(This is a separately ticketed event.)
In addition to the screening of opening night film Boil Alert, this event will feature live performance and special guest speakers. This evening sets the tone and celebrates what’s to come. Don’t miss this inaugural gathering and jam packed event featuring an incredibly impactful film that examines water issues of vital importance to our community.
ReFrame 2024 FILM GUIDE
Evening Features
These films highlight one or more core issues and ideas woven throughout the rest of the program.
- James Burns, Stevie Salas
- Canada
- 2023
- 98 mins
- Thu Jan 25
- 7:00 PM
- Showplace
In Boil Alert, an Indigenous woman goes on a journey through First Nations reservations to shine a light on the devastating struggle for clean water and discovers herself in the process. This poignant exploration illuminates the human dimension of the water crisis in Indigenous communities, as well as the impact it is having upon Native identity.
Guest in attendance, Q&A with Layla Staats and Joshua Neuman
This film is featured during Opening Night.
Please note: opening night tickets are sold separately, and are not included in the purchase of a Festival Pass.
Opening Night brought to you by
- English
- No Captions
- Inspiring
- Robert McCallum
- Canada
- 2023
- 94 mins
- Sun Jan 28
- 5:15 PM
- Showplace
Based on the life and career of legendary Canadian children’s entertainer Ernie Coombs—or, as he is more commonly known by millions of fans, Mr. Dressup, this documentary celebrates the origins and history of one of Canada’s most beloved CBC children shows, which enriched the lives of five generations. This film celebrates the expansiveness of gender, and has special connections to the Nogojiwanong community.
Guest in attendance, Q&A with Greg Floyd.
- English
- No Captions
- Inspiring
Community & Care
Taking action may be loud or quiet, large or small, but it is fiercest when it is in service of those we care for, or whose experiences we’ve shared.
This program is sponsored by
- A.K. Sandhu
- USA
- 2023
- 19 mins
- Sun Jan 28
- 2:45 PM
- Showplace
Sculptor Dana King’s hands and activist Fredrika Newton’s memories come together to build a new monument—a bust of Black Panther Party leader Huey P. Newton for the Oakland community that he loved and shaped. As the sculpture takes form, more than just a face is revealed.
- English
- No Captions
- Inspiring
- Watch in Virtual Theatre (until Feb 4th)
- Simon Brothers, Luke Mistruzzi
- Canada
- 2023
- 17 mins
- Fri Jan 26
- 3:00 PM
- Library
Centred on Ontario’s short-lived, but transformational Basic Income Pilot, this documentary sparks curiosity, fosters understanding, and encourages open dialogue about the transformative potential of basic income by combining emotional narratives, real-life impact stories, expert insights and creative visuals.
Following the film, join us for Panel: Impact of Basic Income.
- English
- No Captions
Shorts: Community & Care
- Maximilian Armstrong
- USA
- 2023
- 27 mins
- Fri Jan 26
- 12:30 PM
- Showplace
An organic farmer in Maine sets out to transform the prison food system. Filmed over the course of two years, Seeds of Change chronicles the intersecting stories of lifelong farmer Mark McBrine and several incarcerated men as they grow their own food from a five acre prison garden unlike any other.
- English
- No Captions
- Hopeful
- Watch in Virtual Theatre (until Feb 4th)
Creative & Critical
These films foreground the power of performance and craft as means of sharing who we are, navigating relationships and making change.
This program is sponsored by
- Micah B Levin
- USA
- 2021
- 38 mins
- Sun Jan 28
- 10:00 AM
- Market Hall
For twenty-five years Keith Wasserman has made and delivered elaborate art mail packages - all in the hopes of befriending his muse. Dear Ani explores what can happen when you present your truest self, and risk total failure. It is an intimate account of psychotic mania, personal mastery, and creative triumph.
- English
- No Captions
- Quirky
- Watch in Virtual Theatre (until Feb 4th)
Shorts: Creative & Critical
- Jeff McKay, Takashi Iwasaki
- Canada
- 2023
- 7 mins
- Sun Jan 28
- 12:30 PM
- Market Hall
This is a playful, poignant & very memorable live action animation, where humans take from forests whatever they desire - leaving nothing. Shitty Little is critical of a prevalent attitude in western culture that says there is no inherent value in nature, that it must be taken and shaped into a product for sale to have worth.
- English
- No Captions
- Quirky
Local Connections
A celebration of films made by or starring local voices.
This program is sponsored by
Down to Earth
Staying grounded in the face of the climate crisis.
This program is sponsored by
Shorts: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/ Curve Lake Storytelling
Six proud, diverse Curve Lake First Nation members share their Anishinaabe Knowledge to build relations and community both within Wshkiigmong/Curve Lake and between Wshkiigmong/Curve Lake and Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
This program is sponsored by
Power & Resistance
Honoring those who stand in spite of the systems, structures and ideas designed to push them down.
This program is sponsored by
- Kate Levy
- USA
- 2021
- 22 mins
- Fri Jan 26
- 3:00 PM
- Showplace
In the summer of 2020, Detroiters faced unprecedented police violence as they took to the streets to protest the killings of Black people across the country. Detroit Will Breathe provides an unprecedented look into the actions of the police and examines what it means to be part of an integrated movement fighting for Black lives.
- English
- No Captions
- Depictions of violence
- Watch in Virtual Theatre (until Feb 4th)
Sharp Angles
These films spotlight the power of documentary craft to invite new perspectives on people, events and experiences. They offer insight and ask you to really look.
This program is sponsored by
Shorts: Sharp Angles
Panels, Performances & Workshops
- Sun Jan 28
- 2:45 PM
- Showplace
Following the screening of The Legacy Song Project: Atlantic Chapter, which captures stories about the universal experiences of loss and how songwriting can be used as a bridge to connect us with our loved ones, join us for a selection of songs performed live by film subject Sarah McInnis.
- Sat Jan 27
- 10:00 AM
- PTBO Library
Presented in collaboration with Public Energy Performing Arts, Filmmakers Philip Szporer and Marlene Millar, creators of Maboungou: Being in the World, host this workshop for anyone interested in the intricacies of the creative process. This full day workshop will Illustrate a variety of approaches, cover interview techniques and research strategies, and invite exploration into alternative ways of revealing documentary ideas. Don’t miss this chance to share your creativity. Bring your camera or your smartphone. Notebooks are always handy. Limited spaces available, no experience required.
- Fri Jan 26
- 3:00 PM
- PTBO Library
As the benefits of a Guaranteed Basic Income are currently debated in the Senate, A Human Picture directors Simon Brothers and Luke Mistruzzi, Ontario’s basic income pilot participant and activist, Jessie Golem, and author and activist Jamie Swift, will join in a conversation about the connection between poverty, inadequate social safety nets, and a guaranteed livable income. Please join us as together we imagine a more secure and just future for us all. Co-presented and moderated by Basic Income Network Peterborough.
- Sat Jan 27
- 12:30 PM
- Market Hall
Immediately following the screening of their work, join us in honouring and hearing more from six proud, diverse Curve Lake First Nation members, Carol Taylor, Marg Knott, Marilyn Knott, Jonathan Taylor, Missy Knott, and Sarah Lewis, who share their Anishinaabe Knowledge to build relations and community both within Wshkiigmong/Curve Lake and between Wshkiigmong/Curve Lake and Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
Panel moderated by Dr. Nadine Changfoot and Elder Alice Olson Williams. This event also features a performance by dance artist Kelli Marshall.
- Tue Jan 30
- 7:00 PM
- Virtual Theatre
Periods are political! Learn how you can be an advocate for menstrual equity.
At The Period Purse, we believe in educating all ages and all genders in order to reduce the stigma around periods. Join this inclusive, period-positive presentations delivered virtually by trained facilitators for adults, Grade 12 and above.