More than 50 films rooted in social and environmental justice will be screened when the ReFrame Film Festival returns to downtown Peterborough from January 23 to 26 and online across Canada from January 27 to February 2.
To get audiences in the mindset to engage with the thought-provoking films, the 21st annual festival is presenting a special opening night event on Thursday, January 23 at Showplace Performance Centre, complete with a pre-show reception, special guests, presentations, and the screening of a highly acclaimed Canadian documentary.
“Opening and closing nights are the opportunities for all of us to come together for a shared experience in one space together,” says the festival’s creative director Eryn Lidster. “Opening night holds all of the excitement of what is to come and is a chance for us to reconnect.”
Tickets for opening night, which are not included with festival passes, cost $25 or a sliding pay-what-you-can price point and are available in advance at reframefilmfestival.ca
Held in person only, the opening night event will kick off with a pre-show reception beginning at 6 p.m. in the Cogeco Studio downstairs at Showplace. Hospitality sponsors for the event include BE Catering, By the Bridge, Chasing the Cheese, La Mesita, and MIJA Bakeshop.
At 7 p.m., attendees will gather in the Erica Cherney Theatre when celebrated Anishinaabe artist Alice Olsen Williams (whose quilt work is an integral part of the festival’s 2024 branding) will open the festival, as she has done for several years, to welcome audiences and set an inspiring tone.
This will be followed by a screening of the 2024 documentary Red Fever, presented by the Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group. Directed by Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, the film follows Cree co-director Diamond’s journey to explore the pervasive impact of stereotypical Indigenous imagery in popular culture.
VIDEO: “Red Fever” trailer
“Red Fever began as an exploration of cultural appropriation and how our spirituality, traditional wear, objects, identities, and ceremonies were being exploited — often by people who meant well, but were ignorant of their significance,” Diamond says in a media release. “The idea behind Red Fever evolved into a study of the vast influence Native America has had, and still has, on Western culture from sports, fashion, politics, and the environmental movement today.”
Lidster suggests that, as a social justice festival, ReFrame is always looking for films that “engage with justice” by highlighting the work of activists, but also by examining and learning from history in an effort to understand present issues.
“Red Fever reveals many surprising and deeply interesting aspects of our collective history — things we may take for granted as ‘Western’ that are deeply influenced by Indigenous cultures,” Lidster says. “The film celebrates Indigenous cultures, and this celebratory tone is something ReFrame wanted to bring to opening night this year. Audiences embark on a journey that can be difficult and deeply affecting over the festival. At this opening event, we hope to begin by coming together in celebration and strengthening each other.”
Following the screening, Bainbridge and her husband and Red Fever producer Ernest Webb will participate in a livestreamed Q&A with the audience. The duo will speak about the making of the film, their experiences in sharing it with audiences across the country, and their journey to establishing their Indigenous production company, Rezolution Pictures.
“It can be incredibly inspiring to meet the people behind the camera,” says Lidster. “It’s a way of feeling more connected to the filmmaking and the content, which is hugely important when we are showing films about issues we desperately need people to engage with in order to make real change in this world.”
According to Lindster, audience members can sometimes feel “detached” from what they see on the screen,
“Hearing from a filmmaker can break these boundaries by directly connecting with audiences, human to human. I think it helps you carry the experience with you into your everyday life.”
In keeping with the Indigenous theme of opening night, the evening will conclude with live musical performances by Missy Knott (Singing Wild Rice Girl) and James Mixemong.
“Within the complexities of appropriation, Red Fever is about being inspired by many facets of Indigenous culture, including the work of Indigenous artists,” says Lidster.
“It feels right to end the evening by celebrating local Indigenous artists and to uplift and inspire the audience with song as they set out to engage with more ReFrame films over the weekend.”
Several other films across the 2025 ReFrame lineup will be followed by filmmaker Q&As, performances, panels, and workshops. These events are now listed in the ReFrame film guide.
“One of the exciting things about having special guests attend events like this is that what they share may be unexpected,” says Lidster. “Audience members can ask questions and engage with the filmmakers, and this shapes the event. Having community members like Alice (Olsen Williams) share in shaping the festival gets at the heart of what ReFrame is. We are a community festival.”
Between the pre-show reception, screening of Red Fever, and special guests, Lidster notes the feeling of community that comes with the opening night event is meant to be carried throughout the festival.
“Opening night is a reminder that all films in the lineup have a connection to our community and that we are affected by the issues and topics featured in these films, whether directly or through our neighbours,” Lidster explains. “Red Fever in particular shows us that we don’t always understand all the influences at play in our lives, and there is always more to learn about each other and ourselves.”
Festival passes are priced at $50 for a virtual pass (which includes just over half of the films in the festival’s lineup, viewable on demand from anywhere in Canada), $110 for an in-person pass (which includes access to all in-person films and events, except for the opening night event), and $135 for a hybrid pass (which includes everything in the virtual pass and the in-person pass).
For the first time this year, standalone individual tickets for both in-person and virtual films are available to purchase in advance on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale.
For more information including the full ReFrame film guide, and to purchase opening night tickets, festival passes, or individual tickets, visit reframefilmfestival.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2025 ReFrame Film Festival.
