Produced by the Niagara Artists Centre, the Mighty Niagara Film Fest (MNFF) is committed to nurturing a distinct film culture for Niagara.

Entering its fifth year, the festival is distinguished by its regionalist character. The festival encourages local film production and presents an eclectic program of unique special events in partnership with organizations and businesses in the region. Audiences are treated to a spectrum of local and international films, exclusive filmmaker Q+As, and art events curated by NAC’s programming committee. 

More about NAC
Group of people gathered around a table at a social event, some holding drinks, with one person reading a paper, and a person adjusting a light.

MNFF2025 JURY

  • A smiling man with curly hair and a beard, sitting in a room with a bookshelf filled with books behind him.

    STEPHEN BROOMER

    Stephen is a filmmaker and film preservationist. He is the author of Hamilton Babylon: A History of the McMaster Film Board (University of Toronto Press, 2016), Codes for North: Foundations of the Canadian avant-garde film (CFMDC, 2017), and Secret Museums: The Films of Arthur Lipsett (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2025); co-author of Moments of Perception: Experimental Film in Canada (with Michael Zryd, Goose Lane Editions, 2021); and co-editor of Imprints: The Films of Louise Bourque (with Clint Enns, Canadian Film Institute, 2021) and Exovede in the Darkroom: The Films of Rhayne Vermette (with Irene Bindi, ARP Books, 2023). Broomer has been a Fulbright visiting scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz and the Prelinger Library, studying the aesthetics of home movies, and was a recipient of the International Council for Canadian Studies postdoctoral fellowship. He is a sessional lecturer in the Cinema Studies Institute at University of Toronto.

    Jury: Experimental shorts

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with short dark hair, wearing a patterned blouse, looking directly at the camera.

    DERAGH CAMPBELL

    Deragh is an actress and filmmaker. She is known for her performances in independent Canadian cinema. Her collaborations with filmmaker Sofia Bohdanowicz—Veslemøy's Song (2018), MS Slavic 7 (2019), Point and Line to Plane (2020), and Measures for a Funeral (2024)—have screened at film festivals internationally. Campbell has also starred in three of Kazik Radwanski's feature films; she played a small role in How Heavy This Hammer (2015), the lead role in Anne at 13,000 Ft. (2019), and opposite Matt Johnson in Matt and Mara (2024).

    Campbell received the Jay Scott Prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association and Best Actress in a Canadian Film from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

    Jury: Narrative shorts

  • Black and white photo of a woman with curly hair wearing a white shirt and hoop earrings, smiling at the camera.

    CHRISTINA DOVOLIS

    Christina is an interdisciplinary filmmaker and geographer, often working with cutting-edge technologies to explore how our built environments shape community and identity. Hailing from the Midwest, Christina draws inspiration from themes of girlhood and gossip, religious mythologies, and the complexities of urban development. As an educator, Christina is committed to making new media programs more accessible to the public, particularly focusing on empowering women and marginalized groups. She has achieved acclaim for her projects, with presentations at Museum of the Moving Image, SXSW Sydney, Nuit Blanche, Calgary Underground Film Festival, and more.

    Jury: Narrative shorts

  • A young man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a jacket over a checkered shirt and sweater, standing indoors in front of a plain wall and a partially visible poster.

    JAY CHEEL

    Jay is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, editor, and podcaster known for his character-driven work and explorations of unique subcultures and obsessions. He is the creator of the popular Shudder series Cursed Films and has directed several acclaimed documentary features, including Beauty Day and How to Build a Time Machine.

    Since 2005, Cheel has been the co-host of the long-running movie podcast Film Junk Podcast. The show holds a Guinness World Record for the longest-running movie podcast. 

    Jury: Documentary shorts

  • Black and white photo of a woman with straight hair, wearing a leopard print top, smiling slightly, indoors with a plant and shelves in the background.

    LYN TRUDEAU

    Dr. Lyn Trudeau is an Assistant Professor at Brock University. She is Ojibway-Anishinaabe from Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Eagle Clan. She is cross appointed with Women’s and Gender Studies/Sociology, and affiliate of Social Justice and Equity Studies. Lyn’s work is through a decolonial lens and feels it is important to honour her cultural background; therefore, embeds Indigenous knowledge and ways of being in all endeavours. Lyn is also an artistic scholar who engages arts-based research and creative expression, visual presence, and cultural representation within her works as acts of cultural continuance and survivance.

    Jury: Documentary shorts

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a dark denim jacket, looking at the camera

    ANDREW BEACH

    Andrew has spent nearly a decade working on documentary films and music videos. He began his filmmaking journey in his teens making music videos for his high school band. He then went to film school, and upon graduating worked on several independent feature productions.

    He co-wrote and edited It’s All Gonna Break, a candid record of Broken Social Scene’s genesis and evolution from the turn of the millennium.

    Jury: Documentary shorts, Features

  • A man with glasses and a beard holding a professional video camera, facing a mirror or glass surface, with a digital clock showing 1:07 in the background.

    JOEL ANTONY

    Joel is a videographer, photographer, and editor based in the Niagara Region.

    He is is the Video Production Manager at BrockTV. Joel graduated from Business Administration in 2022, and has been at BrockTV for over two years.

    Jury: Narrative shorts, Features

PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE + FESTIVAL CREW

  • A man with curly hair and glasses working on a film projector in a workshop or studio.

    MATT CALDWELL

  • A woman with wavy hair looking at film reels in a room filled with other equipment, viewed in black and white.

    REN KANGAS

  • Young woman sitting at a table using a laptop, with wooden walls and artwork in the background.

    NATASHA PEDROS

  • Black and white portrait of a man with short dark hair, wearing a denim shirt, standing against a brick wall background.

    STEPHEN REMUS

  • A woman on a staircase, smiling at the camera, holding a beverage, and taking a selfie.

    SAHAR SAEIDI

  • A woman with dark hair in a braid, wearing a denim jacket, looking to her left with a subtle smile.

    KASIA SMUGA