Film festivals, big or small, all serve the same purpose of celebrating a love for film and bringing attention to talented creators. We spend all year looking for news from the bigger festivals, like Cannes and TIFF, but every so often a smaller-scale festival pops up on our radar and delights us in the same ways. So, when The Movie Blog heard of the upcoming inaugural Dufferin Film Festival, taking place in Orangeville, Ontario, I couldn’t pass up the chance to go. Exciting new short films only a stone’s throw away from my home? Count me in! So, let’s take a look at what went down at the 2024 Dufferin Film Festival, and why we’re excited to help put this one on the map.
Small Town, Big Dreams – The 2024 Dufferin Film Festival Fills A Weekend
The Dufferin Film Festival held its inaugural year on August 9th and 10th in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of just over 30,000 people, making the host city one of the smallest compared to other Ontario festivals. Despite this, the city is within commuting distance from many larger cities and towns and is only an hour outside of Toronto. It certainly wasn’t a far trek for many Canadian film lovers. Additionally, Orangeville has a strong community presence, and the festival itself took place within walking distance of almost every downtown amenity, making it a great location choice.
Kelly McDowell, the festival’s director, writes in the program that their mission for the festival is to “create a platform where Canadian filmmakers and audiences can connect, inspire, and engage in meaningful conversation.” It seems that the organization nailed this goal, as the result was a well-attended, well-sponsored, and well-received festival.
The official 2024 Dufferin Film Festival program.
What Goes Down In Dufferin?
The bulk of the festival occurred at the Orangeville Opera House, which seats 273 in front of the big screen. This venue hosted three blocks of short film screenings, all followed by a live Q&A with the creators of most of the films. The short films featured included:
- Heap
- Charlie
- Beyond the Reins
- For Roy
- Handsy
- Lakeweed
- Cancelled
- Cinching Sddles
- Good Girl
- On the Windowsill
- The Two of Us
- Red String of Fate
- Kofi
- Prism
- Waterman’s Ballad
- Triage
There was a 2024 Screenwriting Contest for the festival as well, which took place earlier in the year. Lakeweed (Danielle Hawkins) won in the Youth category, and Handsy (James Gerus and Liam Gillespie) won in the Adult category.
Friday night also included a social event with live music, food, and drinks, hosted by the Bluebird Cafe & Grill across from the opera house. Here I met with fellow The Movie Blog writer, Shah Shahid, and watched the excitement for the festival grow!
Shah & I at the festival’s networking event.
Tony Fenech completing a live painting during the event.
On Saturday afternoon there was a speaker series at the Orangeville library, featuring industry professionals. This helped break up the day and add some opportunities to learn from the amazing creatives involved with the event.
The event ended on Saturday night with a VIP Awards Cocktail Event at Greystones Restaurant, a staple of fine dining in Orangeville. Awards were handed out to creatives for filmmaking, cinematography, acting, and more, including an Audience Award that went to Conor Forrest for The Two of Us.
A Festival Worth Being Added to Your Radar
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the 2024 Dufferin Film Festival. I have spent my fair share of time in Orangeville and initially thought that it was an odd choice for this kind of event. However, any doubts were put to rest. The city made a beautiful backdrop for the films, and the proximity of all the locations certainly made it cozy and encouraged networking.
The films chosen for the festival were also spectacular. There was a fine blend of genres, from mystery to drama and everything in between. Standouts include Sunita Mya Muganza’s Good Girl, which focuses on autonomy and sexual liberation in an East African community, and Jamie Knox’s Waterman’s Ballad, which focuses on grief and memory.
The question-and-answer period after each screening block was also a great addition to the festival. This included questions unique to every film, as well as some lightning round questions that went to all of the filmmakers. However, I do wish that there was more emphasis on audience questions.
The Q&A portion during the second block of short films.
Add The Next Dufferin Film Festival To Your Calendar
The inaugural 2024 Dufferin Film Festival was mostly attended by creatives and avid movie lovers. However, based on the festival’s setting, I think that many more community members would be in attendance if the word-of-mouth increases from this year to next year. Hopefully, the success of the festival can translate to more attention and increased attendance for 2025’s event!
You can check out the official Dufferin Film Festival website to learn more about how to get involved with the festival and how to stay tuned for more information on next year’s event. Keep an eye on The Movie Blog, too, for some upcoming reviews of our favourite films from the festival!
