The Barrie Film Festival is a not for profit organization that provides film fans unique experiences through year-round programming.

The Barrie Film Festival screens and operates on the traditional land of the Anishnaabeg people. The Anishnaabeg include the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. We are dedicated to honouring Indigenous history and culture and are committed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation and respect with all First Nation, Métis and Inuit people.

Projects of the Barrie Film Festival:

Summer Outdoor Film screenings

Catering to a broader audience to create a special and accessible venue on the waterfront, with family-friendly films and presented free-of-charge to the Barrie community. These screenings are a good fit in collaboration with the Downtown BIA’s Lawn Chair Luminata series, which bring together theatre, music, film and art set in the downtown parks.

Screen One monthly film series

This year-round series started in 1995 and is where it all began for the BFF. We show a selection of Canadian, Independent and World cinema to a loyal and ever building audience on the first Wednesday of the month from February – April and October – December.

Annual Barrie Film Festival

The festival began in 1997 and over the years has grown to a multifaceted event. The line-up is a showcase of award-winning independent feature films from all over the globe with a significant emphasis on Canadian content as well as the screening of short films and a short film competition. The number of offsite additions has expanded over the years to include, galas, educational workshops and guest Q&As to further enhance the excitement of the festival.

Short Film Competition

This popular program began in 2001 supporting emerging and established filmmakers regionally, nationally, and internationally. The jury’s official selections are screened as part of the Annual Barrie Film Festival in the Fall. The audience has the opportunity to vote for their favourite film and awards are presented at the Filmmakers’ Party following the screening. Categories include: a Canada-wide High School Category; Simcoe County Category (includes Barrie/Orillia); and the international Open Category. Films are submitted through FilmFreeway.

Central Ontario Youth Short Film Festival

The Barrie Film Festival’s Annual Central Ontario Youth Short Film Festival (COYSFF) began in 2022. It is a regional competition for students registered in high schools in the Central Ontario region and is a qualifying festival for the Ontario Youth Film Festival (OYFF). Films are submitted through FilmFreeway.

Reel Stories

The socially conscious documentary-focused program is primarily concerned with raising awareness and highlighting current issues in the world. It began in 2005. This annual mini-film festival takes place in March.

Student Education Program

The Education Program started in 2001 but is currently under redevelopment. It has catered to thousands of elementary and high school students from Barrie and the surrounding area. The programming is designed to incorporate the needs of current curricula and allows students the opportunity to view films in an event setting which are often not available to see anywhere other than film festivals. We provide education resources to the teachers. This includes background information on the films, notable content details, pre and post viewing activities and curriculum links. Programs are also available for extended French students. We work to ensure that all school groups who show interest in attending can be accommodated and make every effort to schedule screenings to suit the needs of as many teachers and students as possible.

3rd Thursday

This monthly series started in 2014 and is another exciting addition to our monthly offering so that we can bring you more screening opportunities and also have a time slot where we can add a variety of genres from more challenging, thought-provoking features to documentaries and there may even be some lighthearted selections in the mix. We guarantee we will showcase a wide variety of material from Canada and around the world. This series is currently on hold.