Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival is reopening the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on a limited schedule, amid ongoing financial and administration issues.
On Thursday, the film festival issued a statement on its website saying it heard people’s inquiries and that its flagship location will be reopening for third-party rentals and select partner screening events.
“Since temporarily closing Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in June, the team has been working tirelessly throughout the summer to address the financial and governance issues that led to its closure,” interim Executive Director Janice Dawe and Managing Director Heidi Tao Yang said in a statement.
“Significant work has been done to stabilize Hot Docs and establish a solid foundation for a sustainable path forward,” it continued.
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This season, the organization also says it will continue its search for a new executive director for Hot Docs. Back in July, the organization’s president Marie Nelson stepped down after one year of being in the position.
Additionally, staff have been working to address the organization’s “deficit” by putting plans in place to right-size the company, reduce operating costs and prioritizing core programming and initiatives in their future planning.
“We are also thrilled to be able to gradually welcome back members of our cinema team who were placed on temporary layoff with this summer’s closure,” Dawe and Yang said.
Earlier in July, several of the festival’s programmers left their posts due to claims they were working in a “toxic workplace.”
Hot Docs says it is expected to reveal its plans for Hot Docs programming at the cinema and details of its 2025 festival in the coming months.
