BIPOC. The creators will pre-record a seven-minute pitch video that will be presented to the panel, who will then provide eight minutes of live feedback and, in some cases, a deal right off the bat. Selected projects will also have the opportunity to participate in the Hot Docs Deal Maker program, which sets up curated one-on-one pitch meetings.

“The 2022 selected Hot Docs Forum projects are a celebration of a breadth and dynamism of documentary film styles, [as well as] the cultural bounty of storytellers and story perspectives,” said Elizabeth Radshaw, Hot Docs industry programs director. “Hot Docs is proud and excited to feature these talented teams and their film projects at the 2022 Hot Docs Forum.”

The full list of this year’s selected Hot Docs Forum projects is below.

A Woman’s Path
Production companies: Seven Spring Pictures (Iran), Lukimedia (Spain)
Director: Marjan Khosravi
Producers: Milad Khosravi, Stephanie Von Lukowicz

Brief Tender Light
Production company: One Day I Too Go Fly Inc. (U.S.)
Director: Arthur Musah
Producers: Arthur Musah, Brook Turner

Gabriel
Production companies: CHUNK Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany), Avalia Studios GmbH (Germany), Tantor Films LTDA (Chile), Saboteur Media LLC (U.S.)
Director: Daniel Carsenty
Producers: Nicklas Krüger, Laia Gonzalez, Ingrid Bragemann
Executive producer: David Kennedy

Heaven Through the Backdoor
Production company: Mirabel Pictures 501(c)3 (U.S.)
Directors: Anna Fitch, Banker White
Producers: Heidi Fleisher, Sara Dosa

Untitled Labor Union Documentary
Production companies: Level Ground Productions LLC (U.S.), Oh Ratface Films (Canada)
Directors: Brett Story, Stephen Maing
Producers: Mars Verrone, Samantha Curley

Let’s Play Soldiers
Production company: Let’s Play Soldiers LLC (Qatar)
Director: Mariam Al-Dhubhani
Producer: Mohammed Al-Jaberi

Life After
Production company: Multitude Films LLC (U.S.)
Director: Reid Davenport
Producers: Jessica Devaney, Colleen Cassingham

Matabeleland
Production companies: LBx Africa (Kenya), EyeSteelFilm (Canada)
Director: Nyasha Kadandara
Producers: Sam Soko, Bob Moore

Meteorite
Production company: Vindelfilm AB (Sweden)
Directors: Isabel Andersson, Johan Palmgren
Producer: Johan Palmgren

Milisuthando
Production company: The Good Black Project (Pty) Ltd (South Africa), Viso Producciones SAS (Colombia), Multitude Films LLC (U.S.)
Director: Milisuthando Bongela
Producers: Marion Isaacs, Sonia Barrera, Viviana Gómez Echeverry
Executive producers: Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous

Noor
Production company: Iota Production S.A. (Belgium), Tag Film SAS (France)
Director: Jérôme le Maire
Producer: Isabelle Truc

Out of Place
Production companies: Filmilia AB (Sweden), Mohammed Al-Majdalawi EF (Sweden)
Director: Mohammed Al-Madjalawi
Producers: Manolo Diaz Rämö, Beatrice Pourbagher Garcia, Mohammed Al-Majdalawi

Quiet the River
Production company: Shanghai Jiemian CLS Technologies Co., Ltd. (China)
Directors: Tiantian Wang, Zhizhe Chai
Producer: Kit Chung

Red Herring (w/t)
Production companies: Good Kid Films Ltd. (UK), Astrae Productions (Switzerland), Bungalow Town Productions Ltd. (UK)
Director: Kit Vincent
Producers: Ed Owles, Dea Gjinovci, Kit Vincent
Executive producers: Rachel Wexler, Jez Lewis

The Making of a Japanese
Production companies: Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) (Japan), Cineric Creative LLC (U.S.)
Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Producer: Eric Nyari

The Queendom
Production company: Oscura Producciones S.A. de C.V. (Mexico)
Director: Otilia Portillo
Producers: Paula Arroio Sandoval
Executive producer: Elena Fortes

The White Doctor
Production company: Afrofilms International Limited (Kenya), Little Wing Films Limited (Ireland)
Director: Zippy Kimundu
Producer: Ciaran Cassidy

There Was, There Was Not
Production company: VernonFilms Ltd (UK)
Director: Emily Mkrtichian
Producer: Mara Adina

Time Hunter
Production companies: Waypoint Pictures LLC (U.S.), Topeka Pictures LLC (U.S.)
Directors: Daniel Chein, Mark Mushiva
Producers: David Felix Sutcliffe, Daniel Chein, Mark Mushiva

Without Arrows
Production company: Without Arrows LLC (U.S.)
Directors/Producers: Elizabeth Day, Jonathan Olshefski