Organizers of the ReFrame Film Festival built early excitement for the upcoming 22nd season by hosting the festival’s first-ever preview and donor appreciation event on Sunday (October 18).
Donors, supporters, and volunteers gathered at the Ashburnham Ale House in Peterborough’s East City, where they welcomed the festival’s new creative director, got a brief glimpse of some of the films that will be included in the 2027 lineup, and heard about the focus of the non-profit organization’s newly updated five-year strategic plan.
Originally founded in 2005 by Krista English and Carole Roy as a local instalment of the Travelling World International Film Festival, ReFrame is an annual social and environmental justice documentary film festival that takes place during the last weekend in January in person in downtown Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, followed by an online festival accessible across Canada during the first week of February.
The festival itself features inspiring local and international documentaries, filmmaker conversations, and special events, while ReFrame also hosts community screenings and special events throughout the year.
As Sunday’s event, after guests gathered over food and drink, ReFrame executive director Kait Dueck introduced Ryan Barnett as the festival’s new creative director. Barnett was hired this past summer after a three-month national search following Eryn Lidster’s departure after three years in the fole.
Born and raised in Peterborough but based in Montreal, Barnett is an interdisciplinary curator, producer, writer, and the founder of Knockabout Media, which produces podcasts, books, and other nonfiction projects about Canadian culture and history.
Barnett holds a master’s degree in film studies from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has worked across documentary production, public programming, and cultural engagement.
“With his roots in Peterborough and his awareness of the film industry and television and even grant writing, he stood out right away,” festival board chair Melanie Buddle told kawarthaNOW. “He’s committed to coming to Peterborough whenever we need him.”
Before Barnett showed a brief montage of clips from documentaries that will be screened during the 2027 festival, he told attendees it was a “weird time” to be programming a social and environmental justice film festival.
As he and the programming advisory committee searched through films that were submitted this year, Barnett says they were very focused on stories that are important today, covering topics including trans, refugees, Gaza, artificial intelligence, and more.
“There’s a balance that we’re trying to strike here, which is speak to the moment,” he told kawarthaNOW.
“But the news cycle is just one depressing thing after another, so we are trying to find stories that focus on the helpers, so that our community doesn’t leave the theatre feeling hopeless. These are things that can be done. They see examples of people doing things — even small things — within their community, and hopefully that will galvanize people in our audience to do something about whatever issue is important to them.”
Barnett said the advisory committee is still working on the festival’s program and, as with past festivals, will be sorting each film into various themes to help audiences curate their experiences and browse films from the topics in which they are most interested.
He said the committee was also intentional about selecting films, both international and local, that are cinematic, entertaining, and make for a good theatre experience.
“It’s a festival that should be a conversation starter, a festival that should move people, but we also understand that it’s a film festival, so I want people to have a good film experience,” he said, noting that ReFrame is prioritizing having some family-friendly programming for young audiences as well.
“Parents with kids will have a couple of matinees that they can come to and bring their children, as a way of expanding our audience but offering a variety of things to meet different people’s needs.”
Barnett said this is part of ReFrame’s commitment to accessibility, which he calls “foundational” to the festival. Accessible features built into the programming include relaxed screenings, captions and ASL interpretations on virtual screenings, sensory supports, emotional supports, pay-what-you-can ticket pricing, and more.
Buddle also spoke at the event, thanking sponsors and donors and noting the festival is “strong and thriving.”
She explained that the board continues to listen to audience feedback year after year. In response to this feedback, the 2027 festival will include more time between each screening so attendees have the chance to go out for a bite or a walk without missing anything.
Buddle also announced ReFrame will go back to kicking off the festival with an opening night screening, with tickets sold separately, as well as a closing night screening, so that attendees have an opportunity to connect, reflect, and have meaningful conversations around a shared film experience.
“A lot of people are excited about that to have a good start to the festival,” Buddle told kawarthaNOW.
During the event, Buddle directed attendees to a brief outlining some key priorities of the festival’s newly updated strategic plan for 2027 to 2032. She said a major theme throughout was focusing on sustainability, noting that “grant funding has become increasingly uncertain, while costs continue to rise.”
She pointed out how funding for many arts organizations has not increased commensurate with costs. For Reframe, those costs include the need for updated technology, the cost of film rights, the cost of paying artists, and the costs of paying staff a fair and livable wage.
For that reason, Buddle added, she has increased her own monthly donation. She also encouraged attendees to keep arts organizations in mind during the municipal election this month.
ReFrame’s 2026 annual report reveals that 47 per cent of the festival’s revenue came from government and foundation grants, while 22 per cent of revenue last year came from individual charitable donations.
“Every donation is an act of solidarity,” Buddle told attendees.
To learn more about the ReFrame Film Festival, visit reframefilmfestival.ca
