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At their best, documentaries move us with incredible visions and stories from the world around us. Great documentary filmmakers use their craft to tell stories with a personal point-of-view and shared emotional resonance. Documentaries also provide excellent opportunities to learn about our world, and can be used to help educate students across all study areas. In this section, we present Doc Library films with educational resource packages for high school classes.
About this Playlist
Films in this section of the DocLibrary have been selected for their relevance to high-school curriculum programs across Canada.
These docs will engage students with issues of our day; with vital ideas, critical questions and new perspectives outside the mainstream media and school textbook. Programmed with the instrumental assistance of the Hot Docs Teacher Advisory Council, Docs For Schools selections cross multiple curriculum areas, with viable content for grades 7 through 12.
Please use the grid in the link below to match films by subjects and appropriate grade levels.
Subject-Grade Level-Film-Reference Grid
For teachers interested in accessing specially written lesson plans about these films, please click on the “Extras” tab to find downloadable PDFs of lessons plans and other learning materials relevant to each selected film.
These films are presented in conjunction with Hot Docs’ Docs for Schools program, which since launching in 2006, has become a key element of the school calendar each spring, with over one thousand students from across Ontario participating in the program. For more information about Docs for Schools and the festival’s educational programs, please visit the Education & Youth section of the Hot Docs website.
Hot Docs has also created the following "Looking at Documentaries" resources for teachers and educators, providing a basic introduction to the reading, study and evaluation of documentary films.
Why Are Documentaries Worth Watching?
What Types of Documentaries Are There?
How Are Documentaries Different From Fiction?
What Should We Look for in a Documentary?
Selected Films (31)
- Most Popular
- Check out what your fellow doc lovers are watching.
- Reel Asian
- Showcasing alumni filmmakers from past Reel Asian festivals.
- The Images Festival
- The Images Festival looks at the dynamics of accessibility.
- Doc Challenge
- A timed competition where filmmakers have 5 days to make a short doc.
- Brian Linehan
- Brian Linehan was best known for his celebrity interviews.
- CitySonic
- Toronto sounds good. It always has.
- TVO - Makes you think
- www.tvo.org
- NFB
- NFB films have influenced the works of filmmakers around the world.
- RIDM
- www.ridm.qc.ca
- Industry Corner 2009
- Video and audio captures of all public series' and industry sessions at Hot Docs.
- Industry Corner 2010
- Festival Industry Sessions from 2010
- Industry Corner 2011
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2011
- Industry Corner 2012
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2012
- Industry Corner 2013
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2013
- Industry Corner 2014
- Hot Docs Industry Sessions Knowledge Capture
- Industry Resources
- Resources to be used in conjunction with video captured 2013 industry sessions.
- Educators
- Doc Library films with educational resources for high school.
- Inspirit Foundation
- Docs about pluralism and diversity of beliefs
- Filmmaker Interviews
- Interviews and Q&A's
- AIDS/HIV
- Aids/HIV Docs
- THE PLIGHT OF HOMELESSNESS
- Docs on Homelessness
- FOR MUSIC LOVERS
- Docs for Music Lovers
- Canadiana
- Films about Canada
- LOVE, THE MANY DOCUMENTED THING.
- Docs About Love
- DEALING WITH DISABILITY
- Docs on Dealing with Disabilities
- GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY
- Docs on Aging
- THE WONDER YEARS?
- Films about Growing Up
- CANADA’S OWN WONDER OF THE WORLD
- Niagara Falls
- DEATH IN ALL ITS FORMS
- Films About Dealing with Death