The 37th annual St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (SJIWFF) and Film Industry Forum is back from October 20-24, 2026.
The five-day Festival will be held in the downtown core of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, with screenings and celebrations at the Majestic Theatre, Scotiabank Theatre, and Industry events at the Alt Hotel.

Opening the Festival this year is Purgatory, the directorial debut of Canadian producer Lindsay Lanzillotta (The Vicious Kind), written by Christine Speer. Filmed in St. John’s this past winter, this coming-of-age dramedy set in the 1980’s stars Ruby McGurrin as tween Beatrice Gravel, whose comfortable world—family, school, and church—fractures when her mother moves out to “self actualize,” leaving Beatrice determined to reunite her parents Parent-trap style. The fi lm’s award-winning cast includes Abby Elliott (The Bear), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), John Reynolds (Search Party), Jack Innanen (Big Mistakes) and Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes). Purgatory made its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
Closing this year’s festival is The Snake, Jenna MacMillan’s fi rst feature-length fi lm as director. MacMillan has produced the internationally sold thriller A Small Fortune, the hit comedy Who’s Yer Father (Paramount+), and the groundbreaking AMI series Pretty Blind. Fresh off its premiere at SXSW, The Snake stars Newfoundland’s Susan Kent (This Hour Has 22 Minutes).