Hot Docs’ board of directors has issued a statement in the wake of ongoing controversies. On Sunday, March 24, ten programmers announced their resignation from the festival, which was followed by the news that the former artistic director had departed the previous Wednesday. The statement notes that a third-party investigation is underway.
“Hot Docs and its Board recognize that the recent departures of the artistic director and ten contract Festival programmers have caused concern for members of our filmmaking community, our audiences and other stakeholders who are deeply invested in the organization,” the board noted in a statement posted to the festival website on April 6, which was not widely sent to media. “Hot Docs takes its obligation to protect and respect the privacy of both former and current employees and contractors very seriously and is not in a position to discuss specific details related to these departures due to privacy concerns. However, the organization has an established policy and procedures for complaint resolution and investigation, which is made available to all staff.”
The board’s statement sheds some light on what happened between Currimbhoy’s resignation on March 20 and the mass exodus on March 25, noting, “there was an effort by all parties to work together to find solutions to address their concerns, until Hot Docs declined their demand to make their issues public due to the organization’s obligations to employees’ privacy.”
Due to issues of privacy and non-disclosure agreements, transparency about the situation has been murky at best. On Friday, April 5, the Toronto Star released a report by Joshua Chong that offered further details about the alleged tumult in the programming department. The Star reported “an internal letter dated Feb. 20 to the organization’s board of directors, members of the festival’s international programming team said their workplace had turned into one of ‘chaos, isolation, mistrust and disrespect’ under artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy.”
The allegations included that Currimbhoy “sidelined women on the programming team” and “would ask male programmers to reassess films previously reviewed by women programmers when he did not agree with them.” In the Feb. 20th letter to the Hot Docs’ board, the departed programmers alleged that the former artistic director “display[ed] insensitivity for the lived cultural experiences, backgrounds and identities of international programmers and use[d] patronizing and disparaging language when speaking about films, filmmakers, the quality of previous Hot Docs’ programming, and other Hot Docs departments and employees.”
“When issues were raised by the programming team at the end of January, Hot Docs and the Board acted in accordance with these policies and procedures, including conducting a thorough internal investigation, with all due diligence and speed to address their concerns,” noted the board in its statement. “Despite numerous proposed solutions to seek a path forward, offers to mediate were declined.”
In the wake of the departures, as well as reports of financial instability, Hot Docs announced its line-up for the 2024 edition of the festival. In their remarks to the audience, festival president Marie Nelson and director of festival programming Heather Haynes left the door open for the 10 programmers to return.
The situation has also sparked considerable discussion among members of the Documentary Organization of Canada, which founded Hot Docs in 1993 and represents 49% of its board of directors. “The information that is becoming public over the last several weeks is extremely serious,” stated DOC’s Executive Director Sarah Spring in a communication to members. “DOC has already asked for Hot Docs to conduct a thorough review of not just HR but governance and finance as well, from the past several years up to and including what has happened in the last six months.”
In a statement issued on April 1, DOC also reiterated, “Our shared goal is a thriving and long-lasting Hot Docs and we believe this is a moment that can benefit from our working together. Hot Docs is crucial to Canada’s documentary community. Many of us have grown up with the festival. This is where we have connected with each other, with programmers, audiences, distributors and with funders. We have shared our films and have come together as a community to engage with the public. We want the festival to succeed and thrive this year, and into the future.”
[Full disclosure: DOC receives a royalty for founding Hot Docs and all DOC members receive a POV subscription as part of their memberships.]
Read Hot Docs’ full statement below
“For more than 30 years, Hot Docs has advanced and celebrated the art of documentary and created production opportunities for filmmakers. We are proud to support Canada’s preeminent documentary film institution and remain committed to delivering an exceptional festival in a few weeks’ time.
“Hot Docs and its Board recognize that the recent departures of the artistic director and ten contract Festival programmers have caused concern for members of our filmmaking community, our audiences and other stakeholders who are deeply invested in the organization, as have recent news reports on the situation.
“Hot Docs takes its obligation to protect and respect the privacy of both former and current employees and contractors very seriously and is not in a position to discuss specific details related to these departures due to privacy concerns. However, the organization has an established policy and procedures for complaint resolution and investigation, which is made available to all staff.
“When issues were raised by the programming team at the end of January, Hot Docs and the Board acted in accordance with these policies and procedures, including conducting a thorough internal investigation, with all due diligence and speed to address their concerns. Despite numerous proposed solutions to seek a path forward, offers to mediate were declined.
“In accordance with Hot Docs policies and procedures, a full internal investigation of issues raised by the programmers was conducted by Hot Docs when they were made. A third-party investigation of the issues was proposed following the Festival, and which is still planned.
“As the programmers themselves assert in their statement of March 25, there was an effort by all parties to work together to find solutions to address their concerns, until Hot Docs declined their demand to make their issues public due to the organization’s obligations to employees’ privacy.
“Hot Docs and the Board recognize and take seriously the responsibility to ensure a safe and respectful work environment, whether physical or virtual, for all employees. The nature of the programming team’s process is that they work remotely and meet virtually until the Festival, when they join the wider staff in producing the event. We want to clarify that any issues that contract programmers may have encountered are not reflective of the wider Hot Docs culture.
“The Board supports the actions taken by Hot Docs and will continue to support all parties through the third-party investigation process.”
Update (Apr. 8, 2024, 10:13pm – this article has been updated to include Sarah Spring’s comments to DOC members.
