Heather Haynes (Canada)
Director of Programming
Hot Docs

Heather is the Director of Programming at Hot Docs, where she has worked for nearly two decades, including roles as Senior International Programmer and Associate Director of Festival Programming.

She has over a decade of experience working in Mexico, Central, and South America and now travels globally, collaborating with filmmakers through work-in-progress sessions, labs, and juries. Heather has been a recommender for Chicken & Egg Pictures’ (Egg)celerator Labs, programmed for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival and imagineNATIVE.


Company Bio

Hot Docs is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating the art of documentary and creating production opportunities for documentary filmmakers. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival presents cutting edge films from around the world.

Year-round, Hot Docs supports the Canadian and international industry with professional development programs and a multi-million-dollar production fund portfolio, and fosters education through documentaries with its popular free program Docs For Schools.

Hot Docs owns and programs the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, a century-old landmark located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood and the world’s first and largest documentary cinema.