Back to Hot Docs ValuesWe acknowledge that we have made mistakes, and that as an institution we are starting from a position of ingrained white privilege. We must work to recognize the ways our organization has compounded the very real issues faced by BIPOC members of our community.
We will listen. We will learn. We will act on our values.
This is our commitment:
As an employer, we will work to ensure that BIPOC staff feel safe, supported and respected, and that members of the BIPOC community feel encouraged to join our team. In addition to our established EDI goals and guidelines that inform our hiring practices, we are committed to providing mandatory anti-bias training for staff and volunteers.
As an organization with a platform to amplify voices, we will work to ensure that our programming provides opportunities for BIPOC storytellers to share their craft and be celebrated. We will also work to ensure that BIPOC audience members feel welcomed, engaged and invested in our offerings and that barriers to their participation are removed. Toronto is one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities, and the breadth of stories on our screens must reflect this diversity.
In our support for the future of filmmaking, we will continue to ensure that BIPOC filmmakers have access to funding opportunities, professional development programs and other resources to support their filmmaking.
We seek to address systemic barriers in access to industry programming and funds through consultation with priority groups, ensuring representation from BIPOC communities on selection committees, and proactive regional outreach.
We continue to provide professional development and funding opportunities for filmmakers through our market and funding programs, but also have special initiatives, both past and current, focused on providing funding to under-represented communities and regions.
Our screening series, For Viola, named in honour of Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond, who was arrested and jailed for refusing to leave the whites-only seating area of a Nova Scotia cinema, is curated by BIPOC programmers and focuses on BIPOC filmmakers and BIPOC-led stories. To minimize barriers to audience participation, all screenings will be accessible free of charge.
Through dialogues with our staff, audiences, industry and wider communities, we continually challenge ourselves to do better. We have embarked on the following initiatives to further build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive organization, and to reflect these values in our activities.
We recognize that this is a beginning and not an end. More details on our commitment to EDI initiatives can be found below, including more on past and current programs:
Past Programs: