46th Annual Atlantic International Film Festival

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Stephanie Beaumont

Official Release – August 12, 2026

The 46th Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) announces the full 2026 program, showcasing 113 feature and short films at Halifax’s Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane fromWednesday September 16 to Wednesday September 23. AIFF 2026 celebrates the accomplishments of the Atlantic Canadian film industry with programming which reflects the perspectives and talent coming out of Atlantic Canada, alongside award-winning cinema from around the world. Titles include the highly anticipated noir fever dream by Seth Smith, PERMANENT DAMAGE; the World Premiere of SMASH & GRAB: THE REBEL LENS OF MIKE JONES,a portrait of one of Canada’s most inventive comedic families, directed by Justin Simms; and the Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner FJORD,directed by Cristian Mungiu.

“We are thrilled to continue to bring exciting Atlantic and World Cinema to Halifax for our 46th edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival,” says Lisa Haller, Director of Programming at AIFF. “We’ve curated a program that reflects the extraordinary range of contemporary cinema: films that take risks, challenge perspectives, and remind us why the shared experience of watching a great story on the big screen matters.”

The 2026 festival will present four Gala Presentations:
This year’s Atlantic Gala is the Canadian Premiere of THE SNAKE, the debut feature-length film by Prince Edward Island director Jenna MacMillan. Written by and starring Susan Kent, THE SNAKE is a darkly comedic drama about a woman newly evicted and single, wrestling for the life she wants back. The film had its World Premiere at SXSW where it was the first film from P.E.I. to premiere at the festival. Actor-writer Susan Kent also took home the SXSW Special Jury Award for Performance. Starring alongside Kent are Jonathan Torrens, Robin Duke, Emma Hunter, and Dan Petronijevic. The Atlantic Gala will take place on Saturday, September 19, 7 p.m.

The Reel East Coast Shorts Gala, taking place on Sunday, September 20, 7 p.m., will elevate festival alumni and exciting talents to watch from the Atlantic region. The programme will boast the World Premieres of BILLY GAUTHIER: CARVING THE FUTURE by Inuk visual artist and performer Jennie Williams (NL), the assured debut drama MARGOT by Marthe Bernard (NL), as well as the Atlantic Canadian Premiere of the visually astounding animation THE FLAMES OF ME,created with fire and soot by New Brunswick artist Daniel Léger.

As previously announced, to kick off the festival as the Opening Night Gala, AIFF is delighted to present the World Premiere of 111 ECHOES FROM HALIFAX, the powerful Switzerland–Canada co-production that is rooted in the true story of the Swissair Flight 111 tragedy and its lasting impact on Nova Scotia. The moving drama explores resilience, loss, and the connections that unite us. Special guests will be in attendance. The Opening Night Gala will take place on Wednesday, September 16, 6:30 p.m. The Opening Night Gala Celebration will follow the screening at Bearly’s House of Blues, beginning at 9 p.m.

See the world, from Haiti to Chad to China to Norway, in the World Cinema program which highlights festival favorites and narrative features with bold filmmaking perspectives, including brand new works from Canadian talents and international auteurs. Films include the anticipated feature from Ron Murphy (Trailer Park Boys) starring Christopher Walken, BACK IN BLACK; Beth de Araújo’s masterful award-winning JOSEPHINE,with heat-wrenching performances by Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan; and Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s visually evocative SOUMSOUM, THE NIGHT OF THE STARS, set in the Ennedi mountains of northeastern Chad.

This year’s documentaries offer a diversity of perspectives, never-before-seen archival footage, and a celebration of Canadian icons. The 2026 line-up will include the World Premiere of CAPTAIN NEWFOUNDLAND, an illuminating and wildly entertaining portrait of Newfoundland media mogul Geoff Stirling; celebrated director Mila Aung-Thwin’s THE ULTRA RUNNER, a standout examination of an extreme endurance-pushing ultramarathon runner’s journey to escape past demons; and the Sundance Grand Jury Documentary winner TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN, directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, an immersive and lyrical portrait of a shepherd mother and daughter and their grassroots resistance to defend their remote community in the mountains of Montenegro.

Narrative New Waves spotlights debut features from around the world and has everything from haunting coming of age dramas to family friendly animation, including writer/director Marine Atlan’s stunning debut feature LA GRADIVA, which follows a class of French high school students on a life-changing excursion to Naples; the Nepali Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG, directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, a standout drama where a matriarch must choose between love and responsibility to her community; and the vibrant, celebratory debut of Academy Award nominee Louise Bagnall in the family-friendly JULIÁN. The program also boasts the World Premiere directorial debut from Unama’ki (Cape Breton) Indigenous actor Glen Gould, JEFFREY’S TURN, the Canadian Premiere of nuanced independent drama SEAHORSE, by AIFF alumni director Aisha Evelyna, and the Atlantic Canadian premiere of filmmaker Lindsday Lanzillotta’s Newfoundland-shot coming-of-age tale PURGATORY, with J.K. Simmons, Abby Elliott, and John Reynolds.

AIFF’s Late Night Visions program brings weird, wild and boundary-pushing films to the big screen, including the World Premiere of STITCHES, the microbudget body horror anthology from AIFF alumni Taylor Olson and the horror-comedy SLEEP NO MORE by Indonesian auteur Edwin.

Our In Focus program celebrates an Atlantic icon or filmmaker with a free screening for the public. This year’s selection will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Newfoundland cult classic THE ADVENTURE OF FAUSTUS BIDGOOD, from directors Andy Jones and Michael Jones, with a newly restored print.

The Short Programmes include a selection of films from Canada and around the world, celebrating a variety of genres and styles including documentaries, animation, international award winners and more. Expanding this year to seven (7) programs, the selection will include 49 short films, with 44% of the program representing Atlantic Canada. The program will open with the World Premiere of COLLECTORS, featuring an incredible ensemble cast including Sarah Gadon, Noah Reid, Don McKellar and directed by the award-winning Andrew Cividino.The program will also present the World Premieres of Halifax-based animator Joel MacKenzie’s wildly original BABY DADDY; the comedy-thriller REVEL, by Mishki Vaccaro, starring Megan Follows and Tommie-Amber Pirie which takes place on the shores of the Bay of Fundy; a powerful and urgent documentary portrait on profound tragedy ESKIPESIMK, by filmmakers Catherine C. Brown and Jeffrey R. Fish; the North American premiere of PILUK, a breathtaking NFB animation by Elisapie Isaac and Marc Séguin; and a musical short film KILORAN BAY, starring Alan Cumming.

The dazzling and exuberant HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka will close the festival as the Closing Night Gala on Wednesday September 26, at 7 p.m.

In addition to a diverse and noteworthy selection of films, AIFF is proud to offer a series of special events and exclusive in-cinema panels and talks for 2026. Celebrating its 29th year, AIFF’s co-production market AIFF Partners returns with a thematic focus on the North. Arctic Lens: A Circumpolar Spotlight will emphasize the distinctive voices and stories emerging from the Circumpolar Region, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous storytelling and the evolving environmental and geopolitical realities shaping the North.

Public programming will include an in-depth conversation with the team behind our Opening Night Gala film, 111 ECHOES FROM HALIFAX, as they discuss bringing the story to life and balancing the emotional weight of the real events that inspired the film. Hosted by retired CBC host and producer Norma Lee MacLeod and featuring both Swiss and Canadian filmmaking talent, this panel will be offered free of charge to the public on Saturday, September 19 at 11 a.m.

Celebrating the rich documentary work coming out of Newfoundland and Labrador, the panel Docs from the Rock: Profiling Newfoundland’s Comedy and Arts Pioneers will engage the directors behind SMASH & GRAB: THE REBEL LENS OF MIKE JONES (Justin Simms) and CAPTAIN NEWFOUNDLAND (Mike Feehan) in a conversation about the legendary NL comedians and media moguls their respective films profile and how to distill these larger-than-life characters into the film form.

The festival will officially launch with a media and VIP Opening Night Red Carpet directly before our Opening Night Gala Screening of 111 ECHOES FROM HALIFAX, at Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane. Enjoy a glass of bubbly and grab a snack while the filmmaking team and VIPs walk the red carpet. Following the screening, we will gather for an evening of conversation and live music at Bearly’s House of Blues in downtown Halifax to celebrate the start of the festival.

Friday at the festival includes office parties with organizations that form the bedrock of filmmaking support on the East Coast. Enjoy the NFB / Telefilm Open House from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., and then head to the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative for another open house from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. before taking in a full night of screenings.

On Saturday, our Atlantic Gala Screening of PEI director Jenna MacMillan’s first feature, THE SNAKE, will be followed by what promises to be a rowdy Atlantic Gala Party at Stardust from 9 p.m. till late. We expect a PEI film posse and a full night of music and merriment.

AIFF’s development and mentorship program for emerging filmmakers, the AIFF Filmmaker Lab, boasts its largest cohort yet with 13 participants from all four Atlantic provinces. The Filmmaker Lab is generously supported by the RBC Foundation, and this year offered workshops in film funding with Screen NS’ Morgan Salter, post-production with Pasha Patriki from PurpleDOG Post, film festival strategy planning with Katie Bignell from Festival Formula, and pitching yourself and your projects with Jan Miller. The Lab will culminate in a free screening of works-in-progress at Carbon Arc Cinema on Sunday, September 20 at 7 p.m..

Our annual awards ceremony, the AIFF and Linda Joy Awards, will take place this year in partnership with Carbon Arc Cinema and will be held outdoors, weather permitting, at ‘Gus’ Garden’ at the Museum of Natural History on Sunday September 20 at 2 p.m. The awards are a celebration of the year’s outstanding Atlantic Canadian films, filmmakers, performers, and crew, and are always a laid-back place to gather with the community. Presented in collaboration with AFCOOP’s Linda Joy Awards, we are excited to announce that the awards will feature a new award commemorating the life and work of beloved filmmaker James MacSwain.

Partnered receptions with WIFT-AT and DOC Atlantic will round out the week of events and networking opportunities for local and visiting industry members.

For those outside Halifax, select Atlantic Canadian features and shorts will be available to stream in Atlantic Canada via AIFF Online from September 23-27, giving online patrons an extra five days after the in-person festival is over to catch up on any films they may have missed. Tickets can be purchased for individual feature films, while shorts can be accessed with the AIFF Online Shorts Pass.

AIFF’s Insider Membership program returns this year with new perks. AIFF Insider Members will get exclusive Early Booking Access to film selections at 11 a.m. on August 13, one day before tickets are available for the general public. The Weekender Pass returns for those looking to spend the weekend at the festival, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, until the last screening on Sunday night, and the Festival Pass is still the best option for those looking to attend everything the festival has to offer over the week (excluding tickets to the Opening Night Gala Screening) and everything on AIFF Online.

Tickets for screenings and special events will be available first to AIFF Insider Members through exclusive early access on Thursday, August 13 at 11 a.m., before opening to the general public on Friday, August 14 at 11 a.m. here: atlanticfilmfestival.ca.

The festival’s physical box office will be open in the upper lobby of Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane on September 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from September 16 – 23 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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Stephanie Beaumont

Storyteller/Creative Director/Producer/Host/Writer/Marketer/Designer/Dreamer/Coffee Lover/Movie Maniac/Red Sox Fan

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Chester Race Week

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Chester Race Week

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South Shore Tourism Cooperative

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Chester Playhouse Theatre

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46th Annual Atlantic International Film Festival