2025 Announcement Coming Soon
Belleville Downtown DocFest’s 2024, Saturday Night at the Empire.
Proudly Presented with support from our sponsor:
Our sincerest thanks for the continuous support from the First Nations Technical Institute
2024 Saturday Night Feature and Short Film
We are thrilled to offer a short film and feature combination brought to you, in part, by our dedicated sponsor, the First Nations Technical Institute.
Use your full in-person pass or (space-permitting) you can pay $13 cash at the door for a single ticket.
Get Passes
Passes are on sale now for the 2024 Festival, find out more about the different types of passes and ways to watch on our Tickets and Passes page.
Saturday Night Short Film Selection
The Water Walker
A profile of Autumn Peltier, a 15-year-old Anishinaabe from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island who has been nominated three times for the International Children’s Peace Prize. The film follows Peltier as she prepares to address the United Nations on the right to clean drinking water for the world’s Indigenous communities.
”..named the chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation, representing 40 First Nations across Ontario. She was just 14 years old… Indeed, she has taken and embodied that torch. Peltier comes from a long line of water protectors and chiefs — it’s this lineage that propels her.“ June Chua, Rabble.ca
Awards
TIFF (Toronto), 2020 – Official Selection (Premiere)
Saturday Night Feature Selection
Boil Alert
Mohawk artist and activist Layla Staats raises awareness about hazardous water supplies in North American Indigenous communities. Her journeys to communities that endure unsafe water in Canada and the United States parallels her own personal journey to connect with her Mohawk identity.
“… an ambitious 104-minute documentary that blends unscripted real-life moments with scripted vignettes to go beyond the template of using statistics and experts to put the spotlight on an issue that transcends geographical boundaries.” – Brittany Hobson, Canadian Press
“Layla Staats is an everywoman and a symbol for a new generation of indigenous young people re-visiting the lessons of the past as they struggle to imagine a more sustainable future…”
Sandra Hale Schulman, Indian Country Today
Awards
TIFF (Toronto), 2023 – Official Selection (Premiere)
CUFF (Calgary), 2023 – Official Selection
Chilliwack Independent Film Festival, 2023 – Official Selection
News & Updates
🎤 Announcing Ryan Malcolm at DocFest’s Gala Concert!
Early Bird 🐣 DocFest 2025 Passes on Sale
