Celebrating and inspiring community through the shared experience of film, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) hosts both an annual festival and year-round film programs dedicated to bringing bold, reflective and inspiring films to Waterloo Region (Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo).

The festival hosts local, Canadian, and international films, pairing screenings with panels consisting of directors, film professionals, local interest groups and notable guest speakers. GRFF recognizes the power of film to connect people and is thrilled to act as a vehicle for the community to build relationships and host meaningful conversations within the Waterloo Region.

The main Grand River Film Festival will run May 5th to 8th, 2021 as a virtual festival, with films screened on a digital platform. We will be showing feature films and shorts during this week, and welcome submissions for consideration of both.

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY FOR FEATURE FILM CATEGORIES

- Selection will be based on quality and form
- Films must be in English or in the original language with English subtitles
- Duration: must be more than 30 minutes
- Entries previously submitted and not accepted may not be resubmitted (cancelled 2020 festival excepted)
- Submissions must be making their Waterloo Region premiere at the festival and must be deemed a new release by the programming committee

ELIGIBILITY FOR SHORT FILM CATEGORIES

- Selection will be based on quality and form
- Films must be in English or in the original language with English subtitles
- Duration: must be less than 15 minutes including credits
- Entries previously submitted and not accepted may not be resubmitted (cancelled 2020 festival excepted)
- Submissions must be making their Waterloo Region premiere at the festival and must be deemed a new release by the programming committee

4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Kim Saltarski

    Really really great festival. Of all the festivals my film screened this one surprisingly stood out with their great venues and filmmaker communication.

    November 2017
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  • Blair Johannes

    We Really enjoyed the Grand River Film Festival. They certainly made us feel welcome. Great venues and we made it out to Industrial Day which was a fun night and had some great information for indie film makes. Thank you to everyone at GRFF for a great experience and all the hard work they put into their festival.

    November 2017
    Helpful
  • Mike Gallant

    A wonderful little charming festival with a pretty decent screening venue. They also took great care of their short filmmakers in a way that I will keep quiet about but was also pleasantly unexpected.

    November 2017
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  • Samantha Chalmers

    The festival was a wonderful experience! All of the coordinators and volunteers were very nice and helpful. I can't wait until next year to attend again!

    November 2017
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