Hot Docs organizers have released the full schedule for its 2025 Industry Conference and Market, which will take place in Toronto from April 28 to April 30 as part of the 2025 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which runs from April 24 to May 4.

This year’s Industry Conference will feature a lineup of Works-in-Progress screenings, as well as exclusive one-on-one pitch meetings with key financiers and industry players and a range of panels focusing on new trends and challenges in the documentary landscape.

The conference kicks off on April 28 with Works-in-Progress screenings showcasing clips from 10 doc projects at various stages of production, giving audiences a glimpse into new works in development. Project teams will also be present for post-screening discussions.

Running from April 29 to 30 is Hot Docs Deal Maker, the fest’s signature one-on-one pitch meeting program, which will connect 52 pre-selected projects with top broadcasters, funders and distributors, offering filmmakers an opportunity to secure partnerships and advance their projects through curated meetings with key industry reps.

In a special “In Conversation” fireside chat moderated by CBC’s Takara Small, Andrew Peterson, head of YouTube Canada, will reflect on the Google-owned video platform’s role in the creator economy and how it’s shaping the future of documentary storytelling.

The 2025 conference will also feature “Close Up With…” sessions, a series of roundtable discussions where passholders can engage directly with industry experts, providing a chance for meaningful dialogue with representatives from CBC, Arte, Impact Partners, PBS, Al Jazeera, Imax, OUTtv, Paramount+ and Filmswelike, among others.

Throughout the week, the conference will also present a range of panels and key conversations about some of the industry’s most significant topics, including a “Meet the Broadcasters” panel, assembling execs from TVO, PBS, CBC and elsewhere for a discussion on the evolving broadcast landscape, and a “Music Publishers Canada Case Study,” bringing together a member of the band Broken Social Scene with their music producer and publisher to discuss the intricacies of music licensing for documentaries.

The panel “Truth of Bias: Making Documentaries in the Age of Polarization” will look at how political and social divides are influencing the documentary market; “Ethical Use of AI in Documentaries” will explore how AI is influencing storytelling and how filmmakers can responsibly use the technology; and “Position & Market Your Film” will bring together leading marketing and PR specialists to share their expertise on crafting compelling narratives, navigating public perception and maximizing audience engagement for doc projects.

Finally, 2025 will see Hot Docs bring back its “Hot Takes” series of short-format sessions intended to deliver quick-hit industry insights. The 30-minute sessions will feature speakers such as Emmanuelle Petrakis from Canada Media Fund; Chase Joynt and Julietta Singh, speaking on on cross-community collaboration in documentary; and impact producer Sholeh Fabbri, who will present a case study on the social impact campaign behind the 2024 film Plastic People.

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Image courtesy of Hot Docs