Hot Docs Heads to the Cinema

Hot Docs’ executive director, Chris McDonald, talks about the takeover of Toronto’s Bloor Cinema and the opportunities it will create for doc filmmakers worldwide.

The fate of Toronto’s landmark Bloor Cinema had been in question after the century-old theater announced it would be closed for the summer for renovations. Putting the fears from the city’s repertory community to rest, news broke last week that the film house would indeed reopen this fall, now under the management of Hot Docs.

Hot Docs and Blue Ice Film have aligned to relaunch the cinema, extending an existing relationship between the two Toronto-based outfits. "We worked with their team for years, most recently on setting up the Hot Docs – Blue Ice Documentary Production Fund earlier this year," explains Chris McDonald, Hot Docs’ executive director. "We were both keen on dreaming up ways to screen more docs for larger audiences. And while Hot Docs has expanded into digital exhibition in the past few years, a good, old-fashioned cinema seemed like a logical and fun enterprise. Too many good docs can’t find a home on the big screen, and we are trying to address that."

He adds, "This is a whole new world for us, and a-once-in-a-career opportunity for our team to learn a new business. We think this will create opportunities for the doc industry here and aboard, and provide more choice for filmgoers."

McDonald says that most of the changes being made to the Bloor are cosmetic. "This initial ‘facelift’ will enhance projection and sound quality, lighting, seating, façade and marquee improvements (along with the requisite paint, carpeting and panels in the cinema and concession area)." He notes that there are no plans to alter any of the cinema’s Art Deco detailing.

Under the joint-venture agreement, Hot Docs takes on responsibility for managing and programming the cinema year round. This comes as quite an expansion of Hot Docs’ existing business, which includes a once-a-year festival as well as the monthly Doc Soup screening series. "We will hire new staff to book and program the Bloor, in consultation with our year-round programming team," McDonald says of the efforts needed. "It is important that we protect our core business, which is screening the films during the festival and Doc Soup. We will be careful not to over tax any of our existing resources, and hopefully that won’t prove too lofty a goal."

Roughly 80 percent of the cinema’s features will be documentaries, says McDonald, and Hot Docs itself has a solid pipeline for filling the screen. "We received 2,100 doc submissions to the festival last year, and screened 199 films. That’s a good place to start. Our team also travels to dozens of festivals annually, so we have a very good sense of what is available and/or is in late stages of production at any given time. We’ve also developed a loyal core audience, and we have a good sense of the types of work they respond to most." The cinema also hopes to retain many of its previous partners: the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, the After Dark Film Festival and the Images Festival, among others.

While the efforts needed for running a year-round cinema are intensive, McDonald says there’s much value that can be derived from the deal for the festival and screenings. "We are hoping that the potential for longer theatrical windows in Toronto will give us a better chance of attracting stronger titles for the festival and Doc Soup. The Bloor is also the home for Doc Soup, and our 1,400 subscribers have been anxious to see upgrades to the venue for years. We can finally deliver!"

McDonald admits that his excitement is mixed with some nervousness about taking on such a large endeavor. "But we have found that fear can be a good motivator."