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Hot Docs News

A Thank You and an Important Update from Hot Docs

It has been a challenging year for Hot Docs and we’d like to thank you for your support throughout it.

Our recent Festival was a great success, offering 168 films in 274 screenings and welcoming 290 filmmakers and special guests to participate in Q&As. Enthusiastic audiences joined us in ever larger numbers, with average attendance at Festival screenings reaching close to pre-pandemic levels and box office revenue exceeding targets by 12%.

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 outperforming 2023.

Hot Docs is on the right track, but our financial situation remains serious despite these successes.

As we announced in March, the organization is facing a substantial operating deficit largely due to a slow post-pandemic recovery. To address our immediate cash flow needs and create a necessary window for the team to regroup and engage in critical strategic planning to address our deficit, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema starting June 12 for approximately three months.

During this time, the leadership team will undertake an extensive review of the Cinema—its mission, programming and operations—to determine a path back to profitability. Additionally, our development team along with the board of directors, will continue key conversations with government partners to further seek solutions.

We know that for many audience members, the Cinema is a key part of their cultural life in the city. We regret that we will not be able to offer programming over this period, but we are committed to returning this fall with the quality programming you’ve come to expect at the Cinema.

If you purchased a ticket for a screening or event taking place after June 12, our box office team will be automatically refunding your purchase. Please note that we are in the process of rescheduling or securing alternative venues for select events and will inform ticket buyers of these new plans. If you have any questions, please reach out to them at [email protected].

Memberships will be placed on hold during the period of the closure and will restart when the cinema reopens in the fall.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming you back in the fall.

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