Justice4Reel Film Festival
Justice4Reel is a curated, public film and arts festival scheduled for June 26–28, 2026, at the Ortona Arts Hub in Edmonton. Designed to bridge the gap between abstract human rights and our lived local realities in the heart of Alberta, this three-day journey fosters reflection, shared dialogue, and coordinated civic action.
By using documentary film as a catalyst, Justice4Reel moves beyond interpersonal perspectives to examine the structural challenges shaping our province. It serves as a civic laboratory where the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is transformed from a legal document into a tangible tool for community dignity and accountability.
Festival Highlights
A Free Public Celebration: A three-day event featuring documentary screenings, arts-based workshops, and vital community dialogue. Donations are gratefully accepted.
Civic Engagement: A space to explore how human rights—such as dignity, security, and freedom from discrimination—are experienced across Alberta.
Accessibility for All: Hosted at a fully accessible venue with a hybrid model available for remote attendance.
Collaborative Action: Designed to foster connection between audiences, artists, and community leaders to inspire long-term social change.
Program Schedule: June 26–28, 2026
The festival’s structure is designed to build momentum, ensuring the energy generated in the theatre translates into meaningful change in our streets and boardrooms.
Day 1 | Friday, June 26: Youth Voice & Future Visions
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Two Documentary Screenings: A focus on youth perspectives through short documentaries including In Their Own Words, Intersections by Damian Abrahams. This documentary brings together young people from across Alberta who gathered in March 2025 to speak candidly about the systemic inequities shaping their lives. Through art, dialogue, and collective reflection, the film weaves their stories into a powerful narrative of resilience and truth-telling—offering a clear call for policy change and a more equitable future for youth across the province.
Education4All: Some children in Alberta are being denied access to education because of their parents’ precarious immigration status. This documentary shares their story.
Followed by panel discussion. (hybrid)
Day 2 | Saturday, June 27: Changemakers & Culture
1:00 pm | Doors Open: Community gathering and networking. (in person only)
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm | Documentary screening, Human Rights In Alberta: Fact or Fiction? by Dignity Forum, This powerful film chronicles the shameful human rights history in Alberta and highlights the positive efforts taken to overcome the toxicity inherent in a society where prejudice and discrimination are pervasive. (hybrid).
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Two documentary screenings, Breaking Stigma by Heidy Panameno, our current system of hierarchy is set up to fail. We need Holistic Humanely addressed systems. Munto Wiyasowewin. Three people. Three lives. One country. We are connected.
The second documentary is Victoria Ka Raja by Ayilya Thampuran, a documentart that follows Badshah, the first Indian Drag King in Canada, as they navigate identity, culture, and self-expression through performance.
The films will be followed by a community discussion (hybrid).
Day 3 | Sunday, June 28: Accountability & Community Impact
1:00 pm | Doors Open: Community gathering and networking. (in person only)
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Opening Reception & Performance: A soft opening featuring a performance to energize and prepare the audience for the afternoon's focus.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | World Premiere Screening: Unanswered: A Failed Call to Justice: In 2024, the Safer for All documentary sparked a provincial conversation on community safety. This year, Justice4Reel is honored to host the premiere of its powerful follow-up, Unanswered: A Failed Call to Justice. The film centres on the harrowing experience of Mathios Arkangelo and the resilience of his family seeking accountability after a fatal police encounter. Moving beyond the headlines, Unanswered meticulously examines the systemic failures of oversight bodies and the transformative power of community organizing. Join us for the screening and a high-level dialogue on institutional reform, the future of policing technology, and collectively redefining safety for all Albertans.
This initiative is made possible through the vital support of the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives (CSMARI) program.