When I moved to Peterborough to come to Trent I was met with questions of why would I travel so far to come to such a small town, to somewhere with nothing going on. I have since learnt that Peterborough is a truly underappreciated city. One of the best things about Peterborough is the number of unique groups, events, and people you can find here. And ReFrame Film Festival is perhaps one of the coolest events to come out of this city. 

Over the past month Arthur has published numerous reviews of documentaries from ReFrames 2023 catalogue including Let the Little Light Shine, Love in the Time of Fentanyl, Devil Put Coal in the Ground, and my own reviews of Rebellion and High Tide Don’t Hide.

Featuring documentaries surrounding issues of social and environmental justice, ReFrame brings global issues home and reminds us that we are all connected. Movies are often seen as light entertainment, fictional stories about fictional people and their fictional problems. But documentaries such as those shown at ReFrame demonstrate how film can be a form of activism and action. A number of the documentaries from this year followed activists on the ground from grassroots organising to global action. But with a number of the documentaries the activism is baked in, these pieces are activism in their own right. For example, in her review of Framing Agnes Evan Robins says that “Framing Agnes marks a step toward the reclamation of trans narratives by those to whom they belong,” and in a society that values the cisgender perspective as superior the choice to actively disregard it is powerful. A theme that was discussed in a number of the films regarding climate change was racism among climate activists and action groups; as an issue that is somewhat of an open secret the choice to draw deliberate attention to it and force viewers to address it within themselves is an important action. Through choices like these, film becomes activism. 

As ReFrame states in their values, they aim to foster dialogue around issues of social justice, human rights, and environmental responsibility, which they achieve through events such as the in-person opening night or live Q&As. This year the opening event featured an exclusive screening of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a documentary of artist Nan Goldin’s fight against the Sackler family and their involvement in the opioid epidemic. The night opened with a land acknowledgement by Alice Williams followed by a performance by vocalist Cormac Culkeen (Joyful Joyful) and cellist Andrew Randall. They performed a version of Lou Reed’s “Heroin” arranged by David Lang.

In the following days ReFrame hosted a selection of other in-person events, an exciting return, one of which was a panel discussion entitled "What Role Can Art Play in the Overdose Crisis," featuring Alex Bierk (Peterborough Town Ward Councillor and artist), Zoë Dodd (harm reduction activist), Mkwa Ghiizis/Crystal Hebert (founder of Tweak Easy), Jeff Bierk (artist and photographer), and Brenda Longfellow (artist). Although I don’t have the space here to write on the whole panel, there were a number of important conversations being had, specifically about how art can be an access point for people. Jeff Bierk noted that many people (including himself) have often considered documentary photography to be a move towards change, but has long now questioned this in his own work. He says during the panel “I don’t think the photograph affects change. Look at all the ways we have photographed war. We still have war.” Brenda Longfellow spoke about bringing art to different communities and involving drug user activists in the making of Intravene an immersive audio experience about the overdose crisis in Vancouver. She noted the importance of paying those involved as artists and naming them in the credits. This is important as art is bigger than spaces such as the AGO. A number of the panellists spoke about the importance of community and sharing art with people who have shared experiences. However, there can often be barriers in the mainstream art world to accessing exhibitions. Events such as these are part of what makes ReFrame so important as it provides space and opportunities to hear from local experts on issues that are impacting our community. 

Overall, ReFrame 2023 has been wildly successful and I am thoroughly looking forward to ReFrame 2024!