North America’s largest documentary festival, Hot Docs, is in turmoil, announcing its artistic director has quit along with an unspecified number of programming staff ahead of the festival’s 2024 run.
The festival has confirmed to CBC News that artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy stepped down on March 20 for “personal reasons.”
“Hussain was fundamental in programming this year’s Festival,” Hot Docs spokesperson Juan M. Gonzalez-Calcaneo said in a statement.
The statement added that festival director Heather Haynes will lead its programming department in preparation for this year’s festival, running from April 25 to May 5.
The departures mark the latest blow to the festival, which has faced financial turbulence.
Earlier this month, Hot Docs president Marie Nelson told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning this year could be the non profit’s last without more support from government funding, adding that the organization is still recovering from losses accumulated during the pandemic.
Pat Mullen, publisher at POV magazine, told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning he believes the reason for employees to exit en masse is not financial difficulties but “something else.”
“A lot’s happened. We’ve had 10 programmers resign on social media just close to midnight on Sunday, well, at 11:45 Sunday night. And then as things unfolded, hot docs announced that Hussain Currimbhoy would be departing… so a lot happening and this is all just the day before the lineup is set to be announced,” Mullen said.
CBC Toronto has not independently verified how many programmers have resigned or their reasons.
Mullen says the exit sheds light on “a larger issue.”
“There are issues of governance at festivals. People hold on to positions for a long time and problems are necessarily dealt with” he says.
And for those working under contracts, Mullen says work can be precarious.
“People move from festival to festival. There is sort of a sense of putting in the work, being quiet, moving on to the next gig and hoping you’ll be back next year.”