2026 PROGRAM

Ring in our 7th Festival! Opening the festival this year is “What We Have Left” directed by Sergio Navaretta who directed “Looking For Angelina” 20 years earlier in the Sault.
The film follows Melanie (Barbara Williams), a woman in her 70s who invites her once young and idealistic hippie friends for a long-overdue reunion where everyone is told they have inherited the cabin where they once lived together in a commune 50 years earlier. They are joined by Lyla, played by Ginny & Georgia actor Tommie-Amber Pirie, who is the daughter of their late friend Flora. A clash of generations follows, leading the group to reconcile their past with the present to find new meaning in their lives.

Mingle with filmmakers, watch some music videos, and nibble on some treats.

Watch films from emerging talent, dive into a mix of comedy, drama, and experimental works that prove you don't need a massive budget to make a massive impact.

Camp Galore by the SFF Summer Camp Week 1
Apple Pie by Sean Thrawn O'Neil
I'm Fine by Erin Blewett
iFaith by Harry Manzi Asingwire
The One Who I Adore by Adam G. Levine
How To Bury A Dog by Magdalena Barys
Camp UnBEARable by the SFF Summer Camp Week 2

Rodeo Women directed by Celia Haig-Brown
Before, during, and after the spectacle of the rodeo performance, women are working. Raising bucking horses, trucking bulls, managing professional organizations, timing and secretarying, caring for the animals, and so much more, they make rodeo happen. Although the public image of the sport is decidedly masculine and "white", for over a century, women, including Indigenous women, have been at the centre of this universe of labour, commitment, and love. Meet Trish, Lexi, Elda, Julie and so many more of these women as they share their stories.

Features short-form works created by local and regional talent.

Rumspringa by Miia Piironen
Kids by Jade Yurich and David Schmitt
Hilary’s Cover is Blown by MJ Dionne
Off Script by Daren Sullivan
Forward by Michael Naphan
Scuttle by Liam Leblanc
Got A Light? by Matt Lishman
From Nine to Ten by Gus Belford and Steve Belford
Ferry Tale by Adam Francis Proulx and Byron Laviolette
A Bridge Across by Tash Baycroft

Mingle with filmmakers, and nibble on some treats.

Features works created by Indigenous filmmakers.

Raised by the Canoe by Cathrine Paul
Red Girl Rising by Kim Stadfeld and Faith Howe
Medicine Ball by Leya Hale
Illustrated Legacies: Graveyard of the Pacific by Tanner Zurkoski

The Coalition directed by Sisters Strain.

Intimate partner violence, sexual assault, gender based violence, femicide and human trafficking are all crimes that continue to rise. Communties are coming together to form Coalitions to combat these crimes and wrap around services for the victims. Family members and survivors all over Ontario, from Windsor to Sault Ste. Marie share first hand lived experience of human trafficking and femicide- what is it, what are the signs and how we can keep our loved ones safe.
When communities unite, change begins!

The second chapter of the Guardian's trilogy roots deeper into the unforgiving working life of the bush — where endurance is tested internally and externally.
For over 90 days, 12 Tree Planters live and camp in remote wilderness, moving contract to contract across a relentless season stretching from Northern Ontario to Grand Cache, Alberta.
In isolation and exhaustion, identity is stripped back to its core. Merit is earned the hard way. Mental warfare meets physical brutality. And through it all, camaraderie takes root — binding a crew together in ways few outside this world will ever understand.
Guardians II is an immersive descent into the season that defines them — not just as workers, but as individuals choosing discomfort in pursuit of something greater.

Watch short films from filmmakers across the globe!

Clouds by Andy Lewis
Old Tomorrow by Kane Stewart
You're not a Fool, Grandpa by Adrien Lhoste
The Holdout by Javier Augusto Nunez
Going Under by Badminton Plus
Glass Child by Anna-Katharina Schubert
I want to be Okay by Scott Sikma
The Bookstore That Never Sleeps by Justin Zoras
World's Best Dad...Sometimes by Julia Benczak

Go out with a bang: a seat at our awards and closing gala
Featuring a screening of Love In All The Small Places about a devoted people pleaser's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when her husband drops a shocking revelation.