MFM Newsletter - February 2026 | Manitoba Film and Music

Hello friends,

Last week our film commission team spent some time in Los Angeles meeting with key studios and production companies. With five features in theatres and two big series shot here last year, it was time to go back and remind folks about our strong infrastructure, talented workforce and camera-ready locations. We met with some familiar faces as well as some interesting new ones and are very hopeful that these meetings will help boost the upcoming production season in 2026.

In this month’s newsletter, we are featuring our creative products! There’s new, MFM-funded music to check out and we shine a spotlight on the Manitoba Documentary Archive, which is giving new life to some great locally made docs.

Heads up that MFM’s Promote and Perform music funding programs will open for applications on March 16 for our next fiscal year.

We hope you enjoy the last few weeks of winter - we’ll connect with you again in March!

The team at Manitoba Film & Music

Ballet Girls at Barre 03 - Photo by Bruce Monk_1.jpg (614 KB)

New Manitoba Documentary Archive ‘A place for films to get a second life’

It can take years for a documentary project to finally be seen, but once it has premiered and had its initial license term, what happens to it? That’s why the Manitoba Documentary Archive was created by DOC Manitoba; the YouTube channel launched in late 2025.

“Manitoba is home to some amazing documentary filmmakers, and there are so many fantastic docs that have been made here. But after they've had their initial run, many of them end up homeless, sitting on hard drives collecting dust,” explains Jeff Newman, filmmaker, member-at-large for DOC Manitoba, and chair of the Manitoba Documentary Archive. “We created this archive as a one-stop destination to find these films, an archive accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world 24-7. It's a place for the films to get a second life, as well as showcase Manitoba doc filmmakers to a global audience.”

DOC Manitoba originally assumed that the archive would gain a local following, and then potentially grow its audience beyond Manitoba, but it seems the opposite happened. When examining their analytics, they noticed that over 90% of the viewers live outside Canada. One reason might be the popularity of Ballet Girls. The three-part series was directed by Elise Swerhone and produced by Merit Jensen Carr and Vonnie Von Helmolt in 2006. “It's been a breakthrough success for the channel, garnering nearly 200,000 views to date, and helping the channel to grow to over 2,250 subscribers. It's a great example of a 20-year-old doc still relevant to an audience today,” says Newman.

They hope the archive will continue to grow, in both offering size and subscribers. Newman encourages submissions: “If you're a Manitoba-based filmmaker that has made a documentary that meets the copyright requirements, your film will be included on the channel. The stories don't necessarily need to be about Manitoba (as much as we love that), but they for sure need to be made by a Manitoba filmmaker.”

You can check out the archive, as well as find out how to submit your own work, here.

MFM is proud to support this important project, alongside On Screen Manitoba and the Winnipeg Free Press.

More to explore:

Have you seen Psycho Killer yet? The made-in-Manitoba movie hit theatres last weekend

Churchill-shot Nuisance Bear wins big at Sundance Film Festival

Beausejour racetrack to be used in feature film Northern Lights

Slow Leaves 16 x 9.jpeg (58 KB)

A fresh wave of Manitoba music to welcome in spring

We’re all looking for ways we can buy local, and supporting local music can (and should!) be a part of that. 2026 has been a productive year for new Manitoba music, and we’re only two months in. MFM is proud to have funded some incredible work through our Produce Program.

Jocelyne Baribeau’s new album is out Feb. 27 (that’s tomorrow)! Check out the first single, 200 Acres, to give you a taste of what’s to come.
Words to live by, and a great track: Check out Don’t Fret, by Slow Leaves.
Katie MacDonald’s newest, Garden, is making us dream of spring.
Secret Beach have remastered and rereleased Songs from the Secret Beach.
Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra & Sean Irvine’s album Forgotten Stories Suite came out Feb. 6.

Want more? If this just isn’t enough music to keep you going, we suggest giving Manitoba Music’s ever-growing local music playlist a follow.