ReFrame Film Festival Hires New Creative Director Eryn Lidster

ReFrame Film Festival has announced Monday that Eryn Lidster will be taking on the role of Creative Director, responsible for implementing the creative and artistic vision of the festival.

photo courtesy of reframe film festival.

Lidster has a strong background in programming and project management, with an emphasis on film, media art and theatre. Recently, Lidster was the project manager of the 2022 Erring at King George Festival with Public Energy, and has supported the production of over 40 performance works in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough since 2016.

Lidster holds an Honours BA in Cultural Studies with a specialization in Image, Sound and Performance from Trent University. They have also served as a guest lecturer in Documentary Film, and a media technician at Trent’s Cultural Studies and Media Studies Departments.

“I am eager to bring my love and deep curiosity for film and media art to the organization, and to come together with the community around a shared passion for the vital work of environmental and social justice,” Lidster says.

In 2018 and 2019 they were awarded the Gregory R. Firth Memorial Prize for their film work, which has been screened internationally. Lidster is a founding member of Canadian Images in Conversation screening collective, currently serves as Chair of the Board at Artspace artist-run centre, and is a passionate supporter of local arts organizations, artists and arts workers.

“We are very pleased that Eryn is joining our team,” says ReFrame Board Chair Jim Hendry. “Their commitment to film, the power of art to make change, and their deep connections with Peterborough’s artistic community will ensure that ReFrame’s vision continues to be reflected in the festival’s film offerings and our community work.”

Lidster was hired following an extensive search process for a successor to outgoing Creative Director Amy Siegel, and joins Festival Director Kait Dueck in the co-leadership of ReFrame. Siegel served as Creative Director from 2018, skillfully seeing the festival through pandemic uncertainty, and five of ReFrame’s most diverse, inclusive, and celebrated programs to date.

“I am deeply grateful to the dedicated ReFrame staff, board and volunteers, past and present. I will endeavour to uphold the high standards you have set. I look forward to everything we will accomplish together,” Lidster says.

They will take on the role as of Tuesday, April 18.

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Jim Carrey Spotted In Peterborough While Scouting Filming Locations For Ace Ventura 3

UPDATE: 12:20 p.m. 01/04/23

APRIL FOOLS! Did we get you? Jim Carrey was sighted at Peterborough Airport in 2014. It is said that he has property in the Buckhorn area.

Renowned actor Jim Carrey was recently spotted in Peterborough and several other local spots, scouting potential filming locations for his next movie, Ace Ventura 3.

Twitter Photo.

The Newmarket native has had ties to Peterborough, owning a cottage in the Bancroft area and spending several days there in between shoots.

He reached out to fellow Canadian actress Linda Kash at Market Hall (best known for her role as the Philadelphia Cream Cheese angel) to collaborate and help find potential filming spots in town.

“Both of us were big in the 90s and I don’t know how we never had the chance to work together,” explained Kash. “When he called me and asked for my help, I couldn’t say no. I’ve always loved watching him and was a big inspiration to me when I was starting my acting career.”

A movie poster teaser of Ace Ventura 3. A sequel for the series’s third incarnation ahs been 18 years in the making.

Carrey’s movie series, ‘Ace Ventura’ is reputable for its plot of the title character of a pet detective rescuing captive or missing animals.

One spot Kash recommended was the Riverview Park and Zoo as Carrey was brainstorming ideas for exotic animals to be missing in his upcoming film, according to Cathy Mitchell, zoo program supervisor.

“Jim was discussing ideas of what animals we could showcase for his upcoming film,” she explained. “We made suggestions of our beloved otters, Hazard the lynx and several other animals but he was particularly fond of Pablo, our 10-year-old Capybara. We’re incredibly honoured that our beautiful Pablo could become a movie star in the near future.”

Pablo celebrated his 10th birthdya on Valentine’s day. Photo courtesy of Riverview Park & Zoo.

The Peterborough Memorial Centre was in the presence of Carrey as the Peterborough Petes’s mascot Roger was discussed as a potential ‘missing animal’ for the third movie. This would follow in the footsteps of the first movie as it used ‘Snowflake,’ an actual dolphin that was kidnapped while being the Miami Dolphins’ mascot in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

“Roger has been an incredible and iconic mascot for the Peterborough Petes for the past 12 years,” said Adam King, Petes director of marketing. “To potentially see him on a big stage with an actor as famous as Jim Carrey would be wonderful for the Petes organization and Peterborough.

Peterborough Petes Mascot Roger, caught by surprise at the Canada Day Parade last year. Photo by David Tuan Bui

Kash recommended Peterborough Lift Lock as another filming location for the movie. Carrey said the unique structure could be a perfect spot as a climax scene for the movie as a ‘final showdown’ according to Chad Buchner, Ontario Waterways manager of canal operations.

“With the way the Lift Lock was built and how it operates, Jim told me that there are several angles he could go with filming scenes here,” he explained. “We could have someone falling from atop the Lift Lock, get trapped underneath the water or a boat chase scene along the Trent-Severn Waterway. The possibilities are practically endless.”

File Photo.

A projected date has not yet been released for Carrey’s third movie in the series.

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ReFrame Film Festival Announces Complete Lineup of 2023 Films

The ReFrame Film Festival reveals a slate of over 60 social justice documentary films for the upcoming virtual festival from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The virtual festival features an extensive list of films on the International circuit including Subject, which explores the life-altering experience of sharing one's life on screen through the participants of five acclaimed documentaries, Be My Voice about exiled journalist Masih Alinejad who urges Iranian women to rebel on social media, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva presenting the incredible life story of the Gandhian eco-activist and Devil Put The Coal In The Ground, which looks at the devastation brought on by the coal industry and its decline.

Canadian premieres include Norwegian Headache about a historic lawsuit that grants unborn Norwegians the right to a clean environment and Freedom Hill which explores the environmental racism washing away the town of Princeville, North Carolina. Canadian feature films include The Colour of Ink following acclaimed Toronto artist Jason Logan as he creates incredible inks from foraged plants and found objects and Love in the Time of Fentanyl about a renegade safe injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Local short films include the world premiere of Rewilding the Classroom by educator Cam Douglas and filmmaker Rodney Fuentes, about aligning educational practices with the reality of environmental crises through the Youth Leadership in Sustainability program and The Butch and the Baby Daddy, by Trent professor Karleen Pendleton Jimenez about a trans/butch lesbian who asks her close friend to help her build a family.

ReFrame and Artspace have collaborated for an in-person exhibition on-view at Artspace from Jan. 25 to Feb. 25. Featured projects include What Fools These Mortals Be, a three-channel video installation that reimagines Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a series of tableaux vivants (living pictures) performed by formerly incarcerated women and Intravene, an immersive audio experience about the opioid crisis. For viewing times and additional live performing information, check out the ReFrame and Artspace websites.

The festival is also hosting an in-person opening night screening at Showplace Performance Centre on Jan. 26. Opening night will feature All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the critically acclaimed film about the life and activism of renowned photographer Nan Goldin. Tickets are sold separately and are not available as part of the virtual festival.

Audiences across Canada can stream the documentary films from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3.

The full program can be found on the ReFrame website, with virtual passes and ticket packs available now. Tickets for individual virtual films will be available as of Jan. 11. 

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ReFrame Film Festival Announces 2023 Lineup and Opening Night Details

ReFrame’s 19th annual documentary film festival will be taking place from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3, 2023, screening over 50 films as part of its virtual festival and returning to Showplace Performance Centre for an in-person screening opening night.

All the Beauty. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The full program will be released in early January, but a first look at films include the following.

On opening night, the in-person opening night event features the critically-acclaimed film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras. The film follows the life of artist and activist Nan Goldin in her mission to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid overdose crisis. ReFrame notes that opening night tickets are sold separately and are not included in the purchase of a Virtual Festival Pass.

Local film offerings will include Fault Lines: People, Work and the COVID-19 Pandemic by Natasha Luckhardt and Rob Viscardis, Bob Romerein’s film Choices and Our Glorious Bodies, a short film by Frankie Mcgee.

A diverse range of films in the Canadian spotlight include Eternal Spring from director Jason Loftus, Ali Kazimi’s Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence, Okay! The ASD Band Film by filmmaker Mark Bone and the acclaimed film Framing Agnes.

Opening night tickets are $20 or pay-what-you-can, and are available on the ReFrame website. For the in-person screening on Jan. 26, masks will be mandatory and are available on-site. Virtual Festival Passes/ pass packs are available through the ReFrame website, with pay-what-you-can tickets for single films to be released in January.

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2023 ReFrame Film Festival Dates Announced; Beginning Late Jan. 26

The 19th annual ReFrame Film Festival has announced its dates for its 2023 season, running nine days from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3 announced on Friday.

WOCHIIGII LO: END OF THE PEACE. DIRECTED BY HEATHER HATCH. PHOTO COURTESY OF REFRAME FILM FESTIVAL.

The documentary festival presents the year’s most important, thought-provoking, and inspiring documentary films focused on intersectionality, diversity, human rights and environmental responsibility according to a press release.

“We’re thrilled to be able to share this captivating collection of films from coast-to-coast-to-coast while continuing to connect our community and keep them safe,” said Kait Dueck, ReFrame festival director.

ReFrame was a beneficiary of an Ontario Trillium Grant of $44,600. The funds are invested into staff, rental costs, cleaning materials and creating the virtual an in-person experiences of the festival.

“Many festivals and events have been adversely affected during the pandemic and have had to find new ways of engaging with their patrons,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Today is recognition of how this $44,600 grant allowed the ReFrame Film Festival to continue providing their audiences with the outstanding entertainment they have grown to look forward to every January.”

This year’s poster was desiged by local artist Casandra Lee. Photo courtesy of REFRAME FILM FESTIVAL.

Screenings of all the films can be done virtually and tickets can be purchased online at ReFrame Festival’s website with discounted Early Bird Virtual Passes (for individual or household passes) available at this article’s publication.The Early Bird Virtual Passes grant streaming access to the entire catalogue of virtual festival films.

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Kait Dueck Welcomed as ReFrame Film Festival’s New Festival Director

The ReFrame Film Festival welcomes new festival director Kait Dueck to their team, announced Tuesday.

Photo by Theresa James. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Dueck has been part of the local arts community in Peterborough from a young age, having attended the Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School (PCVS) in their Integrated Arts program.

She is an alumnus of Carleton University, Trent University and Fleming College, with education focusing on gender studies, environmental studies and the arts through a justice-based lens.

Dueck is an artistic administrator and volunteer coordinator with over a decade of experience working at the Showplace Performance Centre as a house manager.

"I am elated to have the opportunity to marry my greatest passions at ReFrame Film Festival: social and environmental justice, arts and culture, and the Peterborough/Nogojiwanong community,” says Dueck.

She takes over from Jay Adam, who has worked as festival director for ReFrame for the past five years. Adam saw ReFrame through two virtual festivals during the pandemic.

“ReFrame is pleased and excited to have Kait joining us”, says Jim Hendry, board chair with ReFrame. “Her long association with the festival as house manager for our main venue, Showplace, and her commitment to the social justice and environmental principles the festival is built around made her stand out among a number of highly qualified applicants for the Festival Director position.”

Dueck steps into the role of festival director on Tuesday.

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ReFrame Film Festival Announces Schedule For Upcoming Virtual Festival

The ReFrame Film Festival announced over a dozen Live Events and pre-recorded talks, on Tuesday.

Michi Saagiig Nishnaabe musician, artist and writer Ansley Simpson created the soundtrack for Talaga's film, and joins Opening Night with a special musical performance. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The second virtual edition of the festival features over 70 documentary films and an extensive list of Q&As and live events with filmmakers from around the world.

The festival is running from Jan 27 - Feb. 4.

ReFrame’s Opening Night event Thursday at 7 p.m. includes a keynote address by celebrated journalist Tanya Talaga and a performance by musician Ansley Simspon, who created the soundtrack for Talaga’s film Mashkawi-Manidoo Bimaadiziwin: Spirit to Soar. This event is free and open to the public.

On Saturday at 2 p.m. Mars Pendleton will be in conversation with their parent, celebrated author Karleen Pendleton Jiménez to discuss their film My Life With Rainbows, which is part of the shorts program, “The Kids Are Alright: Queer Families Talk Back.”

Local, award-winning filmmaker James Cullingham will take part in a live panel discussion Sunday at 2 p.m. to talk about his powerful film, The Cost of Freedom: Refugee Journalists in Canada. James will be joined by the journalists in the film: Abdulrahman Matar, Arzu Yildiz Arzu, and Luis Horacio Nájera.

The full lineup of events and pre-recorded talks can be found at reframefilmfestival.ca. Virtual Festival Passes, Festival 5-packs, and Pay-What-You-Can tickets for single films are available now.

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ReFrame Film Festival Releases Line-Up For 2022 Festival

ReFrame 2022 has released the full lineup of 71 social justice documentaries coming to this year’s virtual film festival which will run Jan. 27 - Feb. 4.

Wochiigii lo: End of the Peace. Directed by Heather Hatch. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

This years line up focuses on themes like food justice, art as resistance, climate change, and healthcare. The documentaries are made both by local and international filmmakers.

The 18th annual ReFrame Film Festival will be available for audiences to stream across Canada.

The Hands That Feed Us is a film that focuses on migrant farmworkers who work on farms, in greenhouses and processing plants throughout Canada. It was filmed in Milbrook.

Youth V Gov follows 21 activists from across the nation as they file a lawsuit against the United States. The case reveals evidence that the government has endangered their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property by acting over six decades to create the climate crisis.

Daughter of A Lost Bird follows Kendra Mylnechuk, an adult Indigenous adoptee, born in 1980 at the cusp of the enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act.

For a full list of films and descriptions click here.

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ReFrame Film Festival Brings Virtual Festival to National Audience

Peterborough’s ReFrame Film Festival is back and this year will be available online across Canada.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The 18th edition of the doc fest will be primarily virtual, with limited special in-person screenings

ReFrame will give audiences a full nine days to stream films from January 27 to February 4, 2022. ReFrame will offer on-demand viewing of over 50 films.

ReFrame is dedicated to presenting the year’s most important, thought-provoking, and inspiring documentary films rooted in social and environmental justice

The virtual platform brings back many benefits that ReFrame patrons loved last year, such as watching from the comfort of their homes, and not having to choose between screenings that overlap.

The virtual festival will be available on-demand for the entire nine days.

"We heard our audiences say they found the online experience safe, convenient and accessible. We're excited to expand our platform and bring this community-minded event to homes from coast to coast,” said ReFrame Creative Director, Amy Siegel.

A limited number of Early Bird Virtual Passes go on sale Thursday at www.reframefilmfestival.ca. Early Bird Virtual Passes are $55 while supplies last which will let you stream all virtual festival films.

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New Peterborough Screening Collective Canadian Images in Conversation Collective to Host Online Screening

The Canadian Images in Conversation Collective (CCIC), a new screening collective in Peterborough is hosting it’s next online screening of “Mining (and Manipulating) the Home Movie” from Oct. 16 - 23.

Still image taken from Louise Borque’s film Imprint. Courtesy of the Canadian Filmmakers’ Distribution Centre.

Featuring works by the filmmakers Christina Battle, Eva Kolcze, Philip Hoffman, John Kneller, Amanda Dawn Christie, Sara Angelucci, Freda Guttman, Louise Borque and Lindsay McIntyre, Mining (and Manipulating) the Home Movie critiques the value of the home movie as a source of historical evidence and a window into our collective past.

Containing personal and found home movies, as well as other types of source material, the films in this program reflect on the complexities of home movies and the realities they depict through the ways they incorporate and manipulate their source material. Emphasizing themes of memory and decay, the films raise questions about how our collective history should be remembered

A panel discussion with the filmmakers whose works are in the program will accompany the screening, taking place on Saturday October 16 at 7PM. It will be recorded and will be available to watch throughout the week.

Canadian Images in Conversation is a new collective that is inspired by the legacy of the Canadian Images Film Festival, which took place in Peterborough between 1978-1984. With support from the ReFrame Film Festival, Trent University, and the Ontario Arts Council, CIIC aims to showcase Canadian films and filmmakers through regular screenings and artist talks. Although its programming will be diverse, it will emphasize work by underrepresented, marginalized, racialized, Indigenous, gendered and queer artists and filmmakers.

This screening is free to all members of the public and available worldwide. Sign up for a free account with Eventive in order to access the films and the panel discussion. For more information, visit CCIC’s Facebook page or email them at canadianimagesinconversation@gmail.com.

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