2018/19 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ANNUAL PUBLIC & INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING SUMMARY A. Hot Docs Festival Programming Summary 2 B. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Summary 5 C. Hot Docs Year-Round Programming & Hot Docs Collection Summary 7 D. Hot Docs Education & Youth Programs Summary 9 E. Hot Docs Industry Conference & Professional Development Programs Summary 11 F. Hot Docs Market & Networking Summary 13 G. Hot Docs Production Funds & Financing Initiatives Portfolio Summary 16 2. ANNUAL OPERATIONS SUMMARY A. Operations, Production & Administration 20 B. Marketing & Communications 21 C. Corporate Partnership Development 23 D. Public Sector, Foundation & Individual Giving Development 25 3. 2017-2021 STRATEGIC PLAN REPORT A. Strategic Plan Executive Summary 28 B. Key Goal 1: Empowering Discovery and Curiosity 30 C. Key Goal 2: Championing Creativity 31 D. Key Goal 3: Amplifying Engagement 32 E. Key Goal 4: Growing Capacity 33 F. Key Goal 5: Enabling Sustainability 34 G. Outcomes & Benchmarks 35 4. 2017-2021 OPERATIONAL PLAN REPORT A. Equity & Inclusion 38 B. Hot Docs Festival 41 C. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema 47 D. Hot Docs Year-Round Programming 51 E. Hot Docs Education & Youth Programs 52 F. Hot Docs Industry Programs & Production Fund Portfolio 54 G. Operations, Production & Administration 59 H. Marketing & Communications 61 I. Financials, Funding & Resource Development 64 J. Public Sector, Foundation & Individual Giving Development 69 K. Board of Directors & Human Resources Development 72 5. APPENDICES I. Hot Docs Festival Programming 78 II. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema 85 III. Hot Docs Year-Round Programming & Hot Docs Collection 87 IV. Hot Docs Education & Youth Programs 91 V. Hot Docs Industry Conference & Professional Development Programs 96 VI. Hot Docs Market & Networking Events 103 VII. Hot Docs Production Fund & Financing Initiatives Portfolio 110 VIII. Hot Docs Board, Advisory Committees & Staff 112 IX. 2019 Hot Docs Delegate Survey (Abridged) 117 X. Select Media Breaks 122 ANNUAL PUBLIC & INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING SUMMARY 1 1. ANNUAL PUBLIC & INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING SUMMARY 1.A. Hot Docs Festival Programming Summary KEY FACTS • The 26th annual Hot Docs Festival ran 11 days, April 25–May 5, 2019. • A record audience numbering 228,000 attended screenings and events. • 234 films and 18 DocX experiences representing 56 countries were presented at 11 venues; 451 screenings were held. • 76 Canadian films and DocX projects were in the official selection. • 54 per cent of Festival directors were women. • 63 official selections had their world premieres and 48 had their international premieres. • Over 300 guest directors and subjects were in attendance. In 2019 Hot Docs reached new levels of success, audience engagement and filmmaker satisfaction. While audiences grew to a record 228,000, growth was also seen in the number of directors and guests attending the Festival (over 300). Hot Docs continued to evolve its presentation and programming of DocX and the variety of documentary forms showcased. Notably, 54 per cent of the directors with films in the Festival this year were women, underscoring Hot Docs’ commitment to seeking out and supporting diverse new voices, and setting a bar for equity unmatched by other major Festivals. The program this year again encompassed the style, depth and range of work being explored in the documentary form, ensuring that Toronto audiences experienced the finest in documentary storytelling from around the globe. The depth of knowledge and experience in the Hot Docs programming team continues to ensure rigorous, diverse programming coupled with detailed historical knowledge of films, directors and documentary trends. This results in a program of great range, coupled with strong relationships with Canadian and international filmmakers, and excellence in on- and off-stage hosting. Filmmakers continue to remark on the quality of the screening facilities and the hospitality they receive at Hot Docs and this remains a key factor in building long-lasting relationships. Hot Docs continued to solidify its place as one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals, with a diverse slate of films showcasing the finest in documentary from around the world. The range of programs, and the enthusiastic support of Toronto audiences, ensures that the Festival program continues to encompass the many forms of documentary storytelling being utilized today. This includes hybrid and creative non-fiction films, along with essay and experimental documentary works, and a generous representation of virtual reality and live documentary. Hot Docs expanded its commitment to making the Festival as accessible as possible, offering 59 screenings with closed captions, 25 with open captions and four with audio description. Additionally, the Industry Conference presented a workshop on accessibility in documentary, entitled “How Are We Going To Break Barriers?”, which focused on how festivals can empower doc creators working with disability and create a welcoming hub for all audiences. The Festival enhanced its family-friendly 2 offerings by identifying films suitable for a range of audiences and by hosting a free family-friendly screening of IMAX documentaries at Ontario Place Cinesphere. Deepening engagement between audiences and filmmakers is a foundational element of the Festival, and this year Hot Docs introduced more extended Q&A sessions than ever. Hot Docs also continued its renowned Food & Film events by exploring the impact of three different countries on the culinary world: Italy (as seen in Alla Salute), France (Kings of Pastry) and Mexico (Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy). DocX, an interdisciplinary section celebrating documentary work that lives outside of the traditional format, continued to introduce audiences to new forms of storytelling, including VR, interactive and live documentary events. In partnership with Autodesk, the main DocX venue was again situated in Toronto’s tech hub at the MaRS Discovery District, the perfect location in which to connect audiences, technology and new forms of documentary storytelling. Nearly 2,000 members of the public were introduced to virtual reality documentaries and to the Festival itself. Hot Docs’ live event, Supreme Law, encouraged audiences young and old to look at Canada’s Constitution and the impact it has on their lives in a new and unexpected way. Italy was the focus of the Made In program this year, allowing Hot Docs to build and strengthen relationships with Italian filmmakers and curate a strong program featuring new and established voices in Italian documentary cinema. The Made In program provides the Festival with an excellent platform to seek out films from countries supporting excellence in documentary filmmaking, with a resulting increase in submissions from those countries in future years. Themed programs at the Festival offer an opportunity to bring together a diverse range of films under a curatorial rationale while reflecting noteworthy topics and trends. This year, two new theme programs were created: Animal Magnetism, reflecting the complicated relationship between humans and animals, and Making Believe, highlighting propaganda, fake news, the lies we’re told and the lies we tell ourselves. Additionally, two themed programs returned this year: Persister (formerly Silence Breakers) continued the conversation around female empowerment and women speaking up and being heard, and The Changing Face of Europe showcased 10 new documentaries from around Europe in the second year of Hot Docs’ partnership with European Film Promotion. Overall response to the programming was exceptionally positive again this year. Canadian documentaries continue to gain acclaim and accolades, with innovative, challenging, beautifully crafted films being made by emerging, mid-career and master filmmakers. Eight of the top 20 audience favourites were Canadian films (six of those in the top 10), and 76 Canadian works were screened this year (comprising over 30 per cent of the Festival). Opening Hot Docs with a Canadian film is always the ideal scenario, and this year’s selection set the tone with a powerful, timely look at injustice in Canada in nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, directed by Tasha Hubbard. This was the fourth Canadian film by a female director to open the Festival in as many years, and the first directed by an Indigenous filmmaker. Hot Docs was honoured to pay tribute to the outstanding filmmaker Julia Reichert as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award. Audiences were introduced to her seminal films, including Growing Up Female, A Lion in the House and Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists, as well as the international premiere of her acclaimed new film American Factory. Hot Docs recognizes important works in the history of documentary via the Redux program, which this year focused on the groundbreaking work of the NFB’s Studio D, and included the world premiere of four new short docs 3 inspired by the 1990 Five Feminist Minutes series. The program garnered media attention and engaged audiences, demonstrating a demand for carefully curated retrospective programming with a point of view. Documentary remains the most vital and engaging of the moving image art forms, and Hot Docs continues to be at the forefront of curating, exhibiting and supporting the finest in documentary storytelling in all its forms, from here at home and around the world. 2019 DELEGATE SURVEY RESULTS Average ratings for: • Quality of Hot Docs film programming: 4.1/5 • Overall quality of Hot Docs Festival: 4.3/5 • Quality of Hot Docs compared to other events: 4.1/5 Percentage of delegates who plan to return in 2020: 87% 2018-19 DOC SOUP TORONTO SUBSCRIBER SURVEY RESULTS Average ratings for: • Redeeming tickets for Hot Docs Festival: 4.1/5 • Attending screenings at Hot Docs Festival: 4.1/5 Percentage of subscribers who would recommend the Festival: 96% Comments: “I have nothing but good things to say about Hot Docs. It's a consistently well-run festival.” “Have told everyone about [the Festival]. Outstanding.” 2019 AUDIENCE SURVEY RESULTS Comments: “Loving this season! Keep up the amazing work!” “This festival is a service to the wellbeing of Canada and the world.