2026 Curatorial Statement

2026 has been a challenging year and it is easy to get swept away in the noise. The Guelph Film Festival wants to celebrate those who stand strong and visible in their environment, show care for the spaces we live in and the world we all share together. The theme for 2026, “I Am Here, Here I Am,” gives space to those who have fought to be seen and heard, while highlighting the world for which we are all custodians and caregivers. This year is all about care: care of self, care of community, care of the world around us.

The 2026 program is rooted in the idea that growth begins by showing up: for ourselves, for one another, and for the places we call home. Through film, conversation, and community-led events, we gather to listen, learn, challenge old ways of thinking, and imagine what inspired change can look like.

We open with The Dads, a moving portrait of fathers standing beside their trans and nonbinary children with love, vulnerability, and courage. Bittersweet and hopeful, the film explores accountability and resistance in a world where gender and identity are being restricted and rights are being revoked. 

We close with LOUF, an intimate NFB vérité film following Palestinian chef and author Fadi Kattan and Toronto restaurateur Nicole Mankinen as they navigate the realities of opening a restaurant amid escalating violence in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Throughout the week we explore food security and sovereignty in Nirilaurta; aging, grief, and memory in There Are No Words; and human/animal connections, ecology and wildlife tourism in Nuisance Bear. Our Body Is an Expanding Star turns inward, exploring the body as our most personal and immediate home. Our short collections, This Is My Home and Stand With Me consider belonging, connection, solidarity and balance in times of upheaval. 

We are proud to continue Pay What You Want admission, free access for those under 30, and accessible screening spaces throughout Guelph. 

From feature documentaries to Tiny Docs and a workshop for filmmakers, we look forward to lighting up screens across downtown Guelph — and beyond!

Welcome. You are here

Justine McCloskey, Artistic Director