While many in the Canadian screen content community are celebrating the news within the Canadian federal government’s budget for 2024 — specifically, the allotment of more than $120 million for various organizations, companies and funding bodies within the sector — organizers of the Hot Docs documentary festival aren’t among them.

The Hot Docs organization, which made headlines in March when its president Marie Nelson made a public appeal for funding which also reached out to all levels of government, was noticeably absent in the list of recipients for funding in the budget. In response, Hot Docs says the federal government “has picked winners and losers in Canada’s cultural landscape,” referring to a $38 million investment in the arts sector that was divided between the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

A statement issued by Hot Docs on Thursday (April 18) says the federal government’s decision to not include the beleaguered festival within its $38 million relief package for significant cultural institutions is “putting the future of an important theatre and cultural hub at risk, despite ongoing calls for support from our community.”

According to the statement, Hot Docs requested “a couple million in emergency support from this budget, a fraction of the amount allocated for others.” Among the recipients of funding from the budget: CBC/Radio-Canada with $42 million for the fiscal year; TIFF with $23 million over three years; the Canada Media Fund (CMF) with $40 million across two years; and $31 million across two years to the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund to help support organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series. Those organizations include the Sherbrooke Film Festival in Quebec and the Vancouver Fringe Festival, among others.

Echoing statements made by Marie Nelson in March, the organization is reiterating that lack of funding from the federal government places a question mark over the future of the festival, which returns for its 31st edition in Toronto from April 25 to May 5.

“For more than 30 years, Hot Docs has advanced and celebrated the art of documentary, a unique artistic endeavour that brings diverse perspectives on important world issues,” wrote the organization. “Year-round we create production opportunities for filmmakers, lead educational programs in classrooms, and welcome tens of thousands to Toronto annually for the Hot Docs Festival.

“Hot Docs has been vocal about the enormous post-pandemic challenges it faces and its urgent need for financial support from the Government of Canada,” the statement continues. “We will proudly deliver an exceptional festival that kicks off April 25, but we fear it will be the last unless the federal government steps up to the plate.”

Hot Docs’ post-pandemic financial situation is not the only issue plaguing the festival this year. Just before the fest was set to unveil its slate for the upcoming edition, 10 of its programmers announced their departures, and artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy also exited for “personal reasons.”

Other Canadian media organizations have shared criticism of the 2024 federal budget, including the Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), which expressed disappointment with the lack of commitment to protect “the livelihood and image of performers” from the rise of artificial intelligence. The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions pointed out the lack of mention of plans to amend the Copyright Act, while the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) noted that the government has been slow to deliver promises to increase permanent funding for CMF and Telefilm Canada.

A version of this story originally appeared in Realscreen

With files from Kelly Townsend

Image courtesy of Hot Docs