Hot Docs Cinema is reopening in Toronto this weekend after a months-long closure, and they're kicking things off with a poignant new documentary about the controversial redevelopment of Ontario Place.

While the future for the Hot Docs Cinema, a landmark in the Annex and beacon for independant film fans across the city, is uncertain, given the recent announcement that the theatre is up for sale and seeking buyers keen to upkeep arts programming in the city, it's not gone yet, and their upcoming reopening weekend is evidence enough of the organization's resolve to continue fighting for the city's arts scene.

Back in June 2024, Hot Docs, the organization who currently owns and operates the theatre, announced they'd be closing the cinema's doors for the summer in an attempt to address financial issues and "determine a path back to profitability."

Come autumn, the theatre saw a soft-reopening, hosting special events and screenings, but not yet diving into the full suite of programming they had previously been known for.

Starting this Friday, Dec. 6, however; the cinema will be back in action, with the organization hosting a weekend replete with exciting releases, screenings of favourites and celebration surrounding the triumph of one of the city's cherishes arts spaces, while so many others continue to face tribulations.

"As one of the world's leading documentary film festivals, we're incredibly fortunate to have our own cinema, where we can offer audiences the documentary experience year-round," Hot Docs Director of Programming, Heather Haynes, tells blogTO.

"For this special weekend, we've selected a series of films that highlight the rich diversity of local Toronto stories, giving audiences a unique, homegrown perspective."

One of the most exciting, and relevant, releases to grace the screen during Hot Docs' opening weekend is that of Toronto-based director, Ali Weinstein's Your Tomorrow, a documentary that tells the story of the ongoing redevelopment of Ontario Place through the eyes of the people who love it.

"When the redevelopment plans were announced that the West Island was going to be enclosed and privatized, I really wanted to document how people were using the space right now, before it would change forever," Ali tells blogTO.

First premiering at TIFF to consistently sold-out showings this past September, producer Geoff Morrison tells blogTO that the initial reception of the film was, in his and Ali's eyes, a success; putting a story on the screen that so many Toronto residents are watching and experiencing in real time.

"Ontario Place has been such a huge story in Toronto and in Ontario for the last couple of years, and I think, for me, there was a little bit of anxiousness about how people would perceive the type of film that it is," Geoff tells blogTO.

"It's not really an activist piece like that. The themes are a little bit more subtle — it's really a piece about the experiences of the people who cherish this place and the staff members over this last year."

"Someone came up to me after one of the screenings," Ali adds, "and said that as much as it was a film about Ontario Place, he felt that even more, it was just a film about humanity and getting to see all these different things that people are passionate about that you don't really think about very often."

In the subtext between the film being about Ontario Place and, as that movie-goer pointed out, humanity at large, strong parallels also emerge when you consider the environment in which the film is seeing its theatrical release; at another threatened local landmark which just so happens to be caddy corner to another that's long since been demolished and built over.

"There's definitely a connection that's a sad one [...] between what's happening at Ontario Place, what's happening to our different arts organizations, like Hot Docs and a lot of other spaces right now," Ali tells blogTO.

While the parallel wasn't necessarily an intentional choice when deciding when and where to premiere the documentary, Ali says, it certainly is one that makes the subject matter of the movie feel all the more relevant.

For Heather Haynes, the film is a "perfect" kick-off to reopening weekend at the theatre, "as it speaks directly to the heart of Toronto."

"Ali Weinstein [...] brings a deeply personal and poignant story that reflects the soul of our city," she tells blogTO. 

"Ontario Place has long been an iconic part of Toronto's identity, and as our city evolves and we witness the loss of so many cherished spaces, this film beautifully captures the complex emotions tied to change."

"I think that the fact that the Hot Doc Cinema is reopening is, like, a glimmer of hope and I think that showing the film there, we can talk about what we can do to try to preserve these spaces as individuals and to fight for what actually keeps our city happy and healthy."

At a time in Toronto where it feels like cherished public spaces are increasingly slipping away, Your Tomorrow offers a heartwarming — albeit melancholy — look into what those spaces mean for the city residents who love them; a story that, while perhaps particularly poignant today, will also remain a part of the city's history for years to come.

Other screenings during Hot Docs' opening weekend include Separated, by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris; Graeme Mathieson's Play it Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul, which tells the little-known story of Jamaican music's integral role in Canadian culture, and a special sing-along screening of Rent!

Your Tomorrow is screening at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 and 12 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, and you can get your tickets — along with tickets for other screenings as part of Hot Docs' reopening weekend, through Hot Docs' website.