2025 Sizzling Docs Broadcasts Awards

Sizzling Docs, the internationally famend nonfiction movie pageant in Toronto, introduced awards tonight for the 32^nd version of the occasion.

Greatest Worldwide Function Documentary went to I, Poppy, written and directed by Vivek Chaudhary. The movie facilities on a son who “fights corrupt officers whereas his mom tends their poppy farm in India.” The award comes with a $10,000 money prize.

“A movie of negotiations – with household, with group, with the programs that restrict our decisions and bind our fates,” famous the jury, comprised of Brett Story, Inti Cordera, and Shane Smith, describing I, Poppy as a “shifting and thoughtfully crafted chronicle of a household navigating conflicts, contradictions and uncomfortable truths.”

The Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Function Documentary was awarded to River of Grass, directed by Sasha Wortzel, “an ode to the Florida Everglades that explores its historic and ongoing challenges via the writings and testimonies of environmentalists, educators and present denizens.” That award comes with a $5,000 money prize, in reminiscence of Joan VanDuzer, a longtime Sizzling Docs supporter.

Jurors saluted the movie’s “inventive imaginative and prescient and loving gaze,” writing, “Lyrical, contemplative and layered storytelling establishes a robust sense of place, whereas introducing us to the magnificent programs established by nature however positioned in peril by the hubris of humanity,”

Within the class of Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Function Documentary, the jury additionally acknowledged I Dreamed His Title, directed by Angela Carabalí. Scroll for full particulars on the Sizzling Docs prize winners.

The Rising Worldwide Filmmaker Award was introduced to Amilcar Infante and Sebastian González Mendez, administrators of Unwelcomed. Their movie “examines contrasting views across the migrant disaster in Chile following the nation’s most violent anti-immigrant protest, sparked by an unprecedented inflow of migrants from Venezuela.”

The award goes to “a world filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie,” and features a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Donner Canadian Basis.

Final June, Unwelcomed earned a pitch award at Sunny Facet of the Doc in La Rochelle, France. At Sunny Facet, Infante advised Deadline in regards to the expertise of migrants fleeing Venezuela.

“It’s folks which have been traumatized already of their nation as a result of you must be touring for a yr in go via Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. And in anywhere you go, you obtain a kick within the butt. Who desires a poor migrant? No one!” he stated. “Our film, in comparison with different good films that speak about migration, it’s not the arc of the migrant, it’s additionally the individuals who obtain them and the way they face their very own humanity, their hate… This large migration generates a really huge downside within the northern cities [of Chile]. This [led to] a parade the place over 5,000 folks marched in opposition to migrants they usually had been burning their tents, their belongings, and it was very robust.”

The award for Greatest Canadian Function Documentary went to Agatha’s Almanac, directed and produced by Amalie Atkins, “a cinematic portrait of straightforward seasonal dwelling by which a fiercely impartial Mennonite girl lives alone on her ancestral farm in Southern Manitoba.” The winner receives a $10,000 money prize, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

“Poetic and playful, but intensely political, and a movie – and a protagonist! – that places into apply what others solely preach, this one is a uncommon and valuable flower within the backyard of up to date cinema,” wrote the jury, comprised of Mads Okay. Mikkelsen, Sarah Ouazzani, and Noland Walker. “Handcrafted with nice care in a very inventive spirit over a number of years, it’s a reminder that what would possibly seem radically anti-conformist each as a lifestyle and of filmmaking might merely be probably the most genuine.”

The DGC Particular Jury Prize-Canadian Function Documentary, together with a $5,000 money prize, was awarded to Paul, directed by Denis Côté. “To deal with melancholy and social nervousness,” the movie’s logline says, “Paul finds consolation in doing home chores for dominant girls.”

“From time to time you watch a movie that takes you utterly unexpectedly,” the jury stated. “A movie that zigs whenever you suppose it’ll zag, a movie that drops you into the lives of people that you won’t think about figuring out with and but in some way do—powerfully so. For the members of this jury, Paul is that movie. From its deceptively easy opening scenes, we’re launched to Paul, a shy obese younger man who has a social media following, an obsessive penchant for cleansing, and the purpose of dropping pounds. But, scene by scene, we study that Paul has a set of deeper, extra sophisticated needs—his purchasers are dominatrixes, and he’s their subordinate. By means of nuanced remark of advanced, hierarchical, boundaried, sexually charged punishment-reward relationships, we see Paul regularly study to navigate, advocate for and, finally, specific himself. He learns to attach. In lesser palms, this movie may have been a multitude; as a substitute, it’s a revelation.”

The Invoice Nemtin Award for Greatest Social Affect Documentary is introduced to makers of a Sizzling Docs movie “who discover and inform compelling tales that encourage social or political change, and encourage their audiences to alter their attitudes or behaviors or attempt for coverage change.” For that prize, jurors chosen the Sudan-themed Khartoum, directed by Phil Cox, Ibrahim Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Timeea Ahmed, and Rawia Alhag.

“Taking note of the desires and recollections of the contributors within the movie, using distinctive and impressed ways to visualise them involving participant-led reenactments and collaborative storytelling, we had been thrilled to look at this playful, charming, emotional and dynamic movie that shared with us the complete vary of the human expertise throughout instances of peace and warfare,” jurors stated. “This movie’s robust political assertion in opposition to warfare comes via with readability and exemplifies the very important significance of truth-telling in instances of political turmoil, fulfilling important standards for the Invoice Nemtin Award.”

The $10,000 money prize from the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund will assist allow the profitable movie group to optimize the impression of the documentary via outreach and advertising actions.

Within the Greatest Social Affect Documentary class, the jury additionally acknowledged Writing Hawa, directed by Najiba Noori and co-directed by Rasul Noori.

Sizzling Docs kicked off April 24 and runs via this Sunday. The Sizzling Docs Rogers Viewers Award for Greatest Canadian Documentary shall be introduced on Sunday at a particular encore screening at 7:00 pm at Sizzling Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The highest Canadian function within the viewers ballot will obtain a $50,000 money prize, courtesy of Rogers. Winners of the Sizzling Docs Viewers Award for function/mid-length documentary and quick documentary shall be introduced after the shut of the 2025 Competition.

Beneath are full particulars on the juried prize winners for the 32^nd Annual Sizzling Docs pageant:

Sizzling Docs Betty Youson Award for Greatest Canadian Brief Documentary, supported by John and Betty Youson, was introduced to Delta Daybreak (D: Asia Youngman | Canada | 26 min), which chronicles the electrical rise to fame of wrestling sensation Daybreak Murphy within the Nineteen Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties. Often called Princess Delta Daybreak, she was the primary Indigenous and Canadian girl to compete professionally in Japan. The Award features a $3,000 money prize.

Jury assertion: “For expertly utilizing hybridity to create an area of reflection that permits for a dialogue between who the protagonist was and who she is in the present day, and for bringing the patriarchal world of wrestling right into a feminist perspective that features the nuances of id, empowerment and indigenous legacy, the jury awards Greatest Canadian Brief Documentary to Asia Youngman for Delta Daybreak.”

Sizzling Docs Greatest Worldwide Brief Documentary, sponsored by TVO Docs, was introduced to Alice (D: Gabriel Novis | Brazil | 17 min), by which Alice, a trans girl, finds solace in browsing the waters of Maceió, Brazil. Sizzling Docs is happy to current the winner with a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of TVO Docs.

Jury assertion: “For the delicate, nuanced and sensible method by which the cinematography and script brings us into the expertise of the protagonist and transports us right into a actuality that’s each filled with kindness and wonder, but in addition extraordinarily harmful and threatening for trans folks in all places, the jury awards Sizzling Docs Greatest Worldwide Brief Documentary to Gabriel Novis for Alice.”

Sizzling Docs is an Academy Awards® qualifying pageant for brief documentaries and, as winners of the 2025 Sizzling Docs Greatest Worldwide Brief Documentary and the Sizzling Docs Betty Youson Award for Greatest Canadian Brief Documentary, respectively, Alice and Delta Daybreak will qualify for consideration within the Documentary Brief Topic class of the annual Academy Awards® with out the usual theatrical run, offered they adjust to Academy guidelines.   

Canadian producer Cornelia Principe, producer of Shamed (D: Matt Gallagher | P: Cornelia Principe | Canada | 2025 | 90 min), by which a web based vigilante, self-described because the “Creeper Hunter,” seeks out potential sexual predators and ambushes them in videotaped confrontations, exposing them to the court docket of public opinion, acquired the Sizzling Docs Don Haig Award, introduced earlier within the Competition. The Award is given to an excellent impartial Canadian producer with a movie within the Competition in recognition of their inventive imaginative and prescient, entrepreneurship and observe report for nurturing rising expertise, and comes with a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Basis.

Sizzling Docs Greatest Mid-Size Documentary, sponsored by Mubi, was introduced to Local weather In Remedy (D: Nathan Grossman | P: Cecilia Nessen | Sweden, Norway | 2025 | 64 min), by which seven local weather scientists collect to debate a taboo topic of their discipline: feelings. What emerges is a transformational dialogue that humanizes the enormity of the local weather disaster, powerfully voicing the unspeakable. Sizzling Docs is happy to current the winner with a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Mubi.

Jury assertion: “The Sizzling Docs Greatest Mid-Size Documentary goes to a daring and emotionally resonant experiment in documentary filmmaking. Nothing is staged—what unfolds on display screen is uncooked, unscripted, and profoundly genuine. This unfiltered method is exactly what made us snicker, cry, and really feel so deeply related to the characters. The enhancing is phenomenal, permitting moments of silence to ring with that means and even laughter, whereas refined glimmers of hope emerge in a topic that’s typically overwhelming and disheartening. The movie breaks down partitions with its intimate and deeply human portrayal of its contributors. Their vulnerability, braveness, and spontaneous interactions create a bunch dynamic that feels totally pure and unscripted, but artfully formed by the director’s delicate lens. This improvisational spirit brings a uncommon freshness to the display screen and raises considerate questions in regards to the ethics of filmmaking, illustration, and shared area. What actually struck us was how shut we felt to the folks on this movie—they felt like our associates, relations, neighbours, or academics. Their tales and struggles stayed with us lengthy after the credit rolled. We may have watched them for hours. For its authenticity, artistry, and emotional energy, we’re honored to current Local weather in Remedy with this award.”

The Lindalee Tracey Award, which honours an rising Canadian filmmaker with a passionate viewpoint, a robust sense of social justice and a way of humour, was introduced to Regan Latimer. The winner shall be awarded $5,000 from the Lindalee Tracey Fund, a $5,000 in sort voucher from Image Store for gear leases and providers, and a phenomenal hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz.

Sizzling Docs Docs for Faculties Pupil Selection Award was introduced to Writing Hawa (D: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori (co-director) | P: Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min), by which, after liberating herself from a constraining 40-year organized marriage, the filmmaker’s mom hopes for a brighter future, not just for herself but in addition her daughter and granddaughter, however her desires are decimated by the Taliban’s return to energy in Afghanistan. The winner will obtain a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of Scotiabank.

Sizzling Docs first look Awards for Works-In-Progress had been introduced to The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Gap (D: Tetiana Khodakivska, P: Elena Saulich, Tetiana Khodakivska, Govt Producers: Josh Penn, Kevin Macdonald, Maxym Asadchyi); Land of No Ache (D: Émilie Martel, P: Émilie Martel), and Untying the Knot (D: Chona Mangalindan, P: Chona Mangalindan, Maxime Spinga, Govt Producer: Félicie Roblin). Every of those works will obtain a $5,000 money prize courtesy of Suzanne DePoe , Peter Goring and Richard Sugarman. Sizzling Docs first look is a curated entry program for philanthropic and documentary-loving supporters that grants them behind-the-scenes entry to new initiatives in improvement and the world of documentary pre-production and manufacturing financing. This yr Sizzling Docs first look contributors have awarded a complete of $15,000 as a part of Sizzling Docs’ Works-In-Progress business occasion.

Sizzling Docs Earl A. Glick Rising Canadian Filmmaker Award is given to a Canadian filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie. The Award, which features a $3,000 money prize courtesy of the Earl A. Glick Household, was introduced to Damien Eagle Bear, the director of #skoden (D: Damien Eagle Bear | P: Damien Eagle Bear | Canada | 2025 | 75 min), by which an iconic Indigenous meme sparks a poignant exploration of the unhoused Alberta man behind the viral phenomenon.

Jury Assertion: “We’re honoured to current the Sizzling Docs Earl A. Glick Rising Filmmaker Award to #skoden directed by Damien Eagle Bear. The movie presents a poignant exploration of id, reclamation, and group via the lens of a viral meme. Centred on Pernell Unhealthy Arm, a homeless Indigenous Blackfoot man from Lethbridge, Alberta, whose picture, initially appropriated and misused by on-line trolls rooted in racist stereotypes, was subsequently recontextualized and embraced by the filmmaker.”

Sizzling Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Greatest Social Affect Documentary, sponsored by the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund, which acknowledges the producers of a Sizzling Docs 2025 official choice movie who discover and inform compelling tales that encourage social or political change, and encourage their audiences to alter their attitudes or behaviours or attempt for coverage change, went to Talal Afifi and Giovanna Stopponi of Khartoum (D: Phil Cox, Ibrahim Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Timeea Ahmed, Rawia Alhag | P: Talal Afifi, Giovanna Stopponi | UK, Germany | 2025 | 80 min), by which a bunch of displaced Sudanese filmmakers empower 5 of their fellow residents to re-enact dramatic testimonies of their nation’s descent into civil warfare and their journeys to neighbouring East Africa searching for refuge. The $10,000 money prize from the Invoice Nemtin Legacy Fund will assist allow the profitable movie group to optimize the impression of the documentary via outreach and advertising actions.

Jury Assertion: “Sizzling Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Greatest Social Affect Documentary is awarded to a documentary that captivated us with its inventive and modern portrayal of a difficult subject. The filmmakers started documenting the lives of 5 completely different folks dwelling in a rustic they cherished previous to the outbreak of warfare, and when the scenario on the bottom meant filming on location was now not secure or tenable, an impressed and ingenious method was borne out of necessity in addition to the filmmakers’ dedication to proceed telling these tales. Taking note of the desires and recollections of the contributors within the movie, using distinctive and impressed ways to visualise them involving participant-led reenactments and collaborative storytelling, we had been thrilled to look at this playful, charming, emotional and dynamic movie that shared with us the complete vary of the human expertise throughout instances of peace and warfare. This movie’s robust political assertion in opposition to warfare comes via with readability and exemplifies the very important significance of truth-telling in instances of political turmoil, fulfilling important standards for the Invoice Nemtin Award. We’re delighted to award Khartoum with the  Sizzling Docs Invoice Nemtin Award for Greatest Social Affect Documentary for its distinctive method of celebrating the human spirit on movie and for drawing our consideration to the primary hand lived experiences of these affected by one of the vital pressing points on this planet in the present day.  

Within the Greatest Social Affect Documentary class, the jury additionally acknowledged Writing Hawa (D: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori (co-director) | P: Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min).

Sizzling Docs DGC Particular Jury Prize-Canadian Function Documentary, sponsored by DGC Nationwide and DGC Ontario, was introduced to Paul (D: Denis Côté | P: Karine Bélanger, Hany Ouichou | Canada | 2025 | 87), by which, to deal with melancholy and social nervousness, Paul finds consolation in doing home chores for dominant girls. The award comes with a $5,000 money prize, courtesy of DGC Nationwide and DGC Ontario.

Jury Assertion: “We’re honoured to current the Particular Jury Prize to Paul, directed by Denis Côté. From time to time you watch a movie that takes you utterly unexpectedly. A movie that zigs whenever you suppose it’ll zag, a movie that drops you into the lives of people that you won’t think about figuring out with and but in some way do—powerfully so. For the members of this jury, Paul is that movie. From its deceptively easy opening scenes, we’re launched to Paul, a shy obese younger man who has a social media following, an obsessive penchant for cleansing, and the purpose of dropping pounds. But, scene by scene, we study that Paul has a set of deeper, extra sophisticated needs—his purchasers are dominatrixes, and he’s their subordinate. By means of nuanced remark of advanced, hierarchical, boundaried, sexually charged punishment-reward relationships, we see Paul regularly study to navigate, advocate for and, finally, specific himself. He learns to attach. In lesser palms, this movie may have been a multitude; as a substitute, it’s a revelation.”

Sizzling Docs Greatest Canadian Function Documentary, supported by Telefilm Canada, was introduced to Agatha’s Almanac (D: Amalie Atkins | P: Amalie Akins | Canada | 2025 | 86 min), a cinematic portrait of straightforward seasonal dwelling by which a fiercely impartial Mennonite girl lives alone on her ancestral farm in Southern Manitoba. The winner will obtain a $10,000 money prize, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

Jury Assertion: “Poetic and playful, but intensely political, and a movie – and a protagonist! – that places into apply what others solely preach, this one is a uncommon and valuable flower within the backyard of up to date cinema. Handcrafted with nice care in a very inventive spirit over a number of years, it’s a reminder that what would possibly seem radically anti-conformist each as a lifestyle and of filmmaking might merely be probably the most genuine. We’re very completely happy to provide the 2025 HotDocs Greatest Canadian Function Documentary award to Agatha’s Almanac by Amalie Atkins.”

Sizzling Docs Rising Worldwide Filmmaker Award, supported by Donner Canadian Basis, was introduced to Amilcar Infante and Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez, administrators of Unwelcomed (D: Amilcar Infante, Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | P: Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | Chile | 2025 | 68 min), which examines contrasting views across the migrant disaster in Chile following the nation’s most violent anti-immigrant protest, sparked by an unprecedented inflow of migrants from Venezuela. The award is given to a world filmmaker whose movie in competitors is their first or second feature-length movie, and features a $3,000 money prize, courtesy of Donner Canadian Basis.
Jury assertion: “A movie that introduced residence one of many defining problems with our period – the query of who has the correct to maneuver, and the way borders come to outline the boundaries of our solidarity with others. Instructed with care, braveness and ambition, Unwelcomed is the winner of the Sizzling DocsEmerging Worldwide Filmmaker award.”

Sizzling Docs Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Function Documentary, in reminiscence of very long time Sizzling Docs supporter Joan VanDuzer, was given to River of Grass (D: Sasha Wortzel | P: Danielle Varga, Sasha Wortzel | USA | 2025 | 83 min), an ode to the Florida Everglades that explores its historic and ongoing challenges via the writings and testimonies of environmentalists, educators and present denizens. Sizzling Docs is happy to current the winner with a $5,000 money prize,  in reminiscence of Joan VanDuzer.

Jury assertion: “Lyrical, contemplative and layered storytelling establishes a robust sense of place, whereas introducing us to the magnificent programs established by nature however positioned in peril by the hubris of humanity. For its inventive imaginative and prescient and loving gaze, the Sizzling Docs Joan VanDuzer Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Function Documentary goes to River of Grass.”

Within the class of Particular Jury Prize-Worldwide Function Documentary, the jury additionally acknowledged I Dreamed His Title (D: Angela Carabalí | P: Sandra Tabares Duque, Angela Carabalí | Colombia | 2025 | 86 min).

Sizzling Docs Greatest Worldwide Function Documentary was awarded to I, Poppy (D: Vivek Chaudhary | P: Vivek Chaudhary, Xavier Rocher | India | 2024 | 81 min), by which a son fights corrupt officers whereas his mom tends their poppy farm in India. Sizzling Docs is happy to current the winner with a $10,000 money prize.

Jury Assertion: “A movie of negotiations – with household, with group, with the programs that restrict our decisions and bind our fates. For its shifting and thoughtfully crafted chronicle of a household navigating conflicts, contradictions and uncomfortable truths, the jury presents the Greatest Worldwide Function award to I, Poppy.”

Sizzling Docs is an Academy Awards® qualifying pageant for function documentaries. The winner of Sizzling Docs Greatest Worldwide Function Documentary, I Poppy, will qualify for consideration within the Greatest Documentary Function class of the annual Academy Awards® with out the usual theatrical run, offered the movie complies with Academy guidelines.      

The 2025 awards for movies in competitors had been decided by 4 juries.

Canadian Function Documentary Jury:

Mads Okay. Mikkelsen, Head of Programme, CPH:DOX; Sarah Ouazzani, Inventive Director, DOXA Documentary Movie Competition; Noland Walker, Principal Content material Advisor/Co-Curator, Unbiased Lens (ITVS)

Worldwide Function Documentary Jury:

Brett Story, Director/Producer; Inti Cordera, Govt Director, DocsMX; Shane Smith, TVO Docs Programmer

Mid-Size Documentary + Invoice Nemtin Award For Greatest Social Affect Documentary Jury:

Alison Duke, Author/Director/Producer; Sabine Lange, Commissioning Editor, ARTE; Ali Weinstein, Filmmaker

Brief Documentary Jury:

Aeyliya Husain, Filmmaker; Yvonne Ashley Kouadjo, Collection Producer, Op-Docs (The New York Occasions); Ruth Somalo, Filmmaker / Programmer & Unbiased Curator