Event Preview: Hot Docs

April 29 to May 9
Toronto, Canada

Running for 11 days, presenting more than 170 films from 40-plus countries and hosting hundreds of international delegates, Hot Docs returns in its 17th annual edition. The event has positioned itself as North America’s largest documentary festival, and it continues to gain momentum, with growth seen year after year.

"When I started here in 1999, the event was Canadian-industry only, with few international guests and no public participation," recalls Chris McDonald, the event’s executive director. "With the introduction of an international marketplace and films from around the world, we anticipate close to 1,000 delegates from outside Canada, as well as an audience of close to 140,000 doc lovers." He adds, "Our public attendance is doubling every three years. Happily for us, Torontonians love going to the movies!"

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A testament to Hot Doc’s international appeal, a record eight official delegations will be on hand at this year’s event, representing Abu Dhabi, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Nordic region, the U.K. and U.S. The delegations are made up of established producers and broadcasters working in social, cultural and political documentary genres. During the festival, these delegates will have the chance to participate in a range of networking opportunities, market events and conference sessions. The delegations will also take part in this year’s International Co-Production Day, a day-long event, to be held on May 3, that hosts a series of targeted meetings and social events aimed at sparking international partnerships. 

"The more international delegates—producers, directors, broadcasters, funders, sales agents and distributors—the more vital a marketplace destination we become," says McDonald. "Over time, it has become increasingly difficult for filmmakers to finance their productions from just one source or country. As a result, producers are piecing together their financing from a variety of countries or territories. This international co-production financing model means that market events like ours have even greater value and, hopefully, positive outcomes."

Screenings are a big part of what the festival offers, and this year Hot Docs received some 2,000 film submissions. The event will feature 166 official selections and retrospective titles in ten programs, as well as nine films by young filmmakers, ages 14 to 18, screening in this year’s Doc It! showcase, and 12 films selected as finalists in the International Documentary Challenge.

Other than the film screenings, there’s a full slate of conference and market events for participants. This includes the Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF), taking place May 5 and 6, which McDonald calls the "flagship market event." He explains, "Thirty projects in development are pitched to an assembly of 200-plus international buyers over the course of two days, with another 400 producers and directors in attendance. These selected projects are required to have a minimum of 20 percent third-party financing—which indicates that someone in the marketplace has confidence in the project and the creative team. This third-party financier has to also attend the TDF for the project to qualify. Each year, 50 to 60 percent of these projects receive additional financing at the TDF. At the same time, the other 400 producers are busy meeting with the 200 buyers over the two-day event, raising millions of dollars in production financing."

Mid-career retrospectives of the female directors Kim Longinotto and Tahani Rached are a further highlight to the event, as well as a Made in South America program that explores the contemporary documentary work going on in that region. Hot Docs will present Film Transit International’s Jan Rofekamp with the 2010 Doc Mogul Award, which will be presented at a luncheon in his honor held on May 4.

"We’re launching our first Rooftop Docs series of outdoor screenings, as well as Critical Mass, a series of on-stage interviews with three high-profile critics, including Pulitzer Prize winners Paul Goldberger and Robin Givhan, as well as New Yorker magazine music critic Sasha Frere-Jones," McDonald notes as further spotlight events.

For McDonald, a true highlight is in the value the participants take away from the event. "For me, nothing beats walking into a packed cinema and knowing that the audience is in for an unforgettable experience. I’m excited to see our audience discover—or rediscover—Kim and Tahani’s great work as well as experience the rooftop docs, speaker series and outdoor street party in Yorkville."

To view a trailer for Hot Docs 2010, please click here.