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The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has revealed an extensive line-up of special guests and filmmakers set to attend its 2026 edition, running from April 23 to May 3 in Toronto. Among the names confirmed are Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, artist and disability advocate April Hubbard, MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe, investigative journalist Amy Goodman, and Canadian queer rock icon Carole Pope.
The guests will attend screenings of documentaries connected to their stories, including Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions, Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart, The Last Days of April, MySpace and Steal This Story, Please!, with most participating in post-screening Q&As.

The Festival will also host more than 200 leading documentary filmmakers and producers from around the world. Confirmed directors in attendance include Michelle Mama (Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions), Poh Si Teng (American Doctor), Sam Dunn (co-director of The Ballad of Judas Priest), Maya Annik Bedward (Black Zombie) and Jeffrey McHale (It's Dorothy!).
Additional filmmakers confirmed include Dori Berinstein (Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart), Shalini Kantayya (Love Apptually), Tommy Avallone (MySpace), Kim Nguyen (Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom) and Tia Lessin (Steal This Story, Please!).
The line-up further includes Louis Massiah and Monica Henriquez (TCB – The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing), Barry Avrich (This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino), Sara Dosa (Time and Water), Mark Myers (The Tower That Built a City), Raha Shirazi (A War on Women) and Dawn Porter (When a Witness Recants).

Hot Docs, a charitable non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing documentary storytelling, continues to position its annual festival as a key global platform for non-fiction content, bringing together top-tier talent and audiences for premieres, industry networking and in-depth discussions.