The Hot Docs film festival, grappling with an ongoing financial restructuring, has seen more of its top executives exit.
A spokesman for North America’s biggest documentary festival on Tuesday confirmed director of programming Heather Haynes and director of industry programs Elizabeth Radshaw have both left the house ahead of a “strategic planning process” getting underway.
“We are extremely grateful to both for their immeasurable contributions to Hot Docs over the years. As of yet, no decisions have been made as to how or by whom the positions will be filled,” the festival said in a statement.
Their departures follow Diana Sanchez in April 2025 boarding Hot Docs as its new executive director, replacing interim executive director Janice Dawes. Sanchez will oversee doc programming and industry events at the film festival as Hot Docs continues to navigate an uncertain future.
Dawes stepped into the top role after Marie Nelson, the former ABC News and Disney exec, left the Toronto-based festival in July 2024 as it struggled for its future after a chaotic 2024 edition. That included programmers abruptly resigning amid financial woes and the departure of artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy.
That mass exodus at Hot Docs occurred as the organization revealed a widening cash crunch while struggling to regain its footing after the pandemic. In Oct. 2024, Hot Docs promoted Haynes to director of programming, a role she assumed through a scaled-down 2025 edition of the documentary festival from April 24 to May 4.
Radshaw in 2009 was hired as director of industry programs at Hot Docs, which launched in 1993 and long featured a Toronto Documentary Forum for international film producers and buyers to connect and do deals around.
