9 can't-miss movies at 2022's hybrid Hot Docs Festival

Boasting 226 films from 63 countries, Hot Docs is hitting theatres in Toronto once again after the pandemic shifted the festival online for the past two years.

But even still, the festival is offering all of its films for streaming on its Hot Docs at Home platform. 

With so much to choose from, CBC has picked nine of the best — with themes ranging from political thriller, to international love story — for your viewing pleasure as the festival begins today.

Streaming across Canada for five days, starting April 29 at 9 a.m. ET (World premiere)

A David and Goliath story following in the footsteps of Dopesick, Dark Waters and Erin Brockovich, Into the Weeds is a searing takedown of agrochemical company Monsanto and its signature weed killer, RoundUp — as well as an exposé into corporate irresponsibility, health crises and environmental destruction.

Canadian director Jennifer Baichwal — who is now the first director to open Hot Docs two times, following her 2009 film Act of God — tells the story of Dewayne (Lee) Johnson, a former groundskeeper who allegedly contracted cancer from RoundUp after being told it was safe enough to drink. 

In a three-year project kept largely secret ahead of its Hot Docs premiere, Baichwal shows both the human cost in Johnson's health struggle, as well as the legal struggles of bringing a gigantic corporation to justice in a landmark court case. While you can catch the CBC Docs-commissioned film online anywhere in Canada, it will open the festival in person Thursday, release in theatres on May 20 in Toronto and Vancouver, and air Sept. 16 on CBC and CBC Gem as the season premiere of The Passionate Eye.

Streaming across Canada for five days, starting April 30 at 9 a.m. ET (World premiere)

A film about inclusion, independence, achievement and just being yourself, OKAY! The ASD Band Film follows the titular ASD band, a reference to autism spectrum disorder, as it puts together its first album of original songs, rehearses for its first live show and explains the challenges and gifts of being a musician with autism. 

The band is composed of four Toronto musicians on the spectrum: singer Rawan Tuffaha, keyboardist Ron Adea, guitarist Jackson Begley and drummer Spenser Murray. The documentary divides time between examining the content and creation of their music, as well as their personal histories.

Though the end result can feel a bit low-stakes when compared to the festival's other entries, many of which focus on sweeping world events and social justice issues, the deep dive into each of the film's characters makes OKAY! more than worth it.