Nickel Independent Film Festival 2026

with a lot of fomo because im not present there, I am very happy to share this first comic about the experience I’m doing as a resident on @nickelfestival . Im covering very cool stuff honestly. I love (independent) films and I love comics!!!!! sooooo im excited about telling you all about the films i saw. prontito en español en mi substack tambien :)

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LORRAINE (15 min) plays Saturday, June 27 at 2:30pm at Nickel as part of our People's History shorts program. Directors Allison Basha and David Gosine trace a life in politics, labour, and public protest through the Lebanese-Newfoundland community that shaped Lorraine Michael's sense of justice. A locally-made documentary about the extraordinary career of one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most influential political figures. See nickelfestival.com for tickets and more info.

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UIKSARINGITARA (WRONG HUSBAND) plays Tuesday, June 23 at 7pm at Nickel. Winner of Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF 2025. A visually stunning Arctic fairy tale from Zacharias Kunuk — legendary Canadian filmmaker and pioneer of Indigenous cinema. In Igloolik in 2000 BCE, teenage lovers Kaujak and Sapa are torn apart when an evil shaman backs aggressive suitors for Kaujak's hand — but she holds onto hope that Sapa will make things right. See nickelfestival.com for tickets and more info.

Meet our 2026 Cartoonists in Residence — eight artists making new work in response to films from this year's lineup, posting here through June 28. Swipe to meet the crew. @hawthornandrewj — Andrew Hawthorn is a radio host, author, illustrator, journalist. Work in CBC News, StarTrek.com, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, and Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. @rsvpasap_ — Angie Sutherland is a St. John's pixel artist, game developer, and filmmaker, with credits on Ravendawn, Rocket Rumble, and animated shorts. A fixture in the local convention vendor scene. @brendamabelreid — Brenda Mabel Reid (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist recently moved from rural Ontario to St. John's. Their work explores place, care, and social expectation through humour. Half of Loosey Goose Collective. Photo: Ritche Perez. @drd_draws — Dylan Dixon is an illustrator based in Conception Bay South. Figurative and character work in gouache, ink, and digital — drawing from nature, creatures, and Newfoundland. @elijahjanka — Elijah Janka Martel is a multidisciplinary artist, zinester, and comics illustrator based in St. John's / Ktaqmkuk. Best known for live drawing at rugby games, conferences, and queer burlesque nights. At the Nickel since 2024. @electric.fawn — Evelyn Roitner is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator based in St. John's, BDes in Illustration from OCAD. She explores identity, storytelling, place, and personal mythologies. evelynroitner.com @T1GER_SHR1MP — Jonathan Adams is an itinerant language teacher, translator, writer, and illustrator whose comic strips ran in The Scope. He's lived in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and the Yukon; now in Uzbekistan. Debut poetry collection Elevator Etiquette forthcoming. @sukermercado — Paula Boffo is an Argentine cartoonist and animation filmmaker with OJO RARO; her shorts have screened at Sundance, Annecy, and Sitges. Published by Penguin Random House. Luz Diabla plays the Nickel Fri June 26 at 10pm.

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HANGASHORE plays Monday, June 22 at 7pm at Nickel. Director Justin Oakey builds a moody, atmospheric thriller steeped in seafaring folklore and superstition, set against the stunning isolation of the province's coastline. "Hilmar and Frecheville are magnetic. A beautifully haunted experience," says Wonder Watchlist. Winner of Best Feature at Fog Fest and the DGC Ontario Award for Best Director at the Canadian Film Festival. See nickelfestival.com for tickets and more info.

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On Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm at The Rooms come see an afternoon of new films from and about Labrador — including this feature-length documentary by Amanda Bulman and Rodrigo Iniguez celebrating 50 years of The Labrador Creative Arts Festival. This is a free program, but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online at therooms.ca or by calling The Rooms at 709-757-8090. A joint presentation between @nickelfestival, Arctic Moss Studios, @labcreativearts, @themdaysinc and @therooms_nl. ❤️