A week after closing the doors of its flagship Toronto cinema for three months in an unprecedented bid to recalibrate its business, Hot Docs announced late on Tuesday that it has taken “significant steps” to restructure its board of directors.
As a result, board co-chairs Robin Mirsky and Lalita Krishna are stepping down from their positions, and the current board of 14 is being scaled down to a “working board” consisting of three members.
“Ms. Mirsky and Ms. Krishna have been incredible champions of Hot Docs and have greatly contributed to its success. We thank them and all outgoing board members for their dedication and invaluable contributions that have made Hot Docs a beacon for documentary cinema around the world,” Hot Docs said in an unsigned statement.
Ms. Mirsky is executive director of the Rogers Group of Funds, an arm of the telecom giant that supports independent Canadian film and television producers, and whose namesake Ted Rogers adorns the marquee of Hot Docs’ theatre. Ms. Krishna is an award-winning filmmaker and long-time board member. Both will continue to support the organization in different capacities as Hot Docs undertakes a governance review.
Documentary filmmaker Nicholas de Pencier, Nulogy chief operating officer Kevin Wong, and Pemberley Investments’ Lydia Luckevich will stay on the board to help interim Hot Docs executive Janice Dawe navigate a number of “critical financial obstacles” that the organization faces over the next few months. Hot Docs president Marie Nelson is currently on leave.
It is unclear what kind of role the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), which founded Hot Docs in 1994 and has been deeply linked to the organization through its historic representation on the board, might serve in the restructuring.
Ms. Mirsky joined Hot Docs as co-chair in 2009, taking over for Norm Bolen, former president of what is now known as the Canadian Media Producers Association. Ms. Krishna joined as Ms. Mirsky’s co-chair in 2018, taking over from film producer Michael McMahon.
Last month, Ms. Mirsky announced that Hot Docs was closing its single-screen Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto for the summer in a bid to “strategically plan a sustainable future.” The move resulted in temporary layoffs for an unknown portion of staff as Hot Docs endured an escalating series of challenges.
This past March, Ms. Nelson told The Globe that the organization, which puts on North America’s biggest documentary film festival every spring, was facing “significant operational challenges.” Weeks later, filings with the Canada Revenue Agency revealed that Hot Docs had a deficit of just more than $2-million in the period ending May, 2023.