Emma Badame – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HOT DOCS 2026 WRAP – Emma Badame Reports

May 7, 2026 Emma Badame American Doctor, Canadian Film Fests, documentaries, HOT DOCS 2026, House of Hope, Marjolein Busstra, Poh Si Teng, The Delivery Line, Toronto film fests, Truck Mama

It’s been a turbulent few years for the organization behind Toronto’s annual Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, but each spring they still manage to deliver a sure-footed 10-day event filled with a host of must-see features and shorts. The 2026 edition was no exception. And like many recent festivals, this year’s slate gave movie-lovers engaging stories from home and around the world and from both up-and-coming and established filmmakers. Programmers put a real effort into making their line-up diverse–from every viewpoint–and it shows.

Festivals Reviews

GHOST SCHOOL (TIFF 2025) – Review by Emma Badame

September 8, 2025September 7, 2025 Emma Badame Ghost School, Nazualiya Arsalan, Seemab Gul, TIFF 2025

British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul explores the integral role education plays in maintaining and perpetuating socio-economic power in her latest feature, Ghost School. The bureaucracy and corruption necessary to subjugate populations both big and small are thrown into stark focus when witnessed by the film’s protagonist, a sheltered 10-year-old girl. Although set in rural Pakistan, the film deftly addresses ideas that are unfortunately becoming increasingly universal, seemingly by the day. Ultimately, Ghost Story is a powerful clarion call to continue questioning and actively challenge situations that harm our communities and ourselves.

Festivals

HOT DOCS 2025 WRAP – Emma Badame reports

May 7, 2025May 8, 2025 Emma Badame Aisha’s Story, Amalie Atkins, Angela Carabalí, Asia Youngman, Chen Wang, Delta Dawn, displacement, documentaries, Elizabeth Vibert, Hot Docs, Sasha Wortzel

Every spring, documentary fans set their sights on Toronto and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. This year’s event, the 32nd annual edition, which ran for 11 days from April 24 to May 4, brought audiences 113 non-fiction offerings from a whopping 47 countries. Add to that the 150 featured Q&As, and it’s not hard to see why Hot Docs is a mainstay of the annual cinematic circuit. Despite a turbulent year behind the scenes, festival programmers managed to bring another impressive programme of films from a wide range of filmmakers and backgrounds. With their latest run, Hot Docs upheld their mandate of presenting a wide swath of points of view, ensuring representation from across a spectrum of marginalised voices, including women, the queer community, filmmakers in exile, and more.

Festivals

HOT DOCS 2024: Feminist Wrap – Emma Badame reports

May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 Emma Badame Hot Docs 2024, Hot Docs International Film Festival, Iris Ng, toronto, Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Yintah

Of this year’s slate of 168 films, 54% of them featured women behind the camera. Many focussed in on lived experiences of those they admire (Helen and the Bear) or intriguing names both big and small (A Photographic Memory); others shone the spotlight on the oppressed or inspired (Nice Ladies), LGBTQ+ trailblazers (Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story), the people fighting for justice (The Sharp End of Peace) or just a better world (Once Upon a Time in a Forest), or just the consistently curious (Synchrony). As it does every year, the festival wrapped with the announcement of this year’s cohort of award winners. 15 prizes were handed out in recognition of outstanding Canadian and International contribution to the documentary field, nine of which went to female filmmakers

Festivals Reviews

THE HOLDOVERS (TIFF 2023) – Review by Emma Badame

September 20, 2023September 21, 2023 Emma Badame Alexander Payne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David Hemingson, Dominic Sessa, paul giamatti, The Holdovers, TIFF 2023

Filmmaker Alexander Payne’s latest offering is not particularly original in any of its elements and doesn’t attempt to break any new ground, but as it transpires, that’s not at all a bad thing. Well-acted, lovingly directed, and sharply written by David Hemingson, The Holdovers is a warm, nostalgic hug of a film that harks back to a specific and beloved era of filmmaking. Payne sets the film in the early ‘70s to allow for a showcase of his vintage favorites. From the soundtrack to the color palette, he immerses his film in everything of the era and it truly works in the film’s favor.

Festivals Reviews

THE MOVIE TELLER (TIFF 2023) – Review by Emma Badame

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 Emma Badame Alondra Valenzuela, Antonio de la Torre, Atacama Desert, berenice bejo, Daniel Brühl, Hernán Rivera Letelier, La Contadora de Películas, lone scherfig, Sara Becker, The Movie Teller, TIFF 2023

Cinematic love letters to the art and magic of movies are common enough and more often than not, are told from the perspective of a young boy, eager to experience all the technicolor adventures on the big screen have to offer. With The Movie Teller (La Contadora de Películas), Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig has not only gifted to audiences a moving, captivating ode to both movies and the power they have to create and bind communities, but one told–for a change–from the perspective of an imaginative young girl with a talent for storytelling herself.

Festivals Reviews

THE ROYAL HOTEL (TIFF 2023) – Review by Emma Badame

September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 Emma Badame australian films, Hotel Coolgardie, Jessica Henwick, julia garner, kitty green, Michael Latham, Oscar Redding, The Royal Hotel, TIFF 2023

Australian director Kitty Green’s second narrative feature The Royal Hotel is a wholly unnerving and totally engrossing thriller. Atmospheric and all too realistic, it’s the kind of story that sticks with you long after the credits have rolled. The film is paced to perfection and each and every well-planned element is woven expertly together to build layers upon layers of truly discomforting suspense. With Green’s keen eye the film becomes a riveting exploration of isolation and what it truly feels like to be a young woman in the world. It helps too that Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick nail their characters.

Reviews

MATCH ME IF YOU CAN – Review by Emma Badame

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 Emma Badame Brad Ofoegbu, Brian George, Georgina Reilly, Kanwar Singh, Marian Yeager, Match Me If You Can, rom com, Wilson Bethel

Romantic comedies are making a comeback. There were a few years there where there were sparse pickings in the perennial favorite genre but there has been a real resurgence, especially on the streamers. Marian Yeager’s Match Me If You Can is the latest offering in this 21st century cohort. With a lower budget than many of its contemporaries, the new film has a touch of the Hallmark about it. Though not a stand-out in this well-worn genre, there’s enough in Match to entertain some truly diehard rom-com fans.

Reviews

HAUNTED MANSION – Review by Emma Badame

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 Emma Badame Danny DeVito, disney, Haunted Mansion, Justin Simien, Katie Dippold, Lakeith Stanfield, owen wilson, Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish

Disney’s first attempt at turning their popular, gothic Haunted Mansion ride into a film gave them a hit at the box office, but was widely panned by critics. Cut to 20 years later and the House of Mouse has decided to revisit the idea – clearly hoping to recreate that movie-goer mojo but this time, capture the goodwill of the critics, too. It’s truly a delightful surprise that Haunted Mansion is as enjoyable as it is. Particularly in light of its predecessor. It’s truly the perfect summer-movie fare and a great way to spend an overheated afternoon or evening for film fans of all ages. For lovers of the spooky and supernatural, it delivers there, too.

Interviews

Casting Director Nina Gold on Intuition and Happy Accidents – Emma Badame interviews

May 23, 2023May 28, 2023 Emma Badame Benedict Cumberbatch, casting directors, chernobyl, Game of thrones, jane campion, mike leigh, nina gold, olivia coleman, sally hawkins, star wars, the crown

British Casting Director Nina Gold, a veteran of more than three decades in the industry, began her impressive career casting extras in rock music videos and before long found herself working alongside her countryman, auteur Mike Leigh. From there she’s gone on to collaborate with award-winning filmmakers like Jane Campion (Bright Star and The Power of the Dog), Steven Spielberg (The BFG), and Sam Mendes (1917 and Empire of Light). Her full filmography reads like a “best of”, with the casts of audience and critical favourites like Bad Sisters, Game of Thrones and Chernobyl down to her. Her most recent project, Firebrand, just premiered in competition at Cannes 2023.

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