The Arts Council ~ Haliburton Highlands
A GATHERING PLACE FOR ARTS, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE
At ACHH, we believe in the power of the arts to inspire, educate and bring people together. We are a strong voice for arts and culture in the Haliburton Highlands, we drive creative development and bridge relationships that add to the vibrancy of the community.
ONTARIO CULTURE DAYS
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The Arts Council Haliburton Highlands is excited to join Haliburton County to invite residents and visitors to take part in 2026 Culture Days celebrations this fall. Culture Days is an annual cross-country festival, that provides the opportunity for community groups and individuals to highlight local arts, culture, and heritage. We are proud that Haliburton County has been designated a Provincial Hub for the Culture Days Festival.
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We are proud to support a diverse membership of artists, authors, performers, musicians, galleries, and businesses and organizations that are in or have a connection to Haliburton County.
Member Spotlight
Figure 1 The Those Other Movies team on the red carpet.
Those Other Movies (TOM) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization providing year-round quality cinema programming in Haliburton County. The group came together 20 years ago through the efforts of longstanding organizer Tammy Rea and other volunteers to fill the gap in thoughtful and accessible cinema in the region. The group started as part of the outreach program of The Film Circuit, a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group. Those Other Movies is also a proud part of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative.
The first film they showed was A Prairie Home Companion (2006); a musical comedy about a struggling radio variety-show and its cast’s attempt to save it from cancellation.
Crowds lined up down the street to see the film then walked together down the street to join an exciting after film discussion at the Olde Country House. At that time, the group showed films at the iconic Molou in Haliburton and later at the Beaver Theatre in Minden. In addition to their regular season shows they also organize two film festivals every year, the Haliburton International Film Festival (HIFF) and Doc(k) Day.
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For this Spotlight, committee member Myra Stephen spoke with us about TOM’s work. Myra joined the organization in 2023 in search of fulfilling community work on the invitation of member Tammy Rea. She agreed to take up the position because she saw other capable women who were supporting unique films and experiences, she had time in retirement, always enjoyed going to the movies, and was drawn to the welcoming atmosphere. A year later they put out a call for 4 to 5 members and the new people who joined brought a variety of new skills and interests to the table. Myra describes a real sense of camaraderie and community amongst the group.
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With the 20th annual HIFF happening in 2026 there is much to be excited about and prepare for. The film festival brings together a fine assortment of new films from Canada and around the world. TOM organizers are always on the hunt for films at events like Sudbury’s Cinéfest and are also aided with the partnership of TIFF’s Film Circuit program. As Myra describes, the Film Circuit program provides a selection of 6 movies that TOM can send 4 of its members to at the Toronto International Film Festival and the volunteers attending can consider the potential films for bringing to Haliburton. This partnership is also a great boon for making contacts and meeting directors and other guests who may be invited to join HIFF. The members who attend Cinéfest watch roughly 50 films to contribute to the list of films for consideration for festivals and monthly films in Haliburton.
With their extensive list of films they see every year TOM has a few criteria they use to narrow things down for the final HIFF line up. The content at HIFF is different from that of the typical season as it often handles more challenging subject matter and includes more features that require subtitles. In their selection they try to strike a balance between the heavier subject matter films and lighter work to provide a well-rounded experience for people of all interests. Another consideration that is made is ensuring a fair mix of Canadian and International pictures that have connections to the local community and to explore broader cultural experiences.
Figure 2 The Those Other Movies team on stage at the Haliburton International Film Festival
Complementary to HIFF is the annual Doc(k) Day. While HIFF, held in the fall, used to show documentaries the organizers at TOM envisioned another festival in the spring that was specifically tailored towards learning and contemporary documentaries. This led to the inaugural Doc(k) Day on May 5th, 2012, with their first of four features: Pink Ribbons Inc., a documentary investigating the “corporatization” of breast cancer research and its effects on charities and the research being done. Beyond the films themselves the environment of the event encourages people to come together as a community to watch, digest, and discuss the topics presented between the features. Much of the focus is on Canadian documentaries, but certainly there are a lot of global documentaries that feature issues that can be felt universally in the line up. Myra highlights that this event provides excellent opportunities for audience engagement with both the features and local organizations.
Figure 3 A full house at Doc(k) Day.
Part of curating unique experiences throughout the programming for TOM is connecting and hosting special guests for applicable films. These special guests add to the accompanying movies with their connection to the production, a particular expertise showcased in the film, or unique insights. One of Myra’s favourite experiences from these guest appearances was during 2025’s Frankenstein. For that showing they had the pleasure of featuring Hank DeBruin and Tanya McCready with Winterdance Dogsled Tours and Charles Taylor and Kevin Hebib with Movie Armaments Group. The former guests had sled dogs featured in Frankenstein and the latter group were the armourers for the film, both sharing a lot of behind-the-scenes experience during the Q & A. These guests are often found through the diverse connections of the many committee members at TOM and through TOM’s regular outreach to creators at the film festivals they attend.
Figure 4 A photo of the TOM team and special guests at Frankenstein.
Those interested in exploring Haliburton’s film scene can find TOM’s events regularly at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, which they coordinate and work with the high school and school board to arrange. Their regular shows run on the second Thursday of the month from September to June, excluding the months during the film festivals. September’s showing will be I Swear (2025), a biographical black comedy-drama following a young man with Tourettes syndrome.
Figure 5 Myra Stephen and Tammy Rea at Those Other Movie's showing of Frankenstein in 2025.
Figure 6 The Poster for "I Swear" 2025
Figure 7 The new screen at Doc(k) Day 2026.
Those interested in exploring Haliburton’s film scene can find TOM’s events regularly at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, which they coordinate and work with the high school and school board to arrange. Their regular shows run on the second Thursday of the month from September to June, excluding the months during the film festivals. September’s showing will be I Swear (2025), a biographical black comedy-drama following a young man with Tourettes syndrome.​
An improvement of this space for new viewers this year is that TOM worked with community partners and sponsors to install a vibrant new screen and projector in late 2025. TOM is always interested in reaching a wider audience in the community and, recently, part of that has been taking feedback and publishing the results through “TOM Takes” on their films to gage initial reception and responses. They also collect more detailed survey feedback on the entire season from those signed up for their emails.
Figure 8 The most recent "Tom Takes".
To check out their events, buy tickets or a season pass, or to learn more visit: www.thoseothermovies.com.
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