9 mesmerizing Hot Docs you can stream from home

For its 30th anniversary this year, Hot Docs Festival is showcasing premiers of everything from Stephen Curry and Michael J. Fox retrospectives to the Satanic-panic inspired Satan Wants You and political exposé The Rise of Wagner — all at Toronto's Ted Rogers Cinema.

But for those who don't live in the city, there are still an exciting array of options to choose from through the festival's Hot Docs at Home program. You can stream a specific subset of their official offerings from anywhere in Canada (and even cut costs with a six-ticket streaming bundle) — though the $15-$20 virtual tickets can make it a bit hard to commit without knowing what you're getting.

To help with that, CBC News has compiled a list of nine can't-miss documentaries you can watch anywhere in the country from May 5-9th — all of which, for at least a moment, should leave your jaw on the floor. 

Streaming for $16.81

 "We've sent all the photos and videos. Note to editors: graphic content. This is painful, this is painful to watch. But it must be painful to watch."

That quote from 20 Days in Mariupol is perhaps the best description of the harrowing, gripping documentary that will challenge you to keep your eyes on the screen. At the same time, its a vitally important piece of reporting with a strong enough message it's reasonable to wonder already if it will take home a trophy at next year's Academy Awards.

The documentary follows, and was made by, the only international reporting team left in the besieged city of Mariupol at the beginning of the Russian invasion. Avoid it if you have small children looking to join in, or would prefer to avoid scenes of graphic violence. But if you can stomach it, 20 Days in Mariupol may be one of the best things you watch all year. 

Streaming for $16.81

In some ways, the '90s-era TV show American Gladiators may seem like a strange subject for a hard-hitting documentary — and a strange topic to qualify as one of the best films at this year's festival. But in a Vice partnership with ESPN, co-directors Ben Berman and Kirk Johnson accomplished the impossible. The two-part 30 For 30 miniseries The American Gladiators Documentary spins a Tiger King-style tale of deceit, double-dealings and heartache around both the athletes on the program and the minds behind it.

As each episode is an hour-and-a-half there's quite a bit of content to wade through, and a huge cast of characters ranging from the gladiators themselves to the larger-than-life creator John Ferraro. But it's more than worth the investment, and surprisingly may end up being one of the closest matches to this year's theme of human connection. 

Streaming for $16.81

Starting in 2020, Khaleel Seivwright built over 100 wooden shelters to help homeless people survive Toronto's winter. Soon after, the city shut him down. Someone Lives Here is a documentary project that started somewhere in the middle, and documents the struggle between Seivwright and the government, as well as the wider housing crisis and those fighting to survive it.

While the David versus Goliath tale is gripping in-and-of itself, Seivwright is a charismatic joy to watch, and the delicate and deeply emotional story is gripping from beginning to end. 

Streaming for $16.81