Vivek Chaudhary’s ‘I, Poppy’ Takes Top Jury Prize at Hot Docs Festival

by

On Friday evening, Vivek Chaudhary’s movie titled “I, Poppy“, which portrays a son who is an activist battling against corrupt authorities and systemic oppression in India, while his mother maintains the family poppy farm, was awarded the best international feature prize at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Winning the top jury prize at the festival gives Chaudhary’s film, which debuted at Hot Docs, eligibility for nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category at the Academy Awards. The victory for “I, Poppy” marks the second consecutive year that a protest documentary from India has taken the top jury prize at Hot Docs.

In 2020, Nishta Jain’s film titled “Farming the Revolution,” which focused on Indian farmers protesting new laws, was awarded the Best International Feature Documentary at Hot Docs. Among this year’s winners at Hot Docs, Sasha Wortzel’s “River of Grass” also earned recognition as the Special Jury Prize winner for International Feature Documentary. This film addresses environmental challenges and various issues surrounding the Florida Everglades.

In a recent awards ceremony, the prize for the outstanding international filmmaker in the emerging category was given to Amilcar Infante and Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez, directors of “Unwelcomed“, a documentary that sheds light on the migrant crisis in Chile following the nation’s most violent anti-immigrant protests, which were instigated by an influx of migrants from Venezuela. Additionally, the award for the best Canadian feature documentary went to director Amalie Atkins and her film “Agatha’s Almanac“, a moving portrait of a self-reliant Mennonite woman living a humble life on her ancestral farm in southern Manitoba.

At another awards ceremony, the distinguished Jury Prize for a Canadian feature documentary was bestowed upon Denis Cote for his work titled “Paul.” This documentary by the director from Quebec portrays a young man who performs household tasks for dominant women as a means to manage depression and social anxiety. The world premiere of this film took place in Berlin.

The prestigious award for the most impactful social documentary was given to Talal Afifi and Giovanna Stopponi for the film “Khartoum.” This movie chronicles the efforts of displaced Sudanese filmmakers as they assist five other citizens in recreating on-screen their country’s tumultuous journey into civil war.

A total of 14 awards were distributed during the Hot Docs festival in Toronto on Friday evening, with the event running until Sunday, May 4th.

Read More

2025-05-03 04:25