Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Ph.D research scholar and activist at University of Hyderabad who was persecuted by the university administration and Hindu supremacists, died of suicide on January 17, 2016. His suicide note, which argued against the “value of a man being reduced to his immediate identity” galvanized student politics and solidarity movements. The ensuing outrage gave rise to protests across India, calling the neglectful treatment and systemic oppression faced by Dalit people into question, and encouraging solidarity with minority groups facing similar discrimination from Hindu nationalists, students, administration and aligned governing authorities.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Q&A WITH DEEPA DHANRAJ
Please watch a pre-recorded Q&A with the director of We Have Not Come Here to Die, Deepa Dhanraj and the Director of As I Want, Samaher Alqadi moderated by filmmaker and film programmer Aisha Jamal.

Keywords: Academia | Caste oppression | Fascism | Identity | Student Activism | Suicide

The Malian city of Gao in western Africa has for decades been a peaceful haven for hopeful migrants.
On the edge of the Sahel desert lies the House of Migrants, a temporary home for thousands of people every year. The hopeful ones are on their  way to Europe alongside those whose luck ran out and who are now on their way back to their hometowns and families across Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and beyond.
Documentarian Samassékou listens to two young girls and a middle-aged woman lying in a small room and exchanging dreams and stories. Elsewhere in the house, young men are watching wrestling on TV. Samassékou’s attentive camera frames the faces, the voices and their stories in a uniquely beautiful and humane film no longer solely about having a home. The atmosphere in the house itself expresses the melancholy of exile through calm, intimate and vulnerable images. All around the city, new and old wars are taking place in the endless desert.

SCREENING WITH IN-TENTS
Stephanie Nakashima and Scott Morris | 2021 | Canada | 11 min | English
In this brand new diaristic documentary we follow individuals who are experiencing homelessness in
Hamilton, Ontario and learn their experiences with systemic barriers to housing and health care in the
midst of a global pandemic.

Keywords: Freedom | Im/migration | Refugees | Trauma

Through words left unsaid to her late mother, director Samaher Alqadi’s next journey is unknown.
That is, until filming collides with a massive outpouring of enraged women filling the streets in response to an escalation of sexual assaults that take place in Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolution. Alqadi utilizes her camera as a form of protection and begins documenting the growing women’s rebellion, not knowing where the story will lead her. When Alqadi becomes pregnant
during filming, she begins to re-examine the societal constructs of her own childhood in Palestine and what it means to be a woman and a mother in the Middle East. As I Want is a crucial, hard-hitting political commentary and an inward journey in which individual emancipation is linked to the collective process of liberation in the Arab world.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Q&A
Watch a pre-recorded Q&A with the director of As I Want, Samaher Alqadi and the director of
We Have Not Come Here to Die, Deepa Dhanraj. Conversation moderated by filmmaker and film
programmer Aisha Jamal and available at the same link as the film.

Keywords: Assault | Motherhood | Protest | Revolution | Violence Against Women

Join us our friends at Goethe Institut Toronto as we navigate feelings of loneliness and isolation. Reflecting our present moment, Berlin filmmaker Nicola Graef’s new documentary “A Lonely City” listens as urban dwellers of all ages and circumstances frankly share their personal stories of solitude (and glimpses of hope and community). Catch this international premiere May 18-20 as part of the #GoetheFilms series “Loneliness in the City” streaming on digital TIFF Lightbox. (In German with English subtitles.)

We are pleased to co-present the ReelAbilities Film Festival screening of The World Is Bright – a riveting Canadian documentary following the epic 10-year journey of a Chinese couple searching for the truth behind their son’s death in Canada. On May 30th at 2 PM, audiences are invited to watch The World Is Bright, which will be followed by a panel about Mental health and Immigration at 4:30 PM.

We are excited to co-present the program His Name is Ray with Hot Docs Ted Hot Rogers Cinema.

In his anticipated follow-up to Transformer, which took home the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2018, acclaimed director Michael Del Monte gives a human face to our growing homelessness and opioid crises. Ray once had everything. A job that he loved with the Canadian Coast Guard. The husband to a wife. The father to a family. But his heroin addiction took it all away. Now, the former sailor lives on the streets of Toronto with an entire population that seems to have just fallen through the cracks. Who was he? How did he end up there? With a remarkably compassionate and intimate lens, Del Monte follows Ray on his precarious journey to get off the streets and back on the water, where — in the ultimate achievement of the oblivion he craves — he could just sail away from it all.

+ Screening also includes a special recorded epilogue featuring Ray and Q&A with Michael Del Monte (Director), Scott Montgomery (Writer/Producer) and Hanan Townshend (Composer), moderated by Hot Docs programmer, Aisha Jamal.

On Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30 PM (EST), we hosted a free live panel Homelessness in the Time of COVID in conjunction with the screening of His Name is Ray. The talk wae moderated by Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician who cares for homeless and vulnerably housed individuals with dignity and compassion. The recording of the talk is not available for streaming. Click here for more info or to view the panel discussion.

Panelists

Dr. Naheed Dosani (Moderator) is a palliative care physician who cares for homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. He’s a Lecturer at the University of Toronto & lead physician of Palliative Education And Care for the Homeless (PEACH). During COVID19, he has served as Medical Director for the Region of Peel’s COVID19 Isolation/Housing Program.

Michael Del Monte (Panelist) is a documentary filmmaker and the Director of His Name Is Ray. His film Transformer won both the Audience Award and the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award at the 2018 Hot Docs Festival.

Akia Munga (they/them) (Panelist) is a harm reduction worker, activist and consultant.

Jesse Upton Crowe (they/them) (Panelist) is an affordable housing advocate, musician and hairstylist who works with the Encampment Support Network (ESN) in Toronto’s Parkdale.

Jennifer (she/her) (Panelist) is a 50-year-old disabled, queer woman & artist currently trying to survive the shelter system. Happiest when living amongst the bees & trees.

We are thrilled to co-present Land of Not Knowing at the Singapore Mental Health Film Festival. The film and accompanying talk will be available to screen within Canada.

In this bold new experimental documentary, four artists talk about suicide: the role the recurring thought has played in their life and art, the struggle to understand and overcome the impulse, and the ongoing confrontation with a form of stigma that renders the very concept of suicide as a kind of pariah even among mental health issues and discussions. With a frankness that is both bracing and illuminating, Sanguedolce’s subjects tell their stories, and the filmmaker responds with a striking visual scheme that permits us something rarely attempted in the engagement with this most misunderstood of conditions: a sense of first person understanding.

The film is accompanied by a panel discussion: “Suicide: Can talk or not?” on May 27, at 8:00 PM Singapore time (8:00 AM ET) A total of 400 suicides were recorded in Singapore in 2019, with youths aged 10 to 29 representing a significant portion of this figure. Despite general consensus on the need to curb and prevent suicide, many of us find ourselves not knowing how to approach this seeming delicate topic:

How do we talk about suicide? Are there signs to it?
Will asking about suicide compel one to act on it?
What are the psychological and sociological causes of suicide?

This panel conversation will explore what goes on in the mind of an individual contemplating suicide, and learn about possible signs and symptoms. We will also share ways in which we can reach out to suicidal individuals, and how we can talk about suicide in a safe and appropriate manner. Additionally, the panel will highlight the importance of looking at suicide beyond the individual, and to understand its larger socio-cultural influences. This panel will also examine the impact of suicide on those who are left behind – and how we can support these ‘suicide survivors’.

In the lead-up to the annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 28, we’re showcasing free docs-and-conversations about mental health and mental illness in partnership with Bell Let’s Talk and Hot Docs.

Films will be available to stream from January 4-28 and culminate in a live virtual panel discussion with special guests on January 28. Tickets for all films and the panel discussion are free, and can be booked through the Hot Docs Box Office.

This intimate documentary immerses you in the real and imagined worlds of Vincent, who, for 16 years now, has been living with schizophrenia. Vincent’s sister, filmmaker Rozenn Potin, follows her charismatic and endearing sibling—now 36—from his carefree childhood to his more complex present, brilliantly capturing the before and after of the illness of a loved one. Filled with beautiful archival images, The Worlds of Vincent is a personal journey into the still-mysterious world of schizophrenia and heart-wrenching story of love, family and mental illness.

In French with English subtitles

Ce documentaire intimiste vous plonge dans le monde réel et virtuel de Vincent, schizophrène depuis 16 ans. La sœur de Vincent, la réalisatrice Rozenn Potin, suit son frère charismatique et attachant — maintenant âgé de 36 ans — de son enfance insouciante à son présent plus complexe, présentant avec brio la vie avant et après la maladie d’un être cher. Ponctué de belles images d’archives, Les mondes de Vincent est un voyage personnel dans l’univers encore mystérieux de la schizophrénie et une histoire émouvante d’amour, de famille et de questionnement sur la maladie mentale.

En français avec sous-titres en anglais

In the lead-up to the annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 28, we’re showcasing free docs-and-conversations about mental health and mental illness in partnership with Bell Let’s Talk and Hot Docs.

Films will be available to stream from January 4-28 and culminate in a live virtual panel discussion with special guests on January 28. Tickets for all films and the panel discussion are free, and can be booked through the Hot Docs Box Office.

In 1978, Canadian psychologist Bruce K. Alexander conducted a radical psychological experiment involving rats and heroin that would revolutionize the way we understand addictions. Thirty years later, this timely and conversation-worthy VICE doc connects the long-forgotten “Rat Park” findings with three stories taking place 10,000 miles apart—revealing why addiction is not really about the drug themselves, it’s about the environments we live in.

In the lead-up to the annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 28, we’re showcasing free docs-and-conversations about mental health and mental illness in partnership with Bell Let’s Talk and Hot Docs.

Films will be available to stream from January 4-28 and culminate in a live virtual panel discussion with special guests on January 28. Tickets for all films and the panel discussion are free, and can be booked through the Hot Docs Box Office.

The first documentary of its kind, Connecting the Dots takes on the subject of mental health through the voices of young people around the world. From Edmonton and New York to Nigeria and Australia, young people talk openly about their experiences in a way you have never seen or heard before. At a time when youth are facing increased anxiety and depression—on top of unrest surrounding systemic racism, sexual orientation, and gender discrimination—it’s more important than ever to stop and listen. Intimate and heartfelt, the film brings this crisis to the surface, while shedding light on the inspiring ways we can break through barriers and take action.

Followed by a recorded Q&A with award-winning director Noemi Weis.

This film may include content that is triggering for some viewers. It contains depictions of young adults experiencing distress related to mental illness, including talk of self-harm and suicide. It may be particularly difficult for young or sensitive viewers.
Watch the film with someone you trust, watch until the end to take away messages of hope, take time to debrief afterwards, and if you need help, reach out.

There are many things you can do to stay well during these challenging times – like trying to eat and sleep regularly, getting active doing things you like to do, spending time outdoors, paying attention to calm breathing and mindful moments, making connections with your faith or culture, and spending time with people who make you smile.

The following organizations can provide free mental health support 24/7:
Kids Help Phone | Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT 686868
Wellness Together Canada | Visit ca.portal.gs or text WELLNESS to 686868. Adults can text WELLNESS to 741741
Indigenous Canadians can also reach out to Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310
Black Youth Helpline | Call 416-285-9944, toll-free 1-833-294-8650 (every day 9 am to 10 pm ET)
If you are in crisis, please contact your local crisis center by calling 1-833-456-4566 toll-free (In QC: 1-866-277-3553) or visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca
You can also access Kids Help Phone Resources Around Me to find local resources: https://apps.kidshelpphone.ca/resourcesaroundme/welcome.html