Hot Docs Canada, the largest documentary festival in North America, has announced the programming team for the upcoming 2025 documentary festival.
The Toronto Film Festival said Heather Haynes has been promoted to programming director, and her 2025 festival team includes the programmer who resigned suddenly in March amid financial woes and the departure of artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy.
As Hot Docs continues its organizational reorganization, returning programmers include Gabor Pertic, Lucila Moctezuma, Gugi Gumilang, Vicci Ho, Mariam Zaidi, Vivian Belik, Alex Rogalski and Aisha Jamal. Some of these programmers were involved in a mass exit ahead of the release of Hot Docs in March.
New members of the programming team include Kinga Binkowska, Julian Carrington, Lauren Clarke, David Knipe, Simone Estrin, Elspeth Arbow, Hawa Essuman and Reza Sameni. The promotion of Haynes, a 19-year Hot Docs veteran, was announced by Hot Docs interim executive director Janice Dawe.
“I am inspired every day by the dedication and resilience of my colleagues who have remained steadfast in the face of our recent challenges. While our work is far from done, we are firmly committed to re-stabilizing and securing our future. will continue to support Canadian and international filmmakers, strengthen the documentary industry, and serve our loyal audiences with the passion and excellence they deserve.
Hot Docs experienced an exodus of programmers earlier this year, and the organization also said it faced a widening cash shortage as it struggled to get back on its feet after the pandemic. The 32nd Annual Hot Docs Festival will be held from April 24 to May 4, 2025.
In an effort to restore the organization’s financial footing, the festival is exploring the sale and leaseback of its flagship Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Bloor Street. Hot Docs has gone through deep cost cuts and layoffs, numerous executive exits, including from the board of directors, and the closure of the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in June 2024.
The cinema reopened in late September and is available for third-party rentals, and festival organizers said regular Hot Docs programming will resume at the downtown theater on December 4, 2024, with a 32nd edition planned for spring 2025.
Hot Docs, led by Dawe, is also looking for a new CEO after President Marie Nelson (a former ABC News and Disney executive who took over in June 2023) left the organization in July 2024 following a chaotic 31st edition. Permanent senior executives.
