This is Hogtown

For Hogtown Roller Derby, the journey from Toronto to Manchester marks a first: the team is preparing to play the first sanctioned games outside North America in its history. This is Hogtown uses that trip to observe what holds a group together before any result, moving from training and departure to taking the track against new opponents.

The documentary follows the preparation both on and off the track. The skaters train, organise the journey and share domestic spaces after arriving in England. A tactical conversation, the practical complications of travelling and moments on the bench show how sporting competition grows out of collective decisions. The two games therefore become part of a broader experience, presented without revealing their outcome.

Three voices accompany the journey in particular. Captain Hollyween III connects roller derby with the ability to get back up after taking a hit; Theo Radical talks about personal growth, physical activity and feeling protected within the group; Fanny Slamtastic brings the perspective of someone who has remained in the sport for many years. Their accounts also touch on mental wellbeing, bereavement, age, friendship and mutual support.

The interviews alternate with the physical presence of roller derby. Bodies, skates and contact are filmed at close range, while wider views keep the movement on the track legible; the film also moves between competition, bench and the spaces shared during the trip. This alternation between words and action builds the team portrait, showing the community as it prepares and as it plays.

Elsa Morena and John Hurej directed the film; Morena is also its producer, while Hurej shot and edited it. The poster credits Mary Lee with sound design. Produced in Canada and completed in 2026, the English-language documentary runs for 11 minutes and 47 seconds. It was entered in the fifth edition of the International Sport Film Festival under its original title, This is Hogtown.