Good Films. Do Good.

Our Story

Since our start in 2006 when we were called the Marda Loop Justice Film Festival, we grew from a three-day festival with venues at River Park Church and the downtown Public Library to a seven-day festival with additional venues at the Globe Cinema and the Plaza Theater. In addition to the annual festival, we also presented justREEL, a year-round film series. As our film festival grew and attracted a bigger audience, in 2021 we changed our name to the Calgary Justice Film Festival - CJFF. In 2020 and 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we screened the films and documentaries on a virtual-basis. In 2022 we returned to presenting a three-day in-person film festival at the downtown Public Library and River Park Church. Throughout the 18-year history of our justice film festival, thanks to our supporters we have been able to offer free admission.

The documentaries we present are chosen from a submission pool of more than 500 filmmakers from over 100 countries. Our screenings include a discussion with either the filmmaker or experts on the films’ topics. These conversations are lively, inclusive, and enlightening, occasionally charged or even contentious, but always thought-provoking.

During our film festival we sponsor a two day Peace Fair, providing a venue for non profit organizations engaged in human rights, environment, equality, helping new immigrants and other justice pursuits, to set up displays to inform festival attendees of their mission.

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals

The Calgary Justice Film Festival uses the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint for film programming. All films screened must align with at least one goal— many films align with multiple goals.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.