A screening at City Cinema in Charlottetown, one of the venues hosting ANCHOR Fest 2026.
Photo credit: Emily Benoit
ANCHOR Fest is underway in Charlottetown, with film screenings, concerts, comedy shows and an industry conference running through October 18. The event marks the first edition under its new name after 11 years as the Charlottetown Film Festival. Organizers have expanded the programming while using the festival to promote Prince Edward Island productions and encourage more sustained work for local film and television professionals.
“We’ve always seen this festival as a baby version of SXSW,” organizers said in written responses supplied ahead of the festival. After testing music and comedy programming last year, they decided to expand both. They also wanted to attract people who might not ordinarily attend a film festival. “Sometimes film festivals can have a ‘stuffy’ reputation, and not everyone sees themselves as being a film festival patron,” they explained.
The expanded format arrives during a busy period for PEI's screen industry. Organizers pointed to three locally produced feature films, several vertical dramas and short-form series, and a major streaming production as examples of increased activity. More productions have brought additional opportunities, although steady employment remains a concern. “Crews on PEI want to work, and access to more opportunities is always an area for improvement,” they said.
Among the largest projects is Netflix's ten-episode adaptation of Canadian author Carley Fortune's novel This Summer Will Be Different, which has filmed on PEI and in Toronto. In June, the provincial government announced a $5-million investment in the production through its Film Production Fund, with employment and on-the-job training opportunities for Island workers among the anticipated benefits.
Island films return home
The film program gives several PEI productions a chance to screen for local audiences following appearances elsewhere on the festival circuit. Jenna MacMillan's Charlottetown-produced comedy The Snake, written by and starring Susan Kent, has its PEI premiere at City Cinema on October 16. Two encore screenings are scheduled for October 18, at 2 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.
Kent received a Special Jury Award for Performance at SXSW in March, while The Snake collected three awards at the Atlantic International Film Festival in September. MacMillan received Best Atlantic Director, and Kent won the festival's Atlantic screenwriting and acting awards.
Another Island production, Michael Gabriele's Unholy Night, screens at Tivoli Cinema on October 17. The Christmas horror-comedy, filmed in Charlottetown, won the Gold Audience Award for Best Canadian Feature at Fantasia and received an honourable mention for horror at the Atlantic International Film Festival.
The festival concludes October 18 with the world premiere of Eliza Knockwood's documentary Rite of Passage at City Cinema. According to the festival's description, the film follows a canoe journey across PEI that revisits a historic Mi'kmaq paddling route and a journey Knockwood's mother undertook with her uncle in the 1950s. Knockwood is scheduled to participate in a discussion following the screening.
The organizers described the arrival of three PEI feature films in the same year as “an unprecedented milestone for our local film industry.” They said the festival provides an opportunity to recognize the filmmakers alongside local actors, crew members and businesses that contributed accommodations and locations during production.
For audiences looking beyond Island productions, the organizers singled out three Canadian films: Winnipeg filmmaker Ian Bawa's Strong Son, Gloria Mercer's A Safe Distance and Seth A. Smith's Permanent Damage. The festival also features Nyla Innuksuk's In the Heart of the South, starring Anna Lambe, on October 16, with another screening scheduled for October 17.
Building opportunities beyond the screen
The music program brings visiting performers, including Toronto's Slash Need and Nova Scotia's Heavenly Blue, together with Charlottetown artists such as Space Bud, Dear Blossom, UNCLE and Bilge. Organizers hope the appearances will help local performers reach audiences beyond PEI, book tours, find managers or pursue opportunities in film and television.
The festival's October 15 comedy schedule listed a special Best of Rat Tales Comedy Night hosted by Britt Campbell at The Guild. Organizers planned to record the show so participating comedians could use the footage when seeking bookings outside PEI. A trial performance of Campbell's hour-long set was also scheduled for recording that evening.
The remaining comedy lineup includes The Big 3 at The Comedy Cave on October 16 and Matturday Wright Live on October 17. Matt Wright's show brings together members of The Snake ensemble, including Susan Kent, Emma Hunter, Robin Duke and Dan Petronijevic.
Plans for PEI's screen industry
Thursday's program listed a discussion titled PEI Film & TV: Biggest Year Ever. So… Now What?, with filmmaker Jenna MacMillan, Sharlene Kelly of the Anchor Motion Picture Alliance and Meaghan Brander of PEI Creates. Other conference sessions address distribution, independent financing, co-production and the certification process associated with Canadian screen-production tax credits.
Organizers said they want the conference to help PEI producers find collaborators and establish relationships with industry decision-makers, while demonstrating to visiting production companies that the Island can support their projects.
That work continues throughout the year through the nonprofit Anchor Motion Picture Alliance, which operates the festival and advocates for PEI screen professionals. The organizers said they are particularly interested in attracting union-scale productions with longer shooting periods, allowing local workers to gain experience in professional production environments. “We are here to help bridge the local knowledge gap so visiting producers can determine if shooting in Prince Edward Island can serve their production,” they wrote.
ANCHOR Fest continues through Sunday, October 18, at venues across Charlottetown, including City Cinema, Tivoli Cinema, The Guild and The Comedy Cave. The full screening and conference schedules are available at anchorfest.ca.
