Summer 2025
justNEWS
Greetings from your CJFF team! We hope you are enjoying a summer filled with love and laughter, of rejuvenation and discovery. For our part, the members of the CJFF board and the programming committee have been working throughout the summer in preparation of our next film festival. So mark your calendars for the 2025 annual film festival at The Confluence:
Thursday, November 6
Friday, November 7
Saturday, November 8
This year’s film festival marks our 20th year! Yes!! We’re super-excited that for 20 years CJFF has been bringing films with social justice themes to Calgary audiences. The films screened in each of those 20 years range from short documentaries to full-length features, from lesser-known to award-winning films. All of them showcase current, relevant, and sometimes hard-hitting justice issues affecting people locally and globally.
Twenty years ago, a group of people from River Park Church organized to form the Marda Loop Social Justice Film Festival. That first board of directors and those who followed in subsequent years worked numerous hours to launch, then grow the organization. We thank everyone who was and continues to be involved with CJFF. Thank you for your vision and all you have done to keep the momentum going to make our film festival the vibrant entity it is today within our city.
IN PARTNERSHIP
We are really pleased that in the past several years, CJFF has formed some important partnerships with other film festivals, both in Calgary and beyond. In conjunction with one of those partnerships, we are very excited that this year we are, once again, joining with the Calgary International Film Festival(CIFF) to spotlight two remarkable documentaries (to be announced soon!).
Our partnership underscores the power of collaboration in enriching Calgary’s cultural landscape. This renewed alliance not only amplifies the reach and impact of socially resonant storytelling but also offers festival-goers the rare opportunity to engage more deeply with global justice issues right in their own backyard. By pooling their strengths and audiences, CIFF and CJFF are weaving accessible, meaningful cinema into Calgary’s social fabric, benefiting film lovers with thought-provoking content and fuelling conversations that matter.
Calgary International Film Festival
September 18 to 28, 2025
Get Your Tickets Here
SUMMER SOCIAL & CULTURAL DATES
The summer heralds many celebrations within our country. We've included a few of them here, dates reflecting the value Canadians place on diversity and multiculturalism. For a full listing, click on the link provided for each month:
JULY
Canada Day (July 1) Canada became a self-governing dominion of the United Kingdom and a confederation of four provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. Previously known as Dominion Day, our nation’s birthday has been Canada Day since 1983.
Nelson Mandela International Day (July 18) honours the legacy of former South African president Nelson Mandela, for his values and fight for social justice, through volunteering and community service.
Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval (July 28) recognizes the resilience, perseverance of the Acadians during and after Le Grande Dérangement in the 1750s.
Emancipation Day (August 1) is observed globally to commemorate the abolition of slavery of people of African descent across the British Empire and in Canada. A day to reflect, educate, and engage in the struggle against racism and discrimination.
UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (August 9) is a day to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous populations; it also recognizes the achievements and contributions made by Indigenous people towards issues such as environmental protection.
Obon – Japanese (August 13) is an important festival in Japan, a 3-day event to celebrate the memory of Japanese ancestors.
National Acadian Day – Canadian (August 15) highlights the contribution of Acadians to the Canadian cultural fabric, recognizing their historical presence on the land and celebrates their cultural specificity in all its diversity.
UN World Humanitarian Day (August 19) pays tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work and to honour all aid and health workers who continue to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need. World Humanitarian Day 2024 is celebrated with the theme of ‘The Human Race’ and talks about climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: IN FILM AND PODCAST
Environmental Racism: the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards, pollution, and ecological degradation experienced by marginalized communities, as well as those of people of colour
Environmental Justice: the principle that all people and communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or background, have the right to live in safe and healthy environments.
“In Canada, your postal code determines your health.” This statement, made in this 2020 Canadian documentary, is given a sharp investigation through the lens of environmental racism with the disproportionate effect of environmental damage on Black Canadian and Indigenous communities in Nova Scotia. The film, directed by Elliot Page and Ian Daniel, takes its name from Ingrid Waldron’s book by the same name. Watch the film trailer here.
There’s Something in the Water is complemented by a 30-minute CBC podcast from What on Earth. In 2023, Nova Scotia pledged to investigate how Black and Indigenous people in the province are disproportionately affected by pollution and environmental hazards, including climate change. In the interview, you’ll hear the chair of the panel formed about the work of that investigation. An epilogue, subsequent to the submission of the panel’s report follows, which indicates the province is now withholding crucial information.
Watch the Film on:
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Hayu
Crave
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: KEIRA PRETTE, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING
In their conversation together on July 15, 2025, at Signal Hill Library, Keira Prette, Director of Digital Marketing, shared with Board Member Jenny how her involvement with CJFF has evolved from volunteer to her current board role. As one of three members on the Communications Committee, Keira promotes CJFF’s social media presence. As well, maintaining the CJFF website with up-to-date information.
The festival's shift last year, Keira said, from meeting at a church to The Confluence, resulted in attracting a larger and broader audience, both younger and more diverse, to the annual festival.
Keira discussed the important role CJFF plays in increasing the awareness of social justice issues to its Calgary audiences, irrespective of where such matters occur.
The opportunities for CJFF are many, Keira feels. However, if the potential growth of our organization is to be realized, more people are needed (i.e., board members, staff, and volunteers). Keira remains optimistic about CJFF's future, and she intends to stay involved for many years.
To learn more about Keira’s dynamic role on CJFF, visit here.
OUR PARTNERS
The Confluence: Exhibit of Blackfoot ways of knowing, being, and belonging: Kípaitápiiyssinnooni (Our Way of Life) exhibit
Calgary International Film Festival: Get Tickets Now!
GET INVOLVED!
As Keira Prette said so well in her interview, for CJFF to realize its full potential, we need MORE! More people to volunteer and contribute their time and skills, more people and organizations to support us.
If you have some time and are interested in using your talents and building new ones, we invite you to become one of our team. At this point, you can do so in several ways:
Event and Volunteer Coordinator (September to November)
Grant Researcher and Writer (Year-round)
Board Secretary (Year-round)
If interested, please reach out to social@justicefilmfestival.ca
DONATE
Our sponsors and partners are hugely important to our operation, whether through monetary donations, in-kind contributions, or partnering with other organizations—all of it helps make CJFF the best it can be. Find a full list of our sponsors here.
CJFF celebrates the arts and culture through the film-making lens of social justice. A donation to our organization promotes the work of our organization. Donations also help support the filmmakers who rely on film festivals like ours to showcase the vital stories they tell.
To donate to CJFF, visit here.
At CJFF, there’s something for everyone interested in being involved as a volunteer, partner, sponsor, supporter, donor, or part of the audience.