The Weengushk International Film Festival, a part of the annual programming out of the Weengushk Film Institute (WFI) run by Brock University Chancellor Shirley Cheechoo, takes place this weekend online for the first time.

WFI students do all course work and production at the institute on Manitoulin and are then granted a Brock certificate in Film or Television Production, due to a partnership with the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film first entered into an academic partnership with the WFI in 2016, while Cheechoo was serving her first of two terms as Brock’s Chancellor.

Unfortunately for the students, their early masterpieces won’t be included in the programming, as they were at last year’s festival on Manitoulin Island.

“The Weengushk students, who receive a certificate from Brock University, were unable to complete their films this year when in-person classes halted due to COVID-19,” explains Assistant Professor Liz Clarke in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film.

Clarke adds that students are set to complete their films in the upcoming year. Some of the past student films are available to view on the Weengushk Film Institute’s website.

Although the pandemic has slowed the progress of some of the students’ projects, the festival’s transition to a virtual delivery does create an opportunity for film buffs everywhere.

“This year, audience members have a unique opportunity to attend the festival virtually, making these films more accessible than ever,” says Clarke.

The festival, which runs from July 9 to 12, features “the best of Indigenous film-making from across the globe,” according to Clarke.

Learn more or purchase tickets to the online festival at the Weengushk International Film Festival website.