Watch Everything at the 2025 DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Western Canada's largest non-fiction cinematic showcase, the DOXA Documentary Film Festival, returns for its 24th edition. Prepare for another impressive selection of films screening in theatres from May 1-11.
DOXA 2025 will show a lengthy roster of engaging and thought-provoking documentaries in theatrical venues across the downtown core, bringing filmmakers and film-goers together in the dark for a shared cinematic experience.
Five Documentaries
It can be hard to choose between all 39 feature-length local, Canadian, and international documentaries programmed this year with so many diverse options to pick from, including films exploring social justice, the environment, Indigenous history, and world politics.
Make your list and secure tickets before they sell out. Here are five great choices to get you started:
Predators @ VIFF Centre – May 3
Revisit the popular early-2000s news program To Catch a Predator, which turned crime into entertainment as it lured potential sex offenders into a trap where they were confronted and arrested on camera. The show's success spawned imitators and vigilantes seeking retribution while transforming the greater cultural phenomenon into a moral prosecution of media spectacle. Take a provocative look at the ethics of televised justice and its unintended lasting impact.
Have You Heard of Judi Singh? @ VIFF Centre – May 4
Edmonton-born jazz singer Judi Singh defied expectations as a gifted Punjabi-Black artist across stages in the late 1950s. Her delicate voice captivated audiences, but the music industry never gave her broader exposure or recognition. In a lively portrait, retrace Singh's life through archival recordings, intimate recollections, and the artistic spaces she inhabited.
Mistress Dispeller @ The Cinematheque – May 5
Witness a Chinese wife, desperate to save her crumbling marriage, hire a professional to drive a wedge between her husband and his new lover. China's growing industry dedicated to combating extramarital affairs uses emotional manipulation to expose the complications of infidelity. See how these candidly unscripted conversations reveal the complex motivations of loyalty and control behind traditional marriage.
King Arthur's Night @ VIFF Centre – May 7 & 8
Engage in this ambitious reimagining of the King Arthur mythology as Canadian artists with and without Down syndrome come together in this cinematic docu-theatre hybrid. Move between staged medieval musical reenactments and candid backstage moments, blurring the lines between scripted drama and reality in a fusion of myth and modernity.
Closing Gala: Saints and Warriors @ SFU Cinema – May 10
Catch this moving sports documentary and its exploration of basketball as a venue for leadership, resistance, and cultural preservation for the Haida Gwaii people. After the Indigenous were banned from gathering outside of church or sports, they turned basketball into a method for passing on their traditions through generations. Track the legendary Skidegate Saints team as they defend their dynasty in the All Native Basketball Tournament while navigating off-court tensions, shifting allegiances, and a long struggle for land rights.
You can also browse DOXA's specialty-themed programs focused on different important topics, including ParaDOXA (experimental works), the Justice Forum (social change), Rated Y for Youth (all ages), and the various Industry events hosted by filmmakers.
A Movie Night Out
Most of the documentaries will be screened in the evening, somewhere centrally located downtown at venues like the Vancouver Playhouse, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, The Cinematheque, or the VIFF Centre.
For those looking to grab a drink to chat about film after a screening or get a snack or meal before catching a documentary, there are many convenient and tasty options nearby.
Depending on where your theatre is, hit up Library Square, Devil's Elbow, or The Magnet for a cold beverage or libation. On the other hand, you can't go wrong getting something to eat from The Parlour, Hundy, or Chambar for dinner and a movie night out.
DOXA is committed to cultivating curiosity over its eleven-day run of contemporary documentary film programming. Its diverse lineup of films, shorts, Q&As, and other events aim to inspire critical thought in audiences.
To browse the full program and purchase tickets, visit DOXA's website.