Reel Justice Film Festival

The Church teaches that social justice is an integral part of evangelization and an essential part of the Church’s mission. There are so many issues of injustice all over our world, it is hard to know where to begin. Start by joining us for a movie and discussion!

Our Mission

The Reel Justice Film Festival is a partnership between Development & Peace (the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada) and The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton’s Bishop Farrell Library & Archives.

Our organizations strive to support social change and provide education around issues of unfair social, political, and economic structures. To learn more or offer support towards actions for change, please visit Development & Peace or the Diocese of Hamilton online.

Video to the right courtesy of Salt + Light Media: S3 E3 | behold, Rita Bailey – Reel Justice Film Festival.

Marie Anne Torres sits down with Rita Bailey to learn more about this project started by Development & Peace, and the Diocese of Hamilton.

2026 Festival Schedule

January 22, 2026

PUSH

Theme: Housing Insecurity
Location: Online
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. EST

Housing prices are skyrocketing in cities around the world. Incomes are not. PUSH sheds light on a new kind of faceless landlord, our increasingly unliveable cities and an escalating crisis that has an effect on us all. The film follows Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, as she travels the globe, trying to understand who’s being pushed out of the city and why. There’s a difference between housing as a commodity and gold as a commodity. As Leilani reminds us: “Gold is not a human right, housing is”.

Film Run Time: 92 minutes, 2019

Watch the Film Trailer

February 26, 2026

The Librarians

Theme: Intellectual Freedom
Location: Online Screening
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. EST

As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy, flanked by concerned community members and young readers. The Librarians is a chilling cautionary tale and rallying cry for freedom – told through the personal experiences of librarians under siege and the everyday people who join their ranks in defense of books.

Film Run Time: 93 minutes, 2025

Watch the Film Trailer

March 26, 2026

TBD (Youth Screening)

Coming soon.

April 23, 2026

Deep Rising

Theme: Mining, Ecological Debt
Location: Online
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. EST

Deep Rising is a riveting tale of geopolitical, corporate and scientific intrigue that exposes the inner workings of the secretive International Seabed Authority (ISA). The ISA is empowered to extract massive amounts of metals from the deep seafloor to fulfill demand for electric battery technology. Deep Rising reminds us that the seabed is the common heritage of humankind and highlights the urgent need to make the right decision for generations to come.

Film Run Time: 93 minutes, 2023

Watch the Film Trailer

May 28, 2026

War for the Woods

Themes: Indigenous Rights, Environment, Deforestation
Location: Online
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. EST

War for the Woods follows journalist Stephanie Kwetásel’wet Wood as she travels to Clayoquot Sound, B.C., the site of protests against clearcut logging 30 years ago. While much of the area was spared, elsewhere in B.C., clearcutting remained the status quo, and old growth forests have continued to fall. Today, precious little old growth remains, and First Nations and environmentalists are again taking a stand. As communities struggle to balance environmental stewardship with meeting their economic needs, the hurdles to protecting these ancient forests have grown ever more complicated.

Film Run Time: 44 minutes, 2023

Watch the Film Trailer

Contact

Dominy Williams

Director

905-528-7988 Ext. 2252
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