ReFrame Film Festival organizers have announced the full line-up of more than 60 documentary films to be screened at the 2024 festival, which takes place in person in downtown Peterborough from January 25 to 28 and online across Canada from January 29 to February 4 (featuring a selection of the festival program).
The in-person screenings — featuring a mix of both short and feature-length films — take place at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N.), Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St.), and the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St N).
There are three festival pass options on sale at reframefilmfestival.ca. They include a $125 all-access hybrid pass for both the in-person and virtual components of the festival, a $100 all-access in-person pass, and a $50 all-access virtual pass (offering a reduced online selection of the same films screened during the in-person component).
Pay-what-you-can tickets for individual virtual films will be available online mid-month, and at the door at festival venues for in-person screenings.
Tickets are also available for $25 (or pay what you can) for the festival’s opening night at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 25th at Showplace which, along with special guests and live performances, features a screening of the 2023 Canadian documentary Boil Alert directed by Stevie Salas and James Burns — a film you will want to see in person as it will not be available as part of the virtual festival (opening night tickets must be purchased separately from passes).
Other feature films screening exclusively in person during the festival include The Engine Inside (Friday, January 26th at 8 p.m. at Showplace), which explores the impact of the bicycle on a wide range of global issues, and Queendom (Friday, January 26th at 8 p.m. at the Market Hall), which tells the story of a Queer artist from a small town in Russia. Also exclusive to the in-person portion of the festival is the closing screening of Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe (Sunday, January 28th at 5:15 p.m. at Showplace), based on the life and career of the late legendary Canadian children’s entertainer Ernie Coombs.
Locally focused films include the short A Human Picture (Friday, January 26th at 3 p.m. at the library), which centres on Ontario’s short-lived but transformational Basic Income Pilot. Co-presented by Basic Income Network Peterborough, the screening also features a panel discussion.
Six filmmakers of Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake — Missy Knott, Marilyn Knott, Marg Knott, Jonathan Taylor, Carol Taylor, and Sarah Lewis — will share their Anishinaabe knowledge through a series of shorts on Saturday, January 27th at 12:30 p.m. at the Market Hall.
Whether you attend the in-person screenings or watch online, there’s a lot more to see during this year’s festival. Here’s the complete lineup of films, organized by date, time, and film length. Films that are available during the virtual portion of the festival are also noted. An online schedule and film guide is also available at reframefilmfestival.ca/film-guide-2024.
Thursday, January 25 (opening night)
Boil Alert (2023, 98 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 7 p.m.
In Boil Alert, an Indigenous woman goes on a journey through First Nations reservations to shine a light on the devastating struggle for clean water and discovers herself in the process. This poignant exploration illuminates the human dimension of the water crisis in Indigenous communities, as well as the impact it is having upon Native identity.
Filmmaker(s): James Burns, Stevie Salas; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
VIDEO: “Boil Alert” trailer
Friday, January 26
Iron Butterflies (2023, 84 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 10 a.m.
On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by Russian forces over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The attack was immediately questioned and obscured by the Russian government and media. As evidence piled up, the reality only became more shocking and incredible.
Filmmaker(s): Roman Liubyi; Country: Ukraine; Language(s): Dutch, English, Russian, Ukrainian
VIDEO: “Iron Butterflies” trailer
A Short Film About a Chair (2023, 10 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
A lonely chair on an abandoned balcony, a photographer watching it days and nights, a strange thing happens that will change the life of the chair for ever.
Filmmaker(s): Ibrahim Handal; Country: State of Palestine; Language(s): Arabic, English, French
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
The Cities I Live In (2022, 11 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
Newly settled in Belfast, a filmmaker tells his infant twins about his life journey. They see him leaving one violent place for another, longing for places that he will never see again, and hoping they will not carry his curse.
Filmmaker(s): Rabie Mustapha; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Halves & Doubles (2021, 15 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
Despite the close bond between Adam and her sibling Khadija, there is trauma unspoken between them. In this short documentary, the two hold a conversation where they attempt to find mutual understanding through the winding road of expressing emotions.
Filmmaker(s): Adam Mbowe; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Clean (2022, 19 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
One woman’s love letter and final goodbye to heroin, as she attempts to come off the synthetic opiates that have kept her clean for the past six years. This short documentary attempts to reframe some of the stigmas of addiction, and poses the following question: what does it mean to be ?clean’?
Filmmaker(s): Miranda Stern; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
There’s Not Much We Can Do (2022, 19 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
In this personal essay documentary, the director reflects on getting diagnosed with endometriosis through observing the invasive Japanese Knotweed. While the plant is treated with urgency, the disease is met with inaction, prompting us to question the very things we consider “natural” in the first place.
Filmmaker(s): Erica Monde; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Modern Goose (2023, 22 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
Able to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, at home on land, air and water, geese straddle the territory between ancient instincts and the contemporary world. Combining beauty, humour and profound empathy, director Karsten Wall’s exquisitely observed film essay follows the daily life of these iconic animals to reveal a deeper message of continuity and connection.
Filmmaker(s): Karsten Wall; Country: Canada
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Paddle Tribal Waters (2022, 9 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
When the largest dam removal project in history begins, a group of Indigenous youth learn to whitewater kayak in hopes of becoming the first people to paddle the restored river from source to sea. The film gives viewers a bird’s eye view of an unforgettable group of youth training for the adventure of a lifetime.
Filmmaker(s): Paul Robert Wolf Wilson, Rush Sturges; Country: United States; Language(s): English
Janelle Niles: Inconvenient (2023, 9 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
Janelle Niles is a Black, Mi’kmaw, two-spirited woman from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia and a stand-up comedian. Despite a tumultuous upbringing, Janelle embraces her biracial experience and queer identity, using stand-up to usher in a new era of inclusive, Canadian comedy.
Filmmaker(s): Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Fitting (2022, 11 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
Fitting explores the relationship between the director, an amputee, and her prosthetist during the making of a prosthetic leg. It demystifies an unfamiliar space and asks what it means to create an extension to someone else’s body, questioning prejudice widely seen within our society’s consideration of body image.
Filmmaker(s): Caitlin McMullan; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Loud & Here (2023, 12 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
After noticing too many cases of sexual violence going unreported or unpunished within their own schools, 23 teen girls decided to take matters into their own hands to make meaningful changes to school board policy across Qu‚bec.
Filmmaker(s): Josiane Blanc; Country: Canada; Language(s): French
Winn (2022, 17 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
After miscarrying her baby in prison due to shackling, Pamela Winn becomes an activist, leading thousands to support — and pass — the 2019 Georgia Dignity Act, which outlawed shackling of pregnant and postpartum inmates. Winn follows Pamela’s journey from prison to the halls of the state Capitol, from incarcerated person to outspoken law-changer, from powerless to empowered.
Filmmaker(s): Erica Tanamachi, Joseph East; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Seeds of Change (2023, 27 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
An organic farmer in Maine sets out to transform the prison food system. Filmed over the course of two years, Seeds of Change chronicles the intersecting stories of lifelong farmer Mark McBrine and several incarcerated men as they grow their own food from a five acre prison garden unlike any other.
Filmmaker(s): Maximilian Armstrong; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Orlando, My Political Biography (2023, 98 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
In Orlando, My Political Biography theorist, critic, and curator Paul B. Preciado takes Virginia Woolf’s classic novel as a starting point for a bold, joyous reflection on the nature of contemporary trans life and a celebration of queerness.
Filmmaker(s): Paul B. Preciado; Country: France; Language(s): French
VIDEO: “Orlando, My Political Biography” trailer
Winding Our Way Home (2023, 32 mins)
Peterborough Public Library at 12:30 p.m.
Winding Our Way Home explores a journey of creating short films with women who live with Brain Injuries. It is about their experiences of living with invisible disabilities, their sense of belonging and identity.
Filmmaker(s): Melissa Addison-Webster, Margie Camp; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Maboungou: Being in the World (2022, 48 mins)
Peterborough Public Library at 12:30 p.m.
Dive into the resonant universe of Montr‚al-based choreographer and philosopher Zab Maboungou, of Franco-Congolese origin. For over thirty years, she has galvanized the contemporary dance scene with her radically regrounded conception of time, the body, and the self. Her political history, artistry, and pioneering research have empowered other African artists around the world.
Filmmaker(s): Marlene Millar, Philip Szporer; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Detroit Will Breathe (2021, 22 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 3 p.m.
In the summer of 2020, Detroiters faced unprecedented police violence as they took to the streets to protest the killings of Black people across the country. Detroit Will Breathe provides an unprecedented look into the actions of the police and examines what it means to be part of an integrated movement fighting for Black lives.
Filmmaker(s): Kate Levy; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Sew to Say (2022, 69 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 3 p.m.
Thalia is an artist, banner-maker, and one of the original marchers and founders of a women-only peace camp against nuclear weapons. In this film, Thalia shares the untold story of the longest feminist protest in British history, and reflects on how collective action changed the lives of the women of Greenham Common and inspired several generations.
Filmmaker(s): Rakel Aguirre; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Sew to Say” trailer
Homecoming (2023, 77 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 3 p.m.
As museums begin to deal with their colonial history, filmmaker Suvi West takes the audience behind the scenes of the museum world, revealing a visual, philosophical, and spiritual realm. She seeks a connection with ancestors through old museum objects, eventually arriving at the collective pain points of the Sámi people.
Filmmaker(s): Suvi West, Anssi Kömi; Country: Finland; Language(s): Finnish, Other
A Human Picture (2023, 17 mins)
Peterborough Public Library at 3 p.m.
Centred on Ontario’s short-lived, but transformational Basic Income Pilot, this documentary sparks curiosity, fosters understanding, and encourages open dialogue about the transformative potential of basic income by combining emotional narratives, real-life impact stories, expert insights and creative visuals.
Filmmaker(s): Simon Brother, Luke Mistruzzi; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Big Fight in Little Chinatown (2022, 88 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 5:15 p.m.
All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing — and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Big Fight in Little Chinatown documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America.
Filmmaker(s): Karen Cho; Country: Canada; Language(s): English, French, Mandarin Chinese
VIDEO: “Big Fight in Little Chinatown” trailer
Eco-Hack! (2021, 17 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 5:15 p.m.
Deep in the Mojave desert, an unconventional field biologist wages a high-tech war against ravens – laser cannons, drones, exploding turtle shells – in a last ditch effort to save the last few desert tortoises from extinction.
Filmmaker(s): Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty,; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Eco-Hack!” trailer
How To Power A City (2023, 73 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 5:15 p.m.
How to Power A City provides a front-row seat to communities battling fossil fuel dependence by bringing solar and wind projects to their hometowns. Filmed in six locations, the stories reveal how a diverse cast prevailed against myriad obstacles such as indifferent politicians, technical impasses, public ignorance, cost, and natural and manmade disasters. It is a solutions-focused climate story.
Filmmaker(s): Melanie LaRosa; Country: United States; Language(s): English, Spanish
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “How To Power A City” trailer
Poisoned Well (2023, 14 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m.
On October 12, 2022 a terrorist attack in Bratislava results in the death of innocent LGBTQ+ people. There is no political response. Through intimate interviews, Poisoned Well explores the emotional toll of fear and self-defense in the face of widespread homophobia.
Filmmaker(s): Radek Ševcík; Country: Slovakia; Language(s): Czech, Slovak
Queendom (Agniia Galdanova 2023, 101 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m.
Gena, a Queer artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes made from junk and tape, and protests the government on the streets of Moscow. She stages radical performances in public that become a new form of art and activism. The performances — often dark, strange, evocative, and Queer at their core — are a manifestation of Gena’s subconscious. But they come at a price.
Filmmaker(s): Agniia Galdanova; Country: United States; Language(s): Russian
The Engine Inside (2023, 84 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 8 p.m.
The Engine Inside tells the stories of six everyday people from all over the globe who reveal the unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world. Through their stories, the film uncovers the often-overlooked potential of this 200-year-old machine, exploring its impact on a wide range of global issues such as physical and mental health, socioeconomic inequality and climate change.
Filmmaker(s): Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough, Colin Jones, Anthill Films; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
VIDEO: “The Engine Inside” trailer
Saturday, January 27
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023, 89 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
In the darkness of smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences. Through a sense of communion, women wash off the shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength.
Filmmaker(s): Anna Hints; Country: Estonia
Deep Rising (2023, 94 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 10 a.m.
This exquisite fly-on-the-wall environmental doc is a gripping and up-to-the-minute tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue. It exposes the destructive machinations of an organization empowered to extract massive amounts of metals from the deep seafloor.
Filmmaker(s): Matthieu Rytz; Country: United States; Language(s): English
VIDEO: “Deep Rising” trailer
For the Little Girl who Dances from the South (2023, 1 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“I will not abandon you, like the systems abandoned me.” Knott’s powerful voice explores her relationship with her identity and culture as she blooms into who she is becoming. This film demonstrates the growing strength of Knott’s Anishnaabe identity.
Filmmaker(s): Missy Knott; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Turtle Crossing (2023, 3 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“Now when I close my eyes, I see endless possibilities.” Taylor recounts his deep reconnection to his Grandma Bernice during a very challenging time in his life. Through his family, Taylor regains a sense of self and community. Taylor’s story demonstrates the importance of connection and ancestry.
Filmmaker(s): Jonathan Taylor; Country: Canada; Language(s): Anishinaabemowin, English
The Best of Both Worlds (2023, 3 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“During my employment, I was able to learn my culture on a daily basis while coordinating programs with community workers and provincial agencies.” Taylor offers a glimpse into her extensive work with the Anishinabek Nation (formerly Union of Ontario Indians) in implementing the Ontario Indigenous Healing and Wellness Strategy. During her involvement, Taylor witnessed the government’s acknowledgement of Traditional Healers and First Nations communities’ reclaiming of their Anishinaabe Knowledge.
Filmmaker(s): Carol Taylor; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
The Rez (2023, 4 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“Never forget me, remember me, this is your home.” The Rez is so much more than the pain inflicted by settler-colonialism. Lewis speaks to her greater community, her love for their strength, and the fight they give to keep the community whole. Identity and community are vital; Lewis embraces both without compromise.
Filmmaker(s): Sarah Lewis; Country: Canada; Language(s): Anishinaabemowin, English
My Storytelling (2023, 5 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“Using my hands are very important to me.” Knott recounts her history, intertwined with her family and community through a motif of hands that work and create. Highlighting her mother’s highly skilled, detail-oriented, and artful moccasin-making, Knott continues that work of care. To love is to touch, forming a connection with the earth, and those you care for.
Filmmaker(s): Sarah Lewis; Country: Canada; Language(s): Cree, English
My Beginnings (2023, 6 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
“You have the love and respect of your grandparents, and eventually that’s what you become.” Knott explores her beginnings with family and love through their connection to one another, Land, water, plants, and animals. There is loss and reconnection, while also building courage “to take back my life.” The spiritual cycle continues.
Filmmaker(s): Marilyn Knott; Country: Canada; Language(s): Anishinaabemowin, English
Long Distance Swimmer – Sara Mardini (2023, 88 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
Sara Mardini, once a competitive swimmer in Syria, became Europe’s most celebrated refugee after saving 18 people’s lives. After working as a rescue volunteer in the Mediterranean, she is accused of people smuggling and faces a 25-year prison sentence. We follow her fight for justice and journey of self-discovery against the backdrop of Europe’s refugee ‘crisis’.
Filmmaker(s): Charly W. Feldman; Country: Germany; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Long Distance Swimmer – Sara Mardini” trailer
Manufacturing The Threat (2023, 85 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Manufacturing the Threat is a thrilling and emotional film, which examines a deeply disturbing episode in Canadian history when an impoverished couple was coerced by undercover law enforcement agents into carrying out a terrorist bombing. Further, viewers learn that this case is far from unique in the context of Canadian intelligence.
Filmmaker(s): Amy Miller; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Plastic Fantastic (2023, 102 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Our planet is permeated with plastic particles. This film follows several people who deal with the disposal of plastic, as well as its production. In the process, the system that causes the mountains of plastic to grow becomes apparent.
Filmmaker(s): Isa Willinger; Country: Germany; Language(s): English, German, Swahili
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Plastic Fantastic” trailer
Kirby’s House (2023, 18 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 5:15 p.m.
For 20 years now, Kirby, who has an intellectual disability, has been living on his own and is thriving in his quaint little house on a colourful small-town street. He is surrounded by helpful neighbours and a unique support network that understands the power of community and belonging.
Filmmaker(s): Rob Viscardis; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Is There Anybody Out There? (2023, 87 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 5:15 p.m.
While navigating daily discrimination, a filmmaker who inhabits and loves her unusual body searches the world for another person like her, and explores what it takes to love oneself fiercely despite the pervasiveness of ableism.
Filmmaker(s): Ella Glendining; Country: United Kingdom; Language(s): English
VIDEO: “Is There Anybody Out There?” trailer
Sarura (2022, 80 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 5:15 p.m.
At the gates of the Negev desert, a group of young Palestinians fight against the Israeli military occupation. The “Youth of Sumud” – youth of steadfast perseverance – try to return to their people the land that was taken from their families, restructuring the ancient cave village of Sarura. They face aggression with nonviolent action, defending themselves from rifles with their video cameras.
Filmmaker(s): Nicola Zambelli; Country: Italy; Language(s): Arabic, English, Hebrew
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Last Respects (2023, 7 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m.
Montreal priest Father Claude Paradis believes that all lives are worthy of respect. So in 2014, he created an annual ceremony to celebrate the lives of the “unclaimed.” Thanks to Father Paradis’ compassionate gesture, these people are granted a final moment of dignity.
Filmmaker(s): Megan Durnford; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
North Circular (2022, 99 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m.
Those in power write the history. Those who struggle write the songs. North Circular is a documentary musical that travels the length of Dublin’s North Circular Road, from the Phoenix Park to Dublin Port, exploring the history, music and streetscapes of a street that links some of the country’s most beloved and infamous places.
Filmmaker(s): Luke McManus; Country: Ireland; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “North Circular” trailer
There Are Hierarchies of Grief (2023, 5 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 8 p.m.
Smokii Sumac reflects on the wisdom and strength of bereaved mothers, as he is faced with the grief of waking up to a changed world?the day after Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States. There have been mornings worse than this one.
Filmmaker(s): Meky Ottawa; Country: Canada; Language(s): English, French
Praying For Armageddon (2023, 80 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 8 p.m.
The Countdown to Armageddon has begun. As biblical prophecy fuels political power, American Evangelicals threaten U.S. democracy and push for the Apocalypse in the Middle East. With close-quarters journalism, this feature documentary takes a deep dive into power and policy, and investigates the dangerous consequences of a fusion between Evangelical Christianity and American politics.
Filmmaker(s): Tonje Hessen Schei; Country: Norway; Language(s): Arabic, English
VIDEO: “Praying For Armageddon” trailer
Sunday, January 28
Demon Box (2023, 14 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
After festival rejections, a director revises his intensely personal short film about trauma, suicide, and the Holocaust. He transforms the film into a painful, blunt and funny dissection of itself, and of his own life. Ten years in the making.
Filmmaker(s): Sean Wainsteim; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Dear Ani (2021, 38 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 10 a.m.
For twenty-five years Keith Wasserman has made and delivered elaborate art mail packages – all in the hopes of befriending his muse. Dear Ani explores what can happen when you present your truest self, and risk total failure. It is an intimate account of psychotic mania, personal mastery, and creative triumph.
Filmmaker(s): Micah B Levin,; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Losing Blue (2023, 15 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 10 a.m.
What does it mean to lose a colour? Losing Blue is a cinematic poem about what it means to lose the otherworldly blues of ancient mountain lakes, now fading due to climate change. This short documentary gently asks what it might mean to forget that the ethereal blues of these lakes ever existed.
Filmmaker(s): Leanne Allison; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Songs of the Earth (2023, 90 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 10 a.m.
Songs of Earth is a majestic symphony for the big screen. The filmmaker’s father is our guide. Bringing us through Norway’s most scenic valley, he shows us where generations have been living alongside nature to in order to survive. The sounds of earth harmonize together to make music in this breathtaking journey.
Filmmaker(s): (Margreth Olin; Country: Norway; Language(s): Norwegian
VIDEO: “Songs of the Earth” trailer
Heart Like a Pow Wow (2023, 5 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
Heart Like A Pow Wow explores the depths of grief from an Anishinaabe perspective of love and family. Viewers are called to witness Spirit as they shift to physical form while embodying the love that precedes grief and inevitably foreshadows it.
Filmmaker(s): Chief Lady Bird; Country: Canada; Language(s): English, French
A Bear Named Jesus (2023, 6 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
At Aunty Gladys’ funeral, Archer Pechawis heard a tap on the window — it was a bear named Jesus. This film is an allegory for religious interference, with an aching yet humorous look at estrangement, and mourning for the loss of someone still living.
Filmmaker(s): Terril Calder; Country: Canada; Language(s): Cree, English, French
Feeling the Apocalypse (2022, 7 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
From the disappearing wildlife in his hometown of Owen Sound to the news stories about the melting of Greenland, psychotherapist Anderson Todd tells us how fragmenting ecosystems around the world have affected his psyche and his relationships. Do the realities of collapse necessarily spell paralyzing despair, or is there something positive we can take from this?
Filmmaker(s): Chen Sing Yap; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Shitty Little (2023, 7 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
This is a playful, poignant & very memorable live action animation, where humans take from forests whatever they desire — leaving nothing. Shitty Little is critical of a prevalent attitude in western culture that says there is no inherent value in nature, that it must be taken and shaped into a product for sale to have worth.
Filmmaker(s): Jeff McKay, Takashi Iwasaki; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Madeleine (2023, 15 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
Each week, two friends born 67 years apart share their life stories in the living room of a seniors’ residence. When Raquel finds a way to bring Madeleine with her on a road trip to the sea, the result is a journey that plays with reality and fiction and brings a reflection on life, death and the certainty that there is always something to learn along the way.
Filmmaker(s): Raquel Sancinetti; Country: Canada; Language(s): French
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Blush – An Extraordinary Voyage (2022, 15 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
For 18-year-old Finnish-Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition. For the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.
Filmmaker(s): Iiti Yli-Harja; Country: Finland; Language(s): Finnish
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Ajjigiiniluktaaqtugut (We Are All Different) (2021, 17 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 12:30 p.m.
What does it mean to be Inuk? Historically depicted as welcoming and friendly people in remote snowy landscapes, in reality, Inuit live across the globe. Using antique wind-up bears, layered animation, and analogue techniques, McIntyre constructs an animated documentary in an exploration of identity and belonging by Inuit, both in and outside of community.
Filmmaker(s): Lindsay McIntyre; Country: Canada; Language(s): English, Inuktut
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story (2023, 90 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 12:30 p.m.
The inspirational story of The Dalkurd Football Club, a scrappy group of Kurdish refugees in Sweden who defy all odds to climb the ranks of Sweden’s soccer leagues in hopes of becoming champions, and bringing glory and attention to the plight of their stateless people.
Filmmaker(s): Kordo Doski; Country: Iraq; Language(s): English, Kurdish, Swedish
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story” trailer
Lac-M‚gantic (2023, 44 mins)
Peterborough Public Library at 12:30 p.m.
From director Phillipe Falardeau, one of Canada’s most successful and acclaimed contemporary filmmakers, Lac-M‚gantic investigates one of the worst oil train tragedies in history, a foreseeable catastrophe ignited by corporate and political negligence. The next Lac-M‚gantic is not a matter of if, but when.
Filmmaker(s): Philippe Falardeau; Country: Canada; Language(s): English, French
Periodical (2022, 95 mins)
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from first period to last. Lina Lyte Plioplyte’s innovative documentary uncovers shocking truths, challenges taboos, and celebrates the end of centuries of societal stigma.
Filmmaker(s): Lina Lyte Plioplyte; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
VIDEO: “Periodical” trailer
This is What the World Looks Like When You’re Gone (2022, 11 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 2:45 p.m.
When we lose someone, the world ticks on just the same. But for those left behind everything is entirely changed. This is What the World Looks Like When You’re Gone is a beautifully made, contemplative look at love, loss and family.
Filmmaker(s): Steen Starr; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Alive in Bronze (2023, 19 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Sculptor Dana King’s hands and activist Fredrika Newton’s memories come together to build a new monument — a bust of Black Panther Party leader Huey P. Newton for the Oakland community that he loved and shaped. As the sculpture takes form, more than just a face is revealed.
Filmmaker(s): A.K. Sandhu; Country: United States; Language(s): English
This film will also be screened online from January 29 to February 4.
The Legacy Song Project: Atlantic Chapter (2023, 33 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Featuring the profound stories of 8 Atlantic Canadians, The Legacy Song Project: Atlantic Chapter explores death, dying, grief, loss, and love, through the transformational lenses of documentary film and songwriting.
Filmmaker(s): Aly Kelly; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe (2023, 94 mins)
Showplace Performance Centre at 5:15 p.m.
Based on the life and career of legendary Canadian children’s entertainer Ernie Coombs — or, as he is more commonly known by millions of fans, Mr. Dressup — this documentary celebrates the origins and history of one of Canada’s most beloved CBC children shows, which enriched the lives of five generations. This film celebrates the expansiveness of gender, and has special connections to the Nogojiwanong community.
Filmmaker(s): Robert McCallum; Country: Canada; Language(s): English
VIDEO: “Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe” trailer
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2024 ReFrame Film Festival.
