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Hot Docs festival nets record-high audience number and box-office increase

TORONTO – A record-high crowd took in this year’s Hot Docs festival in Toronto, resulting in a box-office boon.

Organizers say an estimated 151,000 audience members attended the 11-day event, which wrapped Sunday, marking an 11 per cent increase over last year.

That resulted in a 24-per-cent boost in box-office revenue compared to last year.

Hot Docs has also announced that “Somewhere Between” won the Sundance Channel People’s Choice Award at the festival. Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, the film follows four Chinese-born adoptees as they come of age between two cultures in the U.S.

Meanwhile, “At the Edge of Russia” by Michal Marczak won the Filmmakers Award, which is voted on by attending filmmakers with official selections at the festival. The portrait of six men who patrol an Arctic outpost also won the HBO documentary films emerging artist award at the festival last week.

And “PC Bang: The Rise of the Esports Hero” from producer Erica Landrock is the winner of the Shaw Media-Hot Docs Rendezvous Pitch Prize and recipient of a $5,000 cash prize.

The Top 10 audience favourites as determined by audience vote at this year’s Hot Docs festival were:

1. “Somewhere Between”

2. “Give Up Tomorrow,” directed by Michael Collins

3. “How to Die in Oregon,” directed by Peter D. Richardson

4. “Wild Horse, Wild Ride,” by Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus

5. “Senna,” from Asif Kapadia

6. “Buck,” directed by Cindy Meehl

7. “Jig,” helmed by Sue Bourne

8. “Eco Pirate: The Story OF Paul Watson, from Trish Dolman

9. “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” helmed by Constance Marks and Philip Shane

10. “Koran by Heart,” by Greg Barker

Source: The Canadian Press