Hot Docs is pausing its marquee industry event, the Hot Docs Forum, for the 2025 festival. The news came today as the festival rolled out industry passes and packages for next year’s event. Hot Docs noted that the decision came in response to “recent challenges faced by the organization and industry-wide obstacles affecting filmmakers and delegates.” Hot Docs anticipates a reimagining of the Forum for 2026 as the festival and organization both go through a time of transition.
“We are committed to showcasing extraordinary storytelling and creating a welcoming space for film business development and industry connections,” Elizabeth Radshaw, Hot Docs’ Director of Industry Programs, said in a statement to the Hot Docs website. “Our 2025 Industry Conference and Market is designed to be an intimate yet impactful gathering where diverse filmmakers of all career stages are supported, and emerging voices are uplifted. From networking with industry leaders to collaborative learning, we’re building a vibrant community for authentic connections and meaningful exchanges in the documentary space.”
The Forum has been the centrepiece of Hot Docs’ industry component as a summit where funders and decision makers offer feedback and rewards to filmmakers pitching their projects. Recent success stories from the Forum include the acclaimed Oscar nominee Fire of Love, the Sundance prizewinner Midwives, labour rights saga Union, and nature doc Wilfred Buck. This year’s winners include This Land of Ours and Arrest the Midwife.
Hot Docs’ 2025 Industry side will still include annual face time opportunities for filmmakers and funders. The Deal Maker program will return to facilitate one-on-one pitch meetings, while the Netflix partnership Hot Docs Incubator will also be back to bolster mid-career filmmakers. The usual panels, master classes, and talks will also return, as will screenings of works-in-progress.
The festival previously announced that it will return in 2025 during its regular window at the end of April and early May. Official programming is expected to be slimmed down to roughly 100 titles, which accounts for less than half of Hot Docs’ pre-pandemic slate and is down from this year’s haul of nearly 170 films. The organization is currently seeking a buyer for Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with plans to continue operations. Programming was just announced for the cinema’s reopening with Ali Weinstein’s Ontario Place doc Your Tomorrow kicking things off.
