AIFF 2026: A week of cinema in Halifax

The Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) is underway in Halifax, running from September 16 to 23, 2026. The eight-day festival brings more than 100 local, Canadian and international films to the city, with a programme built around East Coast stories as well as films from further afield. It has been held annually in Halifax since 1980 and is described as the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal.

For anyone planning a visit today, Friday, September 18, the main box office is at Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane, 5657 Spring Garden Road. The in-person box office opened there on September 14, and printed programme guides are available for free pickup at the box office. The festival’s official website also has the 2026 films, ticket information, events, programme links and guidance on booking films and using passes. Since screenings and activities take place at several Halifax venues, checking the current schedule before setting out is the simplest way to plan an evening.

The film programme is only part of the festival. AIFF also includes filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, networking events, gala screenings and special receptions. The opening and closing films, the Atlantic Canadian Gala and Reel Coast Shorts are the screenings specifically identified as galas. Reel Coast Shorts focuses on short films by directors from Atlantic Canada, while the festival’s main awards programme is reserved for films from the region. During the first three days, AIFF Partners adds an international co-production and co-financing market for narrative features and series, giving the event an industry side alongside its public screenings.

AIFF’s regional focus has a long history. The festival has presented Atlantic Canadian work across features, documentaries, shorts, animation, acting, writing, cinematography and music. Past award recipients include Maudie, Closet Monster, Murmur, Bone Cage, Wildhood and Queens of the Qing Dynasty. Earlier festival highlights include Jason Eisener’s The Teeth Beneath in 2005, Treevenge in 2008, Cloudburst in 2011 and Black Cop in 2017. Those titles offer some context for the place AIFF holds in Halifax’s film culture, while the 2026 programme provides the current snapshot.

There are also related projects beyond the main September event. AIFF Kids, formerly Viewfinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, is a travelling youth programme, and AIFF Outdoor, previously the Outdoor Film Experience, is the festival’s summer outdoor series in the Halifax Regional Municipality. For people interested in making films rather than only watching them, NSCC’s Atlantic Film Institute (Screen Arts) in Dartmouth offers a two-year diploma beginning in September 2026. The programme covers cinematography, directing, editing, production management, lighting, scriptwriting, set design and construction. Domestic tuition for 2026–27 is C$3,800, while international tuition is C$13,505, before additional fees and rates. NSCAD University also offers a four-year BFA in Film at its Academy Campus, combining dramatic, documentary and experimental practice with hands-on facilities including a 3,000-square-foot soundstage.

The most useful starting point for this year’s festival is the official 2026 films and ticket information page, followed by the full events programme. With the festival already in progress, the schedule is best treated as a live plan: choose a screening, check its venue and booking details, then leave room for the conversations and events around it.