The annual ReFrame Film Festival opens tonight (Thursday, January 23), returning in a hybrid format with in-person events in downtown Nogojiwanong/Peterborough until January 26 and with online streaming from January 27 to February 2.
As many festival-goers know, ReFrame showcases some of the best new environmental and social-justice documentary films each year. ReFrame 2025 will be no exception, presenting several films celebrating the beauty of our natural world with stunning images and stories of resilience and growth.
The moment a filmmaker picks up their camera, the story becomes about the relationship between themselves and the natural world. It is this cyclical relationship between humanity and our environment which is the focus of these thought-provoking and beautiful films.
VIDEO: “Logging Algonquin” trailer
What steps can we take to strengthen our commitment to sustainability and environmental protection? Directed by Conor DeVries, Logging Algonquin (Friday, January 24 at 5 p.m. in-person at the Market Hall and on-demand online) looks at the historical and ongoing logging happening in Algonquin Provincial Park. The film asks the question: “Does logging belong in our modern-day park?”
VIDEO: “The Monarch Ultra” trailer
Innovative solutions to environmental challenges often emerge when we ask ourselves “What can we do?” In Rodney Fuentes’ The Monarch Ultra (Friday, January 24 at 10 a.m. in-person only at the Market Hall), a group of runners trace the migration path of the monarch butterflies from Peterborough, Ontario to Central Mexico to raise awareness for pollinator conservation.
VIDEO: “The Cigarette Surfboard” trailer
Benjamin Judkins’s The Cigarette Surfboard (Friday, January 24 at 5 p.m. in-person only at Showplace Performance Centre) reminds us that each of us has a role to play in protecting our planet, by harnessing our unique passions and talents. In this film we follow Taylor Lane as he creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. His journey takes him around the world to learn what ocean activists and professional surfers are doing to protect and restore the health of the ocean.
VIDEO: “Razing Liberty Square” trailer
The impacts of the environmental crisis hit closer to home for some than for others. In Katja Esson’s Razing Liberty Square (Saturday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. in-person at Showplace Performance Centre and on-demand online) residents of Liberty Square, a public housing project in Miami, know that sudden interest in their neighbourhood comes from the fact that it is located on the highest-and-driest ground in the city.
Both Razing Libery Square and Richard Mejeh’s London Grown (Saturday, January 25 at 10 a.m. in-person only at Showplace Performance Centre) show the inextricable relationship between climate justice and racial justice.
In London Grown, Sandra Salazar D’Eca’s food growing projects focused on empowering the Black community in London, England, come under threat when the council announces a three-fold increase in annual rents to local farming allotments. Supporting those most affected by the crisis and those working toward a better future inspires hope.
VIDEO: “The Wild Path Home” trailer
Local filmmaker Anne-Marie Jackson’s The Wild Path Home (Saturday, January 25 at 5 p.m. in-person at the Market Hall and on-demand online) highlights innovative efforts by leading specialists in the environmental, health, and educational fields to create immersive experiences that reconnect young adults with nature.
VIDEO: “Singing Back the Buffalo” trailer
Connection to the natural world is vital to its protection. A stunning exploration of this connection is Singing Back the Buffalo (Sunday, January 26 at 12 p.m. in-person at Showplace Performance Centre and on-demand online), an epic reimagining of North America through the lens of buffalo consciousness.
After a dark recent history, the buffalo herds are awaiting their return, aided by dedicated Indigenous activists, leaders and communities, including award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard. These films show us how we can each take action for environmental justice, by protecting our planet and our future.
GreenUP is once again excited to be a sponsor supporting the ReFrame Film Festival.
In-person, hybrid, and virtual festival passes and tickets are available now. Individual rush tickets for in-person screenings will be available at festival venues 15 minutes in advance of each scheduled screening from January 23 to 26. You can purchase passes and tickets at reframefilmfestival.ca.
GreenUP thanks author Eryn Lidster, creative director for the ReFrame Film Festival, and the entire ReFrame team for their tireless work in sharing relevant, environmentally informative films with our community year after year.
