Join the CJF's free special screening! Use promo code JTALKS2026 at checkout — popcorn and treats included. ✨

WHAT THE NUMBERS DON’T SHOW: Destigmatizing HIV in Indigenous Communities (A Screening of The Zoongidewin Project)

September 24, 2026

6:30 to 8:00 p.m. (Doors open: 6:00 p.m.)

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are facing a devastating public health crisis, holding the highest rates of HIV in Canada. In 2023 alone, the Manitoba government reported a staggering 280 new cases. This reality disproportionately impacts Indigenous populations, who represent 76 per cent of all new HIV cases in a 2024 provincial study.

The Zoongidewin Project: Destigmatizing HIV in Indigenous Communities refuses to look away from these numbers. Produced by award-winning Anishinaabe journalist Lenard Monkman through the inaugural Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship, in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association, this powerful short documentary confronts the epidemic, worsened by a complex intersection of homelessness, drug use and survival sex work, through a critical harm-reduction lens. Pulitzer Prize- and Peabody Award-winning journalist Connie Walker joins the screening to lead the conversation that follows.

Informed by his Winnipeg upbringing and work for CBC Manitoba, Monkman’s latest project captures the profound systemic barriers and daily struggles faced by Indigenous people living with HIV on the Prairies, while honouring their resilience and commitment to spark community awareness. By weaving together the voices of those directly impacted alongside First Nations leaders, frontline harm-reduction workers and public healthcare authorities, The Zoongidewin Project goes beyond mere accountability reporting. It serves as an essential, multi-dimensional blueprint for empathy and Indigenous-led change.

Join us for the Toronto screening of Monkman’s short documentary, followed by a fireside chat with Walker to unpack the project’s pressing themes and challenge us to consider the tangible work we must all do across Canada to foster true health equity.

The event will conclude with a 15-minute Q&A.

Registration is required. Tickets are FREE with promo code JTALKS2026 and include a popcorn + beverage (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) + snack package! 🍿

Get your ticket now: https://cjf-fjc.tickit.ca/events/37010