There’s no shortage of film festivals for the discerning movie goer to attend these days and with Hot Docs, Inside Out, ImagineNATIVE and more crowding the calendar this spring, that’s particularly true for film fans in Southern Ontario. One small but mighty (and growing every year) gem comes to us courtesy of the village of Blue Mountain, about two hours north of Toronto. Nestled at the base of the escarpment on the shores of Georgian Bay, it’s the perfect place to sit back, relax and enjoy a fantastically curated line-up of feature and short films.

The Blue Mountain Film + Media Festival (BMFM) returns for its fourth year starting tomorrow, May 29, and running to Sunday, June 1. This year’s program includes 32 feature films from 12 different countries, with a little something for everyone including an impressive mix of hard-hitting dramas, farcical comedies, award-winning documentaries, and international standouts.

The festival officially kicks off Thursday with the Canadian premiere of Kevin Claydon and Phil Moniz’s Racewalkers. The award-winning comedy follows a struggling racewalking coach who teams up with a washed-up pro baseball player to compete with the oft-overlooked sport’s elite athletes. Starring the directing duo and Robbie Amell (The Flash), the film impressed audiences at Slamdance earlier this year and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize.

Other Canadian premieres include Ukrainian doc Front Row, about a war vet amputee who takes centre stage as the United Ukrainian Ballet Company’s guest of honour, and Northern Ireland’s crime thriller Aontas, which tracks three women and a bank robbery gone badly wrong. There’s a host of smaller award-winners to catch up with, too, including Four Women (a London Film Festival Audience Award recipient), Holy Cow (Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard: Youth Prize winner), and Canada’s own Universal Language, which has garnered laurels from TIFF to the National Board of Review. The French-and-Persian-language comedy is nominated for a whopping 13 awards at this weekend’s Canadian Screen Awards, so BMFM audiences have a chance to catch up and find out what all the hype is about.

Another unmissable title is the immigration drama Souleymane’s Story. Showing twice at BMFM, the French drama has wowed audiences across France—from the Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up three awards, to the country’s prestigious César Awards, where it won 4 trophies. In particular, the film has drawn rave reviews for its lead performance from Abou Sangare as an undocumented Guinean delivery biker in Paris. Another hot-ticket item is the screening of internationally lauded, intimate doc Mistress Dispeller, which shines the spotlight on the economics of marriage in China. Those in attendance will experience a virtual Q&A with director Elizabeth Lo, a young filmmaker with one of the most exciting new voices in the genre.

On Saturday, audiences can look forward to a highly anticipated Gala Presentation of The Friend, directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, and starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. Another highlight on Day Three is the deeply emotional doc Come See Me in the Good Light. It’s only the second film to ever win the Audience Award at Sundance and at Hot Docs.

As the fest wraps up on Sunday, you can take in the festival’s Shorts program and discover the next generation of Canadian filmmaking voices. This year’s line up of 5 films features a vibrant range of films from 4 to 3 minutes in length, including The Light Before the Sun from Cree actor and director Michael Greyeyes.

If the weather cooperates, there will also be chances to take in free outdoor screenings of films like Best in Show and The Last Waltz. And for Star Wars fans, there’s a rare opportunity to attend a free showing of Star Wars (Anagong Miigaadin): A New Hope (Ojibwe Dub). The iconic 1977 space opera is given an innovative Indigenous twist, with the Ontario debut of the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language version of the movie that started it all.

That’s just a taste of what awaits over the next four days. Head to the official schedule to find out more about unforgettable Q&As with talent and filmmakers, and other special screening events.  The 2025 festival is set to be bigger and better than ever.

Stay tuned for reviews and interviews from the festival here.

The Blue Mountain Film + Media Festival takes place May 29 to June 1, 2025. Get tickets here.

Disclaimer: BMFM Lead Film Programmer Jason Gorber, and Assistant Programmers Pat Mullen and Rachel West, are all members of our That Shelf Senior Staff.