Toronto/CMEDIA: Heather Haynes, Director of Festival Programming of Hot Docs has been promoted to the newly expanded role of Director of Programming effective immediately, Hot Docs has announced.
“We are thrilled to promote Heather Haynes to Director of Programming,” shared Janice Dawe, Hot Docs’ Interim Executive Director. “Heather has been…a tireless champion of documentary filmmakers and their stories…her steadfast commitment to bringing powerful, thought-provoking documentaries to our audiences…cultivate empathy, understanding and critical thought…Hot Docs will continue to deliver on its mission for years to come…shape our next chapter.”
Heather in her new role, will oversee programming for Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and Docs for Schools, the organization’s national educational program.
Being instrumental in the organization’s success, throughout her 19-year tenure with Hot Docs, Heather has been nurturing the careers of numerous documentary filmmakers.
Her reputation as a trusted leader in the community for her passion for the art form, combined with her thoughtful approach is reflected in her achievements.
“After nearly two decades at Hot Docs, I am deeply honoured to step into the role of Director of Programming,” shared Heather Haynes. “While our work is far from finished, …we continue to support Canadian and international filmmakers, strengthen the documentary industry and serve our devoted audiences with the passion and excellence they deserve.”
Having previously served as Hot Docs’ Senior International Programmer and Associate Director of Festival Programming, Heather Haynes has spent over a decade working with filmmakers in Mexico, Central and South America, and continues to collaborate with filmmakers worldwide on work-in-progress sessions, labs and juries. Having also programmed for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, and aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival, Heather Haynes was a recommender for Chicken & Egg Pictures’ (Egg)celerator Labs.
She produced three award-winning documentaries, including I Am Ishi: The Performance Art Film, directed by Dana Claxton. Besides her documentary work, Heather has produced visual, performance art and theatre projects focused on human rights and cultural issues. As the founder and former Executive/Artistic Director of Toronto Free Gallery, founder of Culture Storm and former publisher of Fuse Magazine, she was also a founding member and producer for Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto.
As the newly appointed Director of Programming, Heather will lead the curation of an outstanding lineup of more than 100 documentaries, featuring compelling stories from both Canadian and international filmmakers in the 32nd annual Hot Docs Festival taking place April 24 to May 4, 2025, in Toronto. Combining the expertise of long-standing members with the fresh perspectives of new talent, to curate a dynamic and exceptional festival experience, she will oversee the Hot Docs’ programming team.
Included in the Hot Docs Festival 2025 programming team are Festival Programming Manager Kristin Boivin, Senior International Features Programmers Gabor Pertic and Lucila Moctezuma, International Features Programmers Gugi Gumilang and Vicci Ho and Senior International Shorts and Canadian Programmer Mariam Zaidi. Vivian Belik serves as International Mid-Lengths Programmer, with Alex Rogalski as Senior Canadian Programmer and Aisha Jamal as Canadian Programmer. New additions to the programming team include International Features Programmers Kinga Binkowska, Julian Carrington, Lauren Clarke and David Knipe, Associate International Features Programmers Simone Estrin and Elspeth Arbow, International Shorts Programmer Hawa Essuman and Associate International Shorts Programmer Reza Sameni.
