‘Full Frontal’s’ Amy Hoggart, Magician Shawn Farquhar Feature in Films World Premiering in Hot Docs’ Special Presentations Section

variety.com:

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, has unveiled the full lineup of films that will screen in its Special Presentations program.

The festival runs April 25 to May 5. World premieres include “Red Fever,” which sees Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travel to the four corners of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore the world’s fascination with Native Americans; “American Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly,” in which “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” correspondent Amy Hoggart explores the controversial practice of declawing cats; “The Ride Ahead,” an expansion of co-director Samuel Habib’s short film “My Disability Roadmap” (which got an Honorable Mention in the International Shorts section of Hot Docs in 2022), exploring a typical 21-year-old itching to move out, start a career and find love—all while navigating life with a disability; “Lost in the Shuffle,” which follows world champion magician Shawn Farquhar as he simultaneously devises a new trick and delves into a medieval murder cold case; and “Le Mans 55: The Unauthorized Investigation,” which explores the tragic Le Mans race in 1955 where more than 80 spectators were killed.

Hot Docs will also see the international premiere of the National Geographic doc “Fly,” following three couples whose passion for base jumping means they’ll risk everything for the rush of feeling alive.

Other premieres include “Union,” in which a group of Amazon workers on New York City’s Staten Island take on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize, and “Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself,” an intimate look at the music video director and filmmaker’s life, work and creative.