Hanging out on the patio, shades on and talking documentary – hard to believe it was Hot Docs ’99. Doing a 180-degree turn on last year’s doc scrum and freeze fest, the board of Hot Docs moved the whole proceedings out of winter and the Metropolitan Hotel into springtime and Little Italy – making the five days of screenings, parties, meetings and panels that much easier on the liver and blood pressure.

The change, explains tvontario’s Rudy Buttignol, was part of an attempt to refocus the festival, with the emphasis on showcasing the films to the public and showcasing the city to the international attendees.

Gone were the tv sets and wire chairs, basement ballroom conferences and market simulation. Instead, we had video-projected screenings in cafes, a panel-packed Industry Day and, in lieu of the entertaining market simulation, a rather flat but informative panel introducing ‘The Players’ attending from around the world.

The consensus on the changes, from many of the 1,000 delegates and buyers, was a big thumbs-up. Whether it was the effect of cool drinks on a warm patio or warm drinks on a ‘cool’ patio, the pressing of flesh and passing of business cards appeared more relaxed, and when pitches were energized by the gurgle of cappuccino machines, the whole event took on a continental air.

The European theme continued with a ‘Spotlight on France’ and a curated international program.

In tandem with the festival, Telefilm Canada sponsored a ‘Documart’ this year. A pilot program, it was designed to help mid- to senior-level Canadian producers build on their domestic experience and create a stronger product for the international market.

Documart brought together 11 selected producers for a workshop on the u.k. and Euro scene with John Marshall, who ran the Amsterdam Forum for four years, followed by meetings with 10 international commissioning editors and foreign buyers on a one-to-one basis.

The Documart may evolve to become a regular part of the festival, with an open call for submissions early next year.

The most popular panel this year – on docusoaps – had attendees eagerly anticipating a slide into the observational documentary serial.

On screen, Video Fool for Love opened the festival – a provocative video providing delegates with appropriate fuel for parties and panel discussions.

At press time, the final numbers were not in, but the festival estimates its box office was about double that of last year – so Hot Docs had much to be happy about.