The Guelph Film Festival: The One You Shouldn’t Miss (But Probably Have)

By Thom Ernst

The Guelph Film Festival (Nov. 7-15) is now in its 28th year. If you haven’t heard of it, that’s understandable. Southern Ontario is crowded with festivals—Toronto, Kingston, Hot Docs, Niagara—so many that missing one or two barely registers.

But the Guelph Film Festival shouldn’t be one of the ones you miss.

Founded in 1984, with a brief pause in the ’90s before returning in 2000, the festival has always been about connection. Not red carpets or step-and-repeats, but people. Neighbours. The communities in and around Guelph who make up the fabric of the region’s identity.

A scene from Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong

“We’re a bit different than most film festivals,” says Kimber Sider, who’s been the festival’s Artistic Director for the past eight years. “We’re community-focused rather than industry- or director-focused. That makes us unique, because we’re programming specifically for the people of Guelph and the surrounding region.”

This year marks Sider’s final turn as Artistic Director—she’ll soon hand the reins to Truth Harrison—but her imprint remains unmistakable: a festival rooted in progressive conversation and social awareness, with a sense of humour about both.

The Guelph Film Festival isn’t here to scold you about the state of the world, but it won’t let you off the hook either. The films—shorts and features alike—tackle weighty subjects: addiction, abuse, environmental collapse. But they do so with wit, empathy, and narrative drive. These aren’t lectures disguised as documentaries; they’re stories alive with conflict and insight.

Take Hearse Chasing which delves into alcoholism and family dynamics, or Compost Me, a film exploring, among other things, the environmental potential of human composting (finally, a green solution for people who want to die sustainably). The festival’s lineup proves that serious themes can still make for vibrant, surprising cinema—films that make you think, but also make you laugh at the absurdity of the human condition.

And because this is Guelph—a city that prides itself on creativity with a conscience—the festival spills beyond theatre walls. Screenings and events are held in multiple venues across town, turning the city itself into one big cinema. “This increases our reach and helps us connect with the community,” says Sider. “We want people to feel welcome in all our spaces.”

Those spaces include Art Not Shame and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where, on November 13 at 7 p.m., audiences attending the waste-water crisis doc Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong can cozy up on second-hand chairs—and yes, even buy the chair they sit on and take it home. You don’t get that kind of deal at TIFF.

The Guelph Film Festival continues through November 15, with plenty more films, events, and conversations still to come—including director Q&As, live music, and even a sustainable fashion show (because what’s a festival without a little flair?).

In the crowded landscape of Ontario film festivals, Guelph’s stands out for the simplest of reasons: it’s genuine. It’s about connection, conversation, and community—and it might just be the most human film festival around.

Schedule of films and events can be viewed on the Festivals website: Guelph Film Festival