Hot Docs has partnered with U.S. studio A24 to host an exclusive residency for the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto.

The deal sees the Talking Heads concert film showcased in monthly screenings at the theatre, making it the exclusive Canadian host. Screenings kick off March 30, and are scheduled once per month until Aug. 31. The screening events include exclusive merchandise and activations.

Stop Making Sense is directed by Jonathan Demme and has been newly restored in 4K and remastered in surround sound for its 40th anniversary.

Blue Ant Media

Blue Ant Media’s FAST channel Love Pets has launched on The Roku Channel in Canada.

Aimed at families, the channel focuses on animal stories and the emotional connections people around the world have with them. Its programming includes shows such as Hope For Wildlife (111 x 60 minutes), three seasons of Bondi Vet (44 x 30-minutes), and Pick-a-Puppy (48 x 30 minutes).

Love Pets premiered in the U.S. last year in the U.S. and has since launched in 27 countries.

This collaboration follows the deal Blue Ant Media signed with Muse Entertainment last December to launch a new FAST channel, Love Drama, on LG Channels and Pluto TV Canada.

Off The Fence

CBC original docuseries Telling Our Story is among the factual content picked up in a 700-hour programming deal between distributor Off The Fence (OTF) with The Roku Channel, VIZIO and Xumo.

Telling Our Story (4 x 60 minutes) is produced by Quebec-based Terre Innue, directed by Kim O’Bomsawin, and features 11 First Nations sharing their respective histories. It made its television debut on CBC on Sept. 30, 2023.

The series is part of the factual catalogue sold to The Roku Channel for its platforms in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. Other titles sold include the New Zealand documentary Dame Valerie Adams: More Than Gold and German doc special A Century of Sex Education.

The deals were brokered by Oliver Taprogge, OTF’s director of digital sales.

With files from Media in Canada

Image courtesy of Hot Docs