Heather Haynes
Independent Consultant (Canada)
Heather Haynes is an accomplished cultural leader, curator, and the former Director of Programming at Hot Docs. Over nearly two decades — in her roles as Director, Associate Director of Festival Programming, and Senior International Programmer — she championed bold storytelling, global perspectives, and an unwavering belief in the power of independent documentary to spark dialogue, inspire change, and deepen our shared humanity.
Deeply committed to the voices behind the camera, Heather has spent her career fostering meaningful relationships with filmmakers, grounded in trust, care, and mutual respect. Her curatorial approach is informed by a passion for thoughtful, socially engaged cinema and a belief in the vital role of documentary in shaping culture and understanding.
With extensive experience across Latin America and a longstanding focus on human rights and inclusion, she has collaborated with filmmakers around the world through pitch forums, juries, labs and markets. She has served as a recommender for Chicken & Egg Pictures’ (Egg)celerator Lab and has programmed for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, and aluCine, among others.
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