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2026 Hot Docs Pitch Programs
Forum and Deal Maker Submission Form

Applications to the Hot Docs Forum and Deal Maker are combined. Hot Docs Forum and Deal Maker includes meetings in the development, production, and post-production stages. For more information on both programs, please consult our website: https://www.hotdocs.ca/industry/conference

Submissions to the Hot Docs Forum and Deal Maker are due 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 18. 

Projects that apply to both the Hot Docs Forum and to Deal Maker will be notified of their application status in early March. 
Be sure to save your progress as you complete the application form. If you have questions about the Hot Docs Forum, please contact industry@hotdocs.ca 

 

After you have finalized your application and click the submit button at the bottom, you will be prompted to pay the application fee. Once submitted, you will receive an email copy of your submission. If you have any questions, please consult the Submission Guidelines and FAQs on our website: www.hotdocs.ca. 

 

Thank you and best of luck!

- Hot Docs


Primary Contact


Only the Primary Contact will receive all communication related to this application.








Production Company


Please list the full legal name of the primary production company.
















Project Details

Regular projects have the commitment and financial contribution of at least one market partner such as broadcaster, distributor, sales agent, online platform, or eligible film board or film institute* who must attend the Hot Docs Forum to co-present the project; additionally, we accept successful crowdfunding campaigns as a trigger. Projects need a minimum of 10% (but no more than 75%) of its financing in place. The existing financing must include arms-length, third-party monies from the marketplace. In Canada, the existing financing can also include, but can not be solely made up of federal and provincial tax credits.

Rough Cut are projects (broadcast or feature-length) currently at a rough-cut stage that have not yet secured market financing (i.e. broadcaster or distributor, etc.). A trailer or scene selects must be submitted at the time of application.






  

  

For one-off projects, indicate 1.

 



Indicate all spoken languages.

Please list the date that shooting is scheduled to begin or when shooting has begun.

To the best of your knowledge, indicate the projected completion date.


Application Details


 

 




Please provide any relevant details about the status of your production, including information on rights, access to interview subjects, co-production partners, stage of completion, pending grants/funds applications, and other potential market partners, film funds, platforms, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents, etc.

Outreach


For more information on the below questions, please see our FAQ section.

How will you build a community around your film? Detail your audience and how you intend to reach them. Please outline your outreach plan or that of any distribution or broadcast partners you may already have. 

What do you hope to achieve in the distribution of your film? Please define your goals or plan for the exhibition of the film. Is it intended for theatrical, broadcast, DVD, online, or a combination of the above? What commitments do you already have in place with regards to distribution (e.g. a first run with a broadcaster)? 

This is a space to list any interactive elements you may have for your project. For example: a website, interactive documentary, version for a mobile device, etc. If applicable, define the following key elements: the story, the user experience, the business model, and the technology plan. 
Forum Pitch Team Members

Please note that a Pitch Team consists of at minimum two Pitch Team Members, most often the project's director and producer, with a maximum of three Pitch Team Members. 

For the Hot Docs Forum, the Pitch Team does not include the trigger financier, who is also asked to attend the pitch (if they are a broadcaster or international film fund).

Please be sure to include any director(s), producer(s), executive producer(s), as well as anyone who may be attending the Forum or other Pitch events at this year's festival, either in-person or online.







Please include the following info for all previous credits: Project Name, Role on Project, Year of Production, Name of the production company. E.g. In the Name of All Canadians, Producer, 2017, Hot Docs


Budget


The Top Line Budget should include the main lines of your budget, e.g. pre-production, production, post-production, etc. Please do not include periods or commas and round to the nearest dollar.
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Financing


A project submitting in the Regular Category must have a trigger (or third party) financier.

If you have questions about what this means and who is eligible, please consult the submission guidelines on our website.
_

Please list the full and legal company name








Please list ALL confirmed sources of financing below. Please do not duplicate the information of your above noted trigger financier, if applicable in your submission.

Be sure to include your own investment, the investment of your co-producers (if applicable), as well as any relevant tax credits (if applicable).
Please list ALL confirmed sources of financing below.

Be sure to include your own investment, the investment of your co-producers (if applicable), as well as any relevant tax credits (if applicable).

Financing Partner


Please list the full and legal company name







Financing Partner


The below numbers are automatically calculated based on the information you provided in the Confirmed Financial Sources and above Budget Fields.
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Supporting Footage

You can submit a trailer, sizzle, or scene, please select below. You may only submit a single link. Your footage must be available for online streaming. Downloadable links will not be accepted.


If you are including a password please DO NOT CHANGE THE PASSWORD UNTIL APRIL 2026




Media Restrictions


  • Media Blackout: There are highly sensitive aspects of this pitch that may jeopardize the filmmakers, subjects and/or ongoing access and production of the film if reported. No information about this pitch is to be reported.

  • Some Media Restrictions: There are some sensitive aspects to this pitch that should not be published. We request that attending accredited media contact pitch team members onsite to learn of these restrictions before publishing any information on the pitch.

  • No Media Restrictions: There are no sensitive aspects to this pitch and accredited media are free to report on any information contained in the live pitch or printed catalogue

Please refer to the above term definitions. This aspect of your pitch can be modified later if your project is selected. 


Supporting Documentation

Please append all documents as separate PDF files by clicking the Choose File button and uploading from your device. 

Please ensure a consistent file naming convention, e.g. ProductionBudget_[project title].

PDF scans of documents must be at a resolution between 72 dpi and 150 dpi. If you have more than one document per section, please merge them into a single PDF file. The application form will not accept individual files larger than 25MB. Please check your file size before uploading.


Credit Card details




This is a security code. Please enter last three digits by the signature strip on the back of your card.





Where the receipt needs to be sent.

If you do not have a company, leave the "Company Name" blank.







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Your discount code is no longer active, please contact industry@hotdocs.ca if you have any questions
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