founded in 1984
One of the world’s first documentary film festivals
An independent not-for-profit arts organization
Rebranded in 2014 as the Guelph Film Festival
One of the world’s first documentary film festivals, the festival began as the Guelph International Film Festival in 1984 as a partnership between the Guelph International Research Centre (GIRC): an organization created to provide people in Guelph with an understanding of Canada's role in the world, the importance of Canada's overseas activities, as well as the interconnectedness of people living around the world, and the Development Education Program of the University of Guelph’s Centre for International Programs. In the '80s, the festival ran for seven consecutive years drawing large audiences to its unique mix of international feature films and documentaries. After a 13-year hiatus, the festival was revived in 2003 by GIRC.
The festival changed its name to the Guelph Festival of Moving Media in 2008. With its new name reflecting the documentary trends and explosion of online media. In 2012, the festival became an independent non-profit organization. And 2014, the festival decided to return to its roots by rebranding itself as the Guelph Film Festival.
The festival runs for 9 days at the beginning of November every year and features a selection of international, national, and local feature and short documentaries, with visiting directors, in depth post screening discussions and events, plus programming for children & family.
The festival focuses on three themes: social justice, the environment, and community building.