2027 EDITION
Coming up
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The films selected for the next edition of the PALM Festival will be announced soon.
So Fly Fishing
Same time next year
For ten years, So Fly Fishing has returned to the wild waters of Northern Ontario for one sacred tradition - the annual fishing trip. What began as a chance to escape the everyday and spend time on the water has grown into something much bigger. Over the past decade, careers have evolved, families have changed, and the years have moved faster than anyone expected. Yet every season, the crew finds its way back north, where familiar waters, shared stories, and long days outside offer a welcome reminder of what matters most.
Same Time Next Year is a reflection on friendship, tradition, and the moments that quietly shape our lives. Reuniting at The Lodge at Ten Mile Lake north of Elliot Lake, the crew comes together to celebrate ten years of adventures, memories, and the So Fly podcast, whose stories have been inspired by the wild waters and landscapes of Ontario. Leaving behind their everyday lives in Ottawa and Toronto, the group meets once again in the north, returning to a place that has become as much a part of their story as the people themselves.
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Algoma’s lakes and forests, the film follows the crew as they pursue lake trout on the fly, embracing the challenges, excitement, and unpredictability that make fishing such a lasting passion. The fishing is at the heart of the journey, but the story extends far beyond the water. It lives in the conversations between casts, the laughter around the lodge, the familiar rituals repeated year after year, and the simple pleasure of being together in a place that feels unchanged by the passing of time.
Woven throughout the film is an archive of memories gathered over a decade of trips across the province. Past adventures come back to life through photographs and footage captured on the water, around camp, and in the quiet moments in between. These glimpses into the past connect the crew’s earliest outings with the people they have become, revealing how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. Photographs from Gab, Aidas and Andy, collected over the years, add another layer to this shared history, preserving the details and moments that might otherwise have slipped away.
Filmed by David Brotzman, with photography from Allie Mavian on this year’s trip, Same Time Next Year brings together the present and the past in a celebration of a decade spent exploring Ontario’s wild places. More than a fishing film, it is a portrait of the friendships built along the way and the traditions that keep people coming back.
Ten years on, the crew still makes the journey north. The lakes are still there, the lines are still cast, and the stories continue to grow. Time never stops moving, but some traditions give us a reason to pause, reconnect, and remember who we were when it all began. In the end, Same Time Next Year is about the rare and lasting gift of having a place, and a group of friends, worth returning to.
Joanie Lamoureux
Sama : entre mouche et rivière
At 78, Pauline is finally fulfilling a lifelong dream: to try to catch her first fly-fished salmon in Nunavik. For her granddaughter Joanie, who owes much of her love of fishing to Pauline, this trip is an opportunity to give back a little of everything Pauline has passed on to her over the years: the joy of being outdoors, patience, a love of the land, stories told by the water’s edge, and above all, Pauline’s unique way of turning a simple fishing trip into a family memory.
The journey begins after Pauline’s first seaplane flight, on a trout-filled river. Before thinking about salmon, she must get the hang of fly fishing—and, above all, the rhythm of the North. Because while Pauline is an avid angler, she has never tried fly fishing before. Amid the first casts, the mistakes, the laughter, and the small victories, Pauline discovers uncharted territory where she has never set foot (or rod), while Joanie gets to know the woman who taught her to fish as a child in a whole new light.
As the days go by, the rivers and the flies—both the ones you cast onto the water and the ones that fly!—impose their own rules. You have to observe the terrain and accept that nothing is guaranteed. Fishing then becomes the thread that weaves together a much broader adventure, one made up of encounters and friendship. Nunavik is never merely a backdrop: its rivers, wildlife, landscapes, and the people who live there give the journey its full meaning. Through conversations, moments at camp, and hours spent by the water, the film also gives significant attention to culture, knowledge of the land, and the special bond that fishing creates between people—some of whom have known each other for a long time, and others who have just met.
Will Pauline finally reel in the fish she’s dreamed of catching for so many years? That’s what we’ll find out, but the emotion of that moment could far exceed the sporting achievement itself. Sama becomes a symbol of the journey they’ve taken: that of a grandmother and her granddaughter, of two generations united by the same passion, and of a journey where we discover that it’s never too late to learn something new or fulfill an old dream.
*Sama: Between Fly and River* is a warm, funny, and heartfelt short documentary.
An invitation to get outside, to take the time to be together, and—why not?—to cast a line into the water. Because at the end of the day (or the line?), the most beautiful memories aren’t always the ones we planned for: they also arise from the detours—the forgotten buckets at the cabin—and the stories we’ll bring home with us.
Destination Chic-Chocs
Destination Chic-Chocs
In the heart of a landscape shaped by mountains, forests, and the passage of generations, the Sainte-Anne River carries within it a history that goes far beyond that of salmon fishing as we know it.
Through the stories of those who know it, the memories of those who have fished its waters, and the actions of those who continue to keep it alive, this short film traces the thread of its history. As the protection of salmon and their habitat raises critical questions for the future, a new generation of fishermen, guides, managers, and enthusiasts seeks to honor a shared responsibility: to preserve the river so that its story may continue to be written.
MAJOR FILMS
Discover the synopsis for the Major Film category at the 2027 PALM Festival!
PROFESSIONAL
FILMS
Hooké
À contre-courant
This film follows Fred Campbell and his mother, Monique, on a deeply emotional adventure in the heart of Nunavik, on the Delay River—a wild and untouched river that flows into Ungava Bay, where Atlantic salmon still thrive as they once did.
At its core, this is a story of resilience, struggle, and love. Like the salmon that swim upstream against all odds, Monique continues on her journey despite the obstacles, carried by the force of nature and the healing power of wild rivers. It is also the story of a human struggle against illness, old age, and the passage of time, fought with courage, hope, and determination.
Five years earlier, Fred had taken her on a salmon expedition through the Gaspé Peninsula, hoping that time spent by the water would lighten the burden of illness and create memories that would outweigh the hardships. That trip changed everything. Monique often thought back to the salmon, the current, and that deep sense of freedom she felt in the heart of the wilderness. Today, as her strength declines and every moment becomes more precious, Fred takes her back to the North once again.
À contre-courant is a tribute to the healing power of nature, the untamed beauty of the Delay River, and the eternal hope carried by the Atlantic salmon, which for thousands of years has tirelessly returned to the waters where it was born.
FQSA et Groupe North Shore
Et si on écoutait le saumon?
In recent years, the Atlantic salmon community has faced particularly difficult spawning periods in Quebec. This situation marks a turning point for the future of the species and its habitats. Against a backdrop of warming waterways, degradation of riparian environments, and increasing pressure from human activities, Atlantic salmon are more than ever an indicator of the health of our ecosystems and a symbol of the fragile balance of nature.
The North Shore Group and the Quebec Federation for Atlantic Salmon (FQSA) set out to meet with researchers, biologists, and fishermen involved in protecting this resource. Together, they seek to understand the causes of the decline of a species that has existed for thousands of years: climate change, disease, aquaculture, environmental degradation... Each testimony reveals a piece of the puzzle, each image brings us back to our own responsibility.
But beyond the observations, this documentary is a call to action and hope. Because the salmon, a survivor of the ice ages, has not yet had its final say.
What if, to save it, all we had to do was finally listen to it?
DESTINATION FILMS
The “Destination Films” category takes you to the four corners of the world, where fly fishing becomes a pretext for adventure. Discover the synopsis of the films featured in this category!
Accro
Jérôme Charest
“Some people are looking for their next fix. Frank is looking for his next steelhead.”
For François Blanchet, steelhead isn’t just a fish—it’s a full-blown addiction. Based in Terrace, British Columbia, he has built his life around the legendary waters of the Skeena River, where every outing is a new opportunity to experience that unique rush of adrenaline. With humor and self-deprecation, he compares his passion to a full-blown addiction, even going so far as to imagine the consequences it might have on his life. Amid breathtaking landscapes, immersive fishing scenes, and touching moments, this film tells the story of a man for whom steelhead is much more than just a catch—it’s a way of life.
Still here
Kate et Scotty Sherin
A film about home rivers, Atlantic salmon, and the places that stay with us.
Every salmon angler has a river that means a little more than the rest. A place where it all began. Where the first fish was caught, where friendships were made, and where a lifelong passion took hold. No matter how many rivers we travel to or how far fishing takes us, there's something about returning to the water we know best.
Still Here explores the connection between Atlantic salmon anglers and their home rivers, and the lengths we'll go to spend more time in the places that mean the most to us.
Our journey begins in Labrador, where we join Tyrone Buckle of LOOP Tackle and Jake Burt of Atlantic Rivers, and friends to explore Southern Labrador and the Pinware River. For Tyrone, the Pinware is more than just a place to fish. It's his home river, a place filled with memories, familiar water, and a connection that keeps bringing him back. Through his experiences, we discover what makes this river so special to him.
From there, we return to our own home waters on Nova Scotia's Margaree River. It's where we both learned to fly fish for Atlantic salmon, where our love for the sport began, and where we've spent countless days chasing the fish that changed our lives.
Over the years, our connection to the Margaree has only grown stronger. So much so that we finally found a way to make it a bigger part of our everyday lives, purchasing a small camper and securing a seasonal lot so we can spend as much time as possible beside the river.
Along the way, we embrace a simpler side of salmon fishing. One that doesn't require fancy lodges, elaborate plans, or much more than a rod, a place to sleep, and a river to explore. It's a return to the basics, where the experience itself matters more than anything else.
Through two very different rivers and the people who call them home, Still Here is a story about more than catching Atlantic salmon. It's about belonging, tradition, memories, and the connection we build with the places that shape us.
Because sometimes, the greatest fishing adventures aren't about discovering somewhere new. They're about finding your way back to where it all began.
These places; the rivers, the Salmon are Still Here.
À la recherche du mètre
Fly Fish Yukon
For fifteen years, Gabe and Justin have explored the wild waters of Canada's Yukon, chasing an elusive dream: landing a one-metre northern pike on the fly. But with Justin potentially leaving the Yukon for Australia, their latest expedition could be one of their last together. What begins as a pursuit of a trophy fish becomes a story about friendship, the passage of time, and the moments that matter most. Because sometimes, what we're really searching for isn't at the end of the line.
Un pays sans mouche
Guillaume Rivest
Somewhere in northern Abitibi, the torrential waters of the Bell River wind their way through the boreal forest. Isolated and rarely visited, the river teems with the region’s most prized fish: walleye. During a multi-day canoe expedition, an adventurer and his crew will brave the turbulent rapids to reach the river’s most inaccessible corners, with the goal of catching just enough fish for dinner. However, in a region where local anglers are convinced it’s impossible to catch walleye with a fly, doubt is never far away.
With the challenges come moments of fulfillment. This expedition slowly becomes an encounter between two distinct worlds: that of the Abitibi fishermen, for whom success is measured in inches and in the meat stored in the freezer, and that of the fly fishermen, who will likely never taste the fruits of their labor. These fly fishermen have had to adapt in the face of past mistakes, driven by their love for a fish that has, unfortunately, been mismanaged for far too long…
Amid the splendor and vastness of this wilderness, a return to the essentials imposes itself. For lovers of this land, the end result matters little. Everyone will realize that beyond the hardships, in the most remote and inaccessible places, nature offers us a reward that is often far different from what we initially imagined.