A Message from Hot Docs Leadership

The 2024 Hot Docs Festival and Industry Conference was a resounding success, showcasing 168 films across 274 screenings and welcoming 290 filmmakers and special guests. Enthusiastic audiences attended Festival screenings at near pre-pandemic levels with box office revenue exceeding targets by 12%. We supported over 1,200 Canadian and international filmmakers with $547,000 in production grants, professional development training and a documentary marketplace. The Festival’s success caps a year of steady post-pandemic rebuilding, with all key metrics for Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema—attendance, box office, membership sales and concessions—far surpassing 2023 levels.

Despite these achievements, our financial situation remains serious. Like many organizations in the arts and culture sector, Hot Docs faces a substantial operating deficit due to a slow post-pandemic recovery, inflationary pressures and industry contraction, all compounded by internal challenges. We are responding to these changes and setbacks with a sense of purpose. Hot Docs has taken immediate steps to responsibly address our organizational challenges and financial health. These include the difficult decision to close Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema for three months, impacting a significant number of our valued staff. We are undertaking strategic planning to rebuild the organization in anticipation of a fruitful future.

During this transitional year, the interim Board of Directors and leadership team are conducting an extensive review of the organization—its mission, programming, and operations—to chart a path back to sustainability. We continue to engage with government, sponsors, industry partners, donors and key stakeholders. With their support, we have the potential to navigate to a successful and sustainable future. Our priorities are to launch the Hot Docs Festival 2025, to continue to support documentary filmmaking everywhere, and to reopen Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Our mission remains to curate powerful and engaging stories for audiences while building community in documentary.