$10

Since 1976, Neal Livingston has produced, written, and directed award-winning documentaries exploring environmental issues, social justice, history, humour, and experimental storytelling. Many of his films reflect his commitment to community activism and Nova Scotia’s social and environmental issues.

By donation (suggested amount $10)

Featuring Songs of Nova Scotia (1958), The Chairmaker and the Boys (1959), and Song of Seasons (1977).

Artist Caitrian MacNeil and Christie MacNeil of Eltuek Arts Centre present the work of photographer, cinematographer, and filmmaker Grant Crabtree, who made East Margaree his home in the 1970s. The screening explores his films, the people, and places they capture, and a changing Cape Breton.

$15

Cape Breton comedy duo Tracy and Martina head west in this hilarious mockumentary about a real-life trip to Alberta to open for the band Slowcoaster. Their first feature won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2026 Calgary Underground Film Festival. Join Director Brendan Lyle for a post-screening talk .

Free, with reserved ticket

Join Cape Breton Film Industry Liaison Bill Culp and island-wide panelists from the film industry for a look at the island’s film history and its growing future. The presentation celebrates classic films including Bay Boy, New Waterford Girl, Margaret’s Museum, and My Bloody Valentine, while offering a glimpse into what’s next for Cape Breton’s film community.

By donation (suggested amount $10)

Featuring short films It’s Just Better, Folk Art Found Me, and Scoggie.

Join acclaimed graphic novelist and author Kate Beaton and award-winning writer and professor Alexander MacLeod for a screening and conversation exploring class, storytelling, and naïveté in film.

$15

Based on a true story, Still Mine is a heartfelt drama about an elderly New Brunswick farmer who challenges government regulations as he builds a new home for his wife, who is living with Alzheimer’s. Directed by Michael McGowan and starring James Cromwell and Geneviève Bujold.

$25 (not included with festival pass)

Live music to celebrate the festival launch, with the swinging sounds of The Hot Club Club of Dartmouth.

All ticket sales go directly to the musicians.

$10

An experimental feature about memory, perception, and reality. When novelist Noelle Fraga’s world begins to blur between fact and fiction, her loved ones must navigate the changing reality of dementia with empathy, humour, and grief. Directed by Angela Lemos and filmed in Cape Breton.

$15 / $5 for children under 12

The Secret of Roan Inish is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry.

$15

When a malevolent spirit forces estranged siblings to reunite, they journey into Sk+te'kmujue'katik — the Place of Ghosts — to confront their violent past. A deeply personal supernatural thriller from L'nu, Two-Spirit filmmaker Bretten Hannam.

Shown with meditative short film weli'maq by L'nu artist shalan joudry.

$15

10th Anniversary Screening!

Blaise and Nessa, two methadone users living on the margins of a small Cape Breton community, struggle to find a way forward. As Nessa dreams of escape and Blaise edges toward relapse, arrest, and hospitalization, their lives remain tightly intertwined. Directed by Ashley McKenzie.