What to Watch at the 2026 Blue Mountain Film + Media Festival

Cannes may be the film festival that grabs all the headlines each and every May, but it’s far from the only opportunity to take in crowd-pleasing stories and award-winning cinematic fare.

Case in point: The 2026 Blue Mountain Film + Media Festival. The four-day event brings an impressive number of world titles to the resort village–located just over an hour north of Toronto. This year’s slate of 33 films includes ones from 16 countries, alongside a host of special guest appearances and exclusive Q&As with filmmakers.

If you missed some of the bold international features that were chosen as submissions for Best International Feature at the 2026 Oscars, this is the perfect opportunity to catch up. There’s Switzerland’s Late Shift from filmmaker Petra Volpe, which follows a young nurse (Leonie Benesch) through a nerve-wracking late-night hospital stint. You can also take in Calle Málaga, Morocco’s pick, starring acting great Carmen Maura (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Volver), which proves that rebellion isn’t just for the young. Directed by Maryam Touzani, the film went on to win Audience Awards at the Venice Film Festival and four other international showcases.

There’s also Egypt’s coming-of-age tale, Happy Birthday. A study of social hierarchy, it follows an 8-year-old maid who has her heart set on throwing a birthday party for her friend, her employer’s daughter. Bring Kleenex to the heart-wrenching Father, Slovakia’s entry, which examines the consequences of a man experiencing forgotten baby syndrome.

You can also catch Spain’s Sirāt, one of the front-runners in the category’s final five contenders. The unusual road trip drama, which follows a father (Sergi López) in search of his missing daughter, won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, in addition to its two Academy Award nominations.

If you want to treat yourself to some homegrown fare, there are 10 features from Canada to choose from–4 fiction and 7 documentaries–and one curated programme of short films. Little Lorraine tells the unbelievable true tale of a Cape Breton miner (Stephen Amell) left jobless in the wake of a tragic 1986 mining disaster, who is drawn into a lucrative yet dangerous opportunity offered by his estranged great-uncle Huey (Stephen McHattie). Black Zombie traces the origins of the zombie from Haitian Vodou to the big screen, while The Clan of the Painted Lady traces one family’s journey and how their Hakka culture has been shaped by the communities around them.

The festival’s two galas spotlight Dancing on the Elephant and You Had To Be There. The former is a two-hander dramedy starring two of Canada’s best: Sheila McCarthy and Mary Walsh, while the latter celebrates and examines the cultural impact of the legendary 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, which featured future stars Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Jayne Eastwood, and Andrea Martin.

For those put in a musical mood by Godspell, there are several docs to keep the vibe going. Newport & The Great Folk Dream celebrates the epic era of the Newport Folk Festival during the mid-1960s, while Peter Asher: Everywhere Man is an intimate portrait of the musical artist, producer, manager, and record company executive. You can also catch an outdoor screening of Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, a doc that celebrates the life and impressive musical catalogue of the Canadian icon.

If you’re looking for a few sure things to fill out the rest of your festival schedule, catch The Last Viking (starring Mads Mikkelsen), King Hamlet (a doc following Oscar Isaac as he prepares to play the Great Dane and a new father), Báite (an engrossing Irish murder mystery), Bookends (a heartfelt dramedy of LGBTQ romance and family), or Cookie Queens (a doc about ambitious Girl Scouts, which was selected as an Audience Favourite at this year’s SXSW Festival).

Special guests at this year’s four-day fest include Canadian treasures Sheila McCarthy and Jayne Eastwood, filmmakers Alison Reid, Matthew Poitras, Jennifer Chiu, and Simon Ennis, and a host of Virtual Q&As alongside screenings, too.

The Blue Mountain Film + Media Festival isn’t just about what’s on the screen — it’s also about helping creatives of all levels navigate the industry in order to get their projects to the finish line. The two-day Creative Forum connects creators directly with buyers, funders, commissioners, and key decision-makers. So, if you’re looking to set up curated conversations, build momentum, nail down tangible next steps, or even pitch your project, the Forum allows you to do just that.