“Don’t take this festival for granted. There are a lot of world-class festivals all over and ReFrame is of that quality for sure.”
That high praise for the ReFrame Film Festival comes from Rob Viscardis, an acclaimed Peterborough filmmaker who recognizes how fortunate he is to have a film festival of ReFrame’s calibre in his own community.
Back in 2016, Viscardis had his first feature film (Before We Arrive: The Story of The Weber Brothers) premiere on the big screen at the festival, and since then he has returned nearly every year.
“That first film I screened at ReFrame was a huge moment because Showplace was packed, and it got me hooked on filmmaking big-time,” Viscardis says. “As a filmmaker, having all that inspiration and then being able to screen films alongside some of these world-class filmmakers — it’s pretty incredible.”
This year, when the festival returns to downtown Peterborough in person from January 30 to February 1 and online across Canada from February 3 to 8, Viscardis will once again be in attendance as his latest short film is premiered.
Echoes in Steel follows Douro metal artist Garrett Gilbert after he loses a defining source of material and inspiration for one body of his work, following the closure of his favoured vintage car scrapyard.
“The film reflects on the themes of his work and get you thinking about how we value objects and our past with industry and labour, and how these objects that continue to stick around interact with the environment while we’re here and how they’ll continue to interact after we’re gone,” Viscardis explains.
“It’s an interesting subject matter in particular for Peterborough with our industrial past. While it doesn’t necessarily delve too deeply into the issues, I think it’s fun exploration of some of these things that we’re needing to think about in a post-industrial city like Peterborough.”
As a filmmaker, Viscardis says there aren’t many chances to talk about his work but festivals like ReFrame are an opportunity to do so, without the added travel costs of going out of town.
This year, both Viscardis and Gilbart will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening of Echoes in Steel on Friday, January 30 at 4:45 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. The 13-minute film will also be included in the online programming.
“For films where there is a message that we want to get out there or spread awareness for a cause, (the Q&A is) a great way to do it and be able to really emphasize certain things that you may not want to put such a fine point on in the film,” Viscardis says. “It encourages a deeper connection when you’re able to be in the same room and really connect as humans.”
Viscardis’ name is also attached to another documentary on the 2026 festival lineup. He is the editor of No More Silent Battles, a film produced by Dr. Jenny Ingram and supported by local cinematographer Pawel Dwulit. Being screened online and in person on Saturday, January 31 at 4:45 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, the 47-minute film tells the story of four families navigating the complexities of dementia care.
VIDEO: “No More Silent Battles” trailer
No More Silent Battles is the debut documentary produced by Ingram, an award-winning trailblazer in geriatric medicine and seniors’ care and the founder of the Kawartha Centre, the site for international Alzheimer research trials. Amplifying her belief in the need for community-based health care in the home, the film came out of Ingram’s concern during the pandemic as she watched her patient population being isolated from family caregivers.
Describing herself as a longtime movie lover, Ingram has used snippets of movies when teaching personal care assistants. Upon speaking with other professionals who had a hand in transformed health care in British Columbia, she realized how urgent it was to get the public informed — but in a way that did not involve medical professionals lecturing them.
“A light went on in my head: a movie that had me talking was going to be of no value, but a movie having people and families who are living with dementia talk is really what we need to describe the inadequacies or the challenges of the home care system as we deliver it in Ontario today,” Ingram says.
“It was the combination of liking movies as a medium to tell stories and the recognition that nobody wants to hear from doctors. They want to hear from people who are living the experience. Even though I think I live a different experience from most, nonetheless, my patients were the ones who needed to get on the movie screen.”
Ingram notes that her goals for the film are three-fold: expose the system that’s been developed in Ontario and Canada, challenge the stigma of dementia, and explore how the future needs to involve family in decisions made about care.
Ingram will sit down for a Q&A following the screening and notes that she plans to have panel discussions when the film is later screened by organizations and agencies exploring conversations around healthcare.
“This film is designed to provoke discussions and panelists have been lined up for discussions for future film viewings, if requested,” says Ingram.
Though she hopes the film will start wider discussions, Ingram is “delighted” No More Silent Battles is making its premiere close to home.
“I have many, many good memories of ReFrame film viewings that taught me a great deal about issues I knew nothing about,” she says. “I’m hoping the audience at ReFrame comes and learns about an issue they probably know very little about through our film and join us in this effort to improve health care.”
Though Ingram is a new filmmaker, even those who are well-versed on the festival circuit suggest ReFrame stands above other festivals.
VIDEO: “The Survival of the Wooden Canoe” trailer
That includes local filmmaker Rodney Fuentes, who screened his documentary The Monarch Ultra — a behind-the-scenes look as a group of long-distance runners followed the 4,300-kilometre migratory path of the monarch butterfly from Peterborough to Mexico during the inaugural Monarch Ultra relay run in fall 2019 — at ReFrame in 2025 before submitting it to other festivals.
Calling ReFrame the “best experience,” Fuentes says the festival is unique in its support for filmmakers.
“There’s a fee (ReFrame pays) for the filmmakers to have their film and to come and talk and do a Q&A, and that doesn’t happen everywhere,” he says. “The fact that it’s so community-driven — that organizations and individuals can support the festival, donate money to make things happen, and sponsor the films — I think really brings the community together. That’s also not very common in so many other festivals that I’ve been to. The community-driven aspect to me is extremely important — that’s why I do what I do.”
Fuentes is returning to this year’s ReFrame Film Festival as the editor and co-director, alongside Joan Barrett and Matt Snell, of The Survival of the Wooden Canoe. The 20-minute film documents 50 years of Barrett and her partner Ted Moores (who is the film’s creative director) as they built a business, Bear Mountain Boats, based on teaching the art of canoe-building. The film won the Best Canoeing Film award in Rapid Media’s Film Festival 2025.
“For me, the biggest story was not just the story of Ted Moores and Bear Mountain Boats, but it’s the story of how they survived at a time when kevlar and fibreglass canoes came in and a lot of the companies that were doing wooden canoes went bankrupt, but they didn’t,” says Fuentes. “They changed the strategy, so instead of just building canoes — which at some point — wasn’t a very sustainable business — they started sharing their knowledge and teaching people how to make canoes and that helped them to survive and continues today.”
The Survival of the Wooden Canoe screens in person only at 10 a.m. on Sunday, February 1 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. Though Fuentes will not be attending the screening due to a family commitment, there will be a Q&A with Barrett following the screening.
“I think that’s pretty awesome that we can have a little bit of discussion, especially when the kind of films that are shown at ReFrame are focused so much on social justice,” Fuentes says. “These are the kinds of films that require discussions, and I think it’s a great bonus to have because it gives you more insights of the subject that is being covered during the screening.”
After nearly two decades of living in Peterborough, Fuentes moved to Quebec just a few months ago, but he still feels he is “a part of the community” and suggests it’s organizations like ReFrame that continue to draw him back to the city again and again.
“I think ReFrame does a tremendous job with the kind of films they show, but also with the impact that they have on the locals in Peterborough, including as filmmakers,” he says. “I absolutely love it.”
In addition to these three films, other local films screening at ReFrame include Shropshire Sheep Scandal by Maya Bastian, Home by Linda Schuyler and Will Bowes, Mr. Possible by Matt Snell, and They Called it the Butcher Shop: The Fleck Strike in Images by Lauren Stoyles.
There are four festival pass options available, including a $145 hybrid pass that allows access to all in-person and online film screenings, a $120 all-access in-person pass, a $75 watch-with-a-friend virtual pass, and a $60 single virtual pass. The hybrid and in-person passes also provide access to all ancillary performances, workshops, exhibits, discussion panels, and Q&As related to this year’s lineup.
Tickets for individual films, both in person and online, are also available for $15 or pay what you can. They can be purchased in advance online or, for in-person screenings, at the door at Market Hall or Showplace 15 minutes prior to each screening.
For festival passes and tickets and to see the full lineup for the 2026 ReFrame Film Festival, visit reframefilmfestival.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2026 ReFrame Film Festival.
