Scriptfest at Cinéfest 2025: A New Chapter for Northern Ontario Cinema

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival has always been a landmark event for Northern Ontario. This year, Scriptfest enters the festival with a sense of pride and momentum that has been building for years. What started as a grassroots creative experiment has now grown into a recognized filmmaking movement, and in 2025 our films step confidently onto the big screen.

Two major Scriptfest projects will premiere at Cinéfest, marking a milestone for our community and for the filmmakers who believed in the power of telling local stories.

World Premieres at Cinéfest

🎬 20 Crickets

Directed by Zha Babaieva

Tuesday, September 16 at 4 PM — Short Circuit I, SilverCity Cinema

20 Crickets began as a small idea inside Season 1 and grew into a surreal, atmospheric film powered entirely by emerging local filmmakers. Its selection by Cinéfest is more than a screening; it’s proof that bold voices from the North belong on festival screens.

🎥 The Bruce Peninsula

Directed by Scriptfest alum Matthew Poitras

Thursday, September 18 at 9 PM

A filmmaker who started his journey inside our community now premieres his first feature at Cinéfest. This moment represents exactly why Scriptfest exists — to give creators the launchpad to step into larger stories and larger screens.

Season 2: Four Films, One Vision

Outside the festival spotlight, Scriptfest is celebrating another major achievement: the successful completion of all four films mapped out in our production calendar nearly a year ago.

Season 2 brought together new filmmakers, returning collaborators, and an entire community determined to raise the bar. The result is a slate of films as diverse as the people who made them:

• It’s March 17th and I’m Still in Love with You — a moving story of love and memory, created within Sudbury’s Ukrainian community

• Nightstands — a sharp, stylish rom-com navigating intimacy and consent

• The Squirrel Diaries — a wild eco-horror comedy featuring puppets, SFX, stunts, and a 60-person crew

• A Day Early — wrapped in September, completing the full four-film commitment we set out to accomplish last year

These films were made with heart, community support, and an impressive level of craft.

A Film Movement Takes Root

Cinéfest 2025 is more than a festival milestone — it’s a sign that something real is taking shape in Northern Ontario. Filmmakers here are no longer waiting for permission or opportunities from elsewhere. They’re creating, collaborating, and building an industry from the ground up.

Scriptfest is becoming a home for that momentum. A place where beginners and veterans share space. Where creative risks are encouraged. Where each season pushes the next one higher.

And now, with our films premiering at Cinéfest, the wider world is beginning to take notice.

Northern Ontario stories belong on the big screen. This year, they’re shining brighter than ever.

Stay tuned for festival updates, filmmaker spotlights, and behind-the-scenes moments as we celebrate this incredible milestone.