It might just be the end of an era for Toronto-based film organization, Hot Docs, as their Bloor West home base has officially gone onto the market.

That said, it might not be the end for Hot Docs, either.

It's been a tumultuous year for Hot Docs, after cinema fans the city over were shocked and heartbroken when the organization announced in May of 2024 it would be halting operations and closing down the theatre for a summer-long hiatus amid what they called a "serious financial situation."

For three months, the marquee was dimmed, before the theatre embarked on a limited reopening marked by sparse screenings and special events (mercifully, their annual Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings came away unscathed this Halloween,) before issuing an update about the status of the organization — and the theatre — in mid-October.

Alongside confirmation that the annual Hot Docs Film Festival is a-go for 2025 and addressing the organizational and financial issues that seemingly led to Hot Docs' faltering over the past year, the release also announces that the organization was actively seeking buyers to take on the cinema.

"As part of its longer-term rebuilding strategy, Hot Docs has decided to seek a new owner for its Cinema at 506 Bloor West and secure a lease-back arrangement that will allow programming at the Cinema to continue," the release reads, noting that they hope to find a buyer who values the city's arts and cultural landscape and the cinema's vital role within it.

On Tuesday, the property spanning 504-508 Bloor Street West finally hit the market, listed by CBRE, one of the world's leading commercial real estate firms.

While the listing has yet to appear on CBRE's website, Arlin Markowitz, the firm's Executive Vice President shared a listing announcement on LinkedIn which playfully takes on the form of a movie poster.

No information is currently available on the price at which Hot Docs Cinema has been listed.

The path ahead for Hot Docs — both the organization and the cinema — will almost certainly be a rocky one, with no telling whether the idyllic plan to seek out an altruistic buyer will be able to pan out before financial constraints put an unforeseen time cap on the search.

In spite of best-laid plans, looking across Bloor West at the site that once housed Honest Ed's and is now becoming the new Mirvish Village development, the news of Hot Docs Cinema going up on the market can't help but stir up a funny feeling that this beloved site, too, might be fated for condo limbo.

In the meantime, at least, the theatre will continue to operate on a limited basis with third-party screenings and special events, as well as the 32nd annual Hot Docs Festival, which is set to run from April 24 to May 4, 2025.