Hot Docs Temporarily Closes Theater and Announces Layoffs Amid ‘Urgent Financial Challenges’

Brian Welk
·2 min read

Hot Docs, the Toronto-based documentary film festival, has announced it will temporarily close its flagship Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and will lay off a portion of its staff to combat “urgent financial challenges” faced by the organization.

The news arrives less than a month after Hot Docs wrapped its 31st edition of its festival, and the organization says it hopes to reopen the year-round theater’s doors after three months. It will close June 12. The number of staff layoffs was not disclosed.

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The Globe and Mail reported that according to documents from the Canada Revenue Agency, Hot Docs had a deficit of just over $2 million as of the financial period ending May 2023. The organization says this year’s Hot Docs was a success, with box office revenue exceeding target projections by 12 percent, and that box office receipts at the Ted Rogers Cinema throughout the year are up 59 percent compared to fiscal year ’23. But post-pandemic recovery has been brutally slow, and the temporary closure and layoffs were still deemed necessary as the organization tries to get back to profitability.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but it’s crucial for us to take this step now. This temporary closure will enable us to pause, recalibrate, and strategically plan a sustainable future for this beloved organization,” Robin Mirsky, co-chair of Hot Docs’ board of directors, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the overwhelming support that we’ve received from our community since we vocalized our operating deficit in March. We’ve made significant progress since then, but there is still important work to do to ensure that we emerge stronger and more resilient, and that Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema continues to be a vibrant cultural hub for Toronto.”

Hot Docs has been in a dire position for the last several months. Back in March, just weeks before the festival kicked off, 10 programmers left Hot Docs in a mass exodus. Artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy also exited, citing “personal reasons.” Weeks later, two board members resigned during the festival’s opening weekend. And last month it was revealed that the Canadian government excluded Hot Docs from the 2024 federal budget — one less key source of funding.

The organization says that despite the theater closure, it will still continue to support filmmakers during this time, claiming this year to have so far supported 29 projects with grants totaling $392,500. The board will also continue conversations with industry supporters, donors, and government partners. Hot Docs originally wanted to expand the Ted Rogers Cinema with a second screen, but those efforts have been put on hold.

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