The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema will be closing as of June 12 for roughly three months, along with temporary layoffs for some staff.
On Wednesday, Hot Docs, which is North America’s largest documentary festival, announced the temporary summer closure as the organization “conducts an extensive review of the cinema” to determine “a path back to profitability.”
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but it’s crucial for us to take this step now. This temporary closure will enable us to pause, recalibrate, and strategically plan a sustainable future for this beloved organization,” Robin Mirsky, co-chair of Hot Docs’ Board of Directors, said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the overwhelming support that we’ve received from our community since we vocalized our operating deficit in March. We’ve made significant progress since then, but there is still important work to do to ensure that we emerge stronger and more resilient, and that Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema continues to be a vibrant cultural hub for Toronto,” Mirsky added.
Over the coming months, the organization says Hot Docs’ development team and the board of directors will “continue key conversations with its industry supporters, donors and government partners to further seek solutions to the operating deficit.”
“Hot Docs is optimistic about reopening the Cinema in the fall, featuring the type of engaging and captivating cultural programming that its renowned for, supported by a sustainable and strategic operating plan,” reads the press releases.
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The announcement comes after 10 workers reportedly walked off the job in March amid rumours of a “toxic work environment.”
Hot Docs recently finished its 31st annual film festival, which included 168 films in 274 screenings, and 290 filmmakers and special guests participated in Q&As.
The organization says the festival’s success caps a year of “steady post-pandemic rebuilding.”
The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is also seeing some gains this year so far, with box office sales up by 59 per cent, along with a 21 per cent increase in membership sales and a 38 per cent rise in concession sales.
“Unfortunately, given the slow post-pandemic recovery and the operating deficit brought about by it, a temporary closure is still necessary, even with these encouraging figures,” the statement says.
An exact date of when the cinema will reopen has not been announced.
