--
Hot Docs names Shane Smith its new director of programming --
Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:20
--
Hot Docs is delighted to announce that Shane Smith will join the Hot Docs team as the organisation s new director of programming on 5 October 2015.
Shane has built a well-earned reputation as a champion of original and visionary filmmakers, and his innovative programming reflects his own passion to inspire, inform and entertain filmgoers, says executive director Brett Hendrie. His outstanding eye for great docs will help ensure that Hot Docs continues to bring the most outspoken and outstanding films to the festival every year. I can t wait for our audiences to meet him.
As a long time attendee of the festival and a life-long lover of the documentary form, Im thrilled to be joining the stellar team at Hot Docs, says Smith. Having witnessed first-hand the incredible growth of the organisation, Im looking forward to playing my part in the evolution of the festival by continuing to bring the finest documentaries in the world to Toronto audiences.
Smith comes to Hot Docs from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where he was the director of special projects, overseeing a wide variety of initiatives and events at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, including large-scale strategic projects, TIFF in the Park, Nuit Blanche, the digiPlaySpace travelling exhibition, and Short Cuts programming for TIFF. In his previous role at TIFF he was the director of public programs.
Smith graduated with a BA in film studies and mass communications from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Prior to joining TIFF in 2010, he held various positions in programming at Spafax Canada, Movieola: The Short Film Channel, and Silver Screen Classics, and spent six years as director of the Canadian Film Centres Worldwide Short Film Festival. He has worked as a programmer, jury member, and speaker at film festivals around the world most notably programming for the Sundance Film Festival and Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival and has written about film for Canadian publications Xtra! and Cinema Scope. He directed the short film Goodbye To Love. Smith is a former member of the Organising Committee of the International Short Film Conference and a former board member of the Centre for Aboriginal Media, presenters of the imagineNATIVE Film Festival. He founded and co-directed OzFlix: Australian Film Weekend in Toronto and Vancouver.
In his role as director of programming at Hot Docs, Smith will head up an exceptional programming team that includes senior Canadian programmer Lynne Fernie and a staff of experienced programmers specialising in Canadian and international films. Smith will be responsible for developing the programming vision for the festival, continuing Hot Docs reputation for presenting a high-calibre documentary slate each year. Smith will contribute to the long-term visioning and strategic planning for the organisation, working with various departments to help research and shape new initiatives, and with the wider senior management team to help direct existing projects, both online and live-event based.
Hot Docs is also pleased to announce that current programming manager Sarafina DiFelice will assume the newly created position of associate director of programming. Through her outstanding work at the festival and Doc Soup, DiFelice has helped to develop some of Hot Docs most successful programs, while building exceptional relationships with Toronto audiences and the international documentary community. In her new larger role, she will be taking on new strategic assignments designed to help build Hot Docs programming brand, outreach and reputation for excellence.
Related Articles
Hot Docs film subjects and guest directors in attendance Hot Docs has announced a number of special guests, in addition to those previously announced...
Read more...
SA documentary short selected for Hot DocsOrbis, a short documentary by director Simon Wood has been selected for competition at Hot Docs...
Read more...
SA doccie selected for Hot DocsSouth African documentary The Shore Break will feature at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which runs from 23 April to 15 May in Toronto...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original serie...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing have announced a new mult...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Fil...
-- 
