From a media release:

Hot Docs Film Festival
Screening Online April 29 to May 9 2021

• Check Out The Full Line-Up/Buy Tickets

Hot Docs is fast approaching, when you can check out some of the world's cutting edge documentaries online this year. All films will be available for streaming starting at 10:00 a.m. EST on April 29, 2021.

Here's a look at three of the many movies available to view.

It Is Not Over Yet
Director: Louise Detlefsen
Synopsis: IT IS NOT OVER YET is an immersive, life-affirming journey into the day-to-day rhythm of a controversial nursing home for people with dementia in Denmark. The founding nurse of Dagmarsminde, May Bjerre Eiby, has no interest in specific dementia diagnoses or medicine since neither improves the quality of life for her 11 residents. 

Instead, she and her staff have developed a new kind of treatment inspired by the methods introduced by Florence Nightingale 150 years ago, as well as Danish philosopher Løgstrup. ‘Compassion Treatment,’ as May calls it, prioritizes hugs, touch, talking, humor, eye contact, cake, nature, bubbles, and the joy of community. 

Having suffered the painful loss of her father due to neglect at a nursing home, Bjerre Eiby is determined to inspire a complete change in the way people with dementia are treated in the healthcare system, prioritizing holistic care and kindness over medication of any kind. 

Filmmaker Louise Detlefsen’s vérité approach offers unique access into the intimate and sometimes intense moments between residents and caregivers, providing a rarely seen and uplifting experience of aging with dignity, grace, and joy.

Lady Buds
Director: Chris J. Russo
Synopsis: Following the widely praised 2016 decision to legalize cannabis in California, six courageous women emerge from the shadows to enter the new commercial industry. As farmers, entrepreneurs and activists, these modern-day pioneers find their initial optimism is quickly replaced with uncertainty and fear as the new legislation favours deep pocketed corporations. Those who shaped the foundations of the cannabis industry for decades soon find themselves struggling to fight for their piece of the American Dream in a market they helped create. 

LADY BUDS features second-generation cannabis farmer Chiah Rodriques, 72-year old African-American retired Catholic school principal turned dispensary owner Sue Taylor, Latinx queer activist Felicia Carbajal, serial entrepreneur Karyn Wagner, and Humboldt elders The Bud Sisters. Their stories speak to the many opportunities and issues facing commercial cannabis today: the complicated dynamics of raising a family on a cannabis farm, the ongoing fight for those adversely affected by the War on Drugs, educating seniors citizens about the healing power of cannabis, and honouring the LGBTQ activists who fought for legalizing medical marijuana over 25 years ago. 

At every turn these trailblazers defy stereotypes, while revealing that cannabis is much more than a plant, it’s a community. 

In her feature debut, award-winning filmmaker Chris J. Russo offers an insightful journey into the lives and work of the women who are the backbone of the cannabis culture in California. Their struggles and triumphs paint a picture of an industry in flux as it grapples with preserving its storied heritage while looking toward the future.

Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
Director: Mads Hedegaard
Synopsis: Kim Cannon Arm is not your average grandpa. With killer hand-eye coordination and a mean mullet, he's a legendary fixture at Copenhagen's Bip Bip Bar, and renowned for playing the 80s arcade game Gyruss for 49 hours straight on a single coin.

With help from his buddies at the bar, a community of heroic outsiders who support one another no matter what, Kim attempts to obliterate his previous record and play for 100 consecutive hours (four days!). Dense with nerdy narration and deep thoughts, quantum physics and pattern recognition, this quest follows Kim and the gang as they apply their collective knowledge to the task at hand—leaving their mark on the world and paying tribute to a fallen friend. 

In this quirky comedy, filmmaker Mads Hedegaard provides a surprisingly philosophical look at legendary world records, quirky hairdos, the importance of community, and what a real hero looks like.