By John Corrado
The 2026 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 23rd to May 3rd in Toronto
In their documentary Gimme Truth, co-directors Simon Ennis and Brad Abrahams explore modern conspiracy theories, by introducing us to a variety of subjects who believe in them.
Their views range from vaccine skeptics to 9/11 truthers. These are people who believe in aliens, secret societies, and shadowy cabals running the world. Among them is Arcturus Ra, a former rapper who considers himself a “starseed,” having been placed on this earth by an alien civilization.
There’s Mikki Willis, a former soap opera actor who went viral early on in the COVID-19 pandemic with his “Plandemic” video being widely shared on Facebook. Willis, a former Bernie Bro turned RFK Jr. supporter, now speaks out heavily against forced vaccination. Justin Kohn is a former stop motion animator who believes that aliens are not only real but also evil, devoting himself to warning people about the dangers we are facing from extra-terrestrial visitors.
On the skeptical side is author Jon Ronson, who has devoted himself to researching fringe groups and hate movements, and what draws people towards them. Ironically, the social isolation caused by the COVID lockdowns themselves provided the perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories to flourish in online forums. Erica Roach, a mother who got deep into QAnon during Trump’s first term, is one of the subjects who got sucked into internet rabbit holes at the expense of her personal life.
Ennis and Abrahams don’t really pass judgement, instead letting the subjects speak for themselves, and following them to conscious living expos populated by the like-minded. It’s a pretty interesting and entertaining glimpse into these alternative viewpoints, and the psychology of why certain people gravitate more towards conspiracy theories, some of which are certainly more far-fetched than others. Even Ronson notes they are usually built around a kernel of truth (i.e., the Epstein List).
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