Citygate Films

The Documentary Forum at Hot Docs

May 18

The 11-day Hot Docs film festival, market, and conference in Toronto is a mandated visit for most documentary filmmakers. It’s North America’s largest documentary festival, but it draws a diverse international crowd. A week after the conclusion of the 2010 event, I’m still processing impressions, paperwork, business cards, and correspondence from this energetic festival.

There are two diverse crowds at Hot Docs. The first is the loyal film fanbase in Toronto–the people who queue up in sunshine or rain for more than an hour to see new films. The second are the imports–the broadcasters, distributors, and filmmakers who “speed date” to find willing matches for their varying agendas. As a filmmaker, I was at the bottom of the social strata. I’m not the money. But hey, I’m potentially the content and that’s got to count for something.

I attended both the Rendezvous one-on-one pitch meetings and The Documentary Forum at Hot Docs. Rendezvous matched filmmakers with international broadcasters for private 15-minute pitch sessions. The Forum is more public, even though one has to be an accredited filmmaker to be approved to attend (at an additional cost). During the two-day Forum, dozens of filmmakers pitch a large group of international broadcasters and then receive immediate feedback. It’s illuminating to watch. My takeaway point was that in 15 minutes, a filmmaker has to convince the editors of the importance of the topic and then convince them of the importance of their story. Many filmmakers try to do the former in the trailer, which leaves the editors unclear about the characters and the story arc. Those filmmakers who pitched the topic verbally, and then used the visual punch of the trailer to draw the editors in to the storyline and the characters, fared much better.

Rendezvous and the Forum were some of the film market elements at Hot Docs. There is also conference running at the same time, addressing a variety of topics ranging from producing 3D films to financing film to producing case studies. I felt the conference aspect of Hot Docs was probably more beneficial to Canadians as many presenters referenced Canadian interests, as they should. No problems there, but U.S. filmmakers may get more out of the conference at SILVERDOCS. That may also be a reflection of the seemingly broader distribution focus at SILVERDOCS. Hot Docs is primarily broadcast-oriented.

But one thing Hot Docs does well is socialize. Lunches, cocktail receptions, evening parties–someone is always having fun at Hot Docs. If you are extroverted enough, you have the opportunity to meet a wide array of people in the industry. I have to confess feeling slightly sorry for the broadcasters and distributors, however. They are walking targets who try to deflect the drive-by pitch graciously, get to their meetings on time, and keep up their cheerful exterior through countless pitches. I’m sure they crave silence by the end.

Speaking of silence, it was a relief to end busy days of meetings and pitch sessions in a dark theater. I saw several interesting films this year: the abortion documentary “12th and Delaware;” the poignant story of history revised for those who grew up in the former U.S.S.R. in “My Perestroika;” the informative and darkly humorous “Space Tourists;” and the conspiracy-theory-meets-animal-activist film, “Feathered Cocaine,” among others.

Hot Docs is held on the attractive, ivy-covered campus of Victoria College at the University of Toronto, and in nearby cinemas. Once you get your bearings, it is easy to navigate. The campus is in a lively section of town, near the Royal Ontario Museum, lots of restaurants, the Queen’s Park, and loads of hand sanitizer stations. I’m not kidding. Every ten feet or so, you’ll find hand sanitizer pump. I never feel so germophobic as when I’m in Canada. Purell must make a killing there! But as far as I could tell, we all stayed healthy. So props to the hand sanitizers. And props to the hard-working staff of Hot Docs for eleven action-packed days.