The first festival took place at the historic Finnish Labour Temple, 314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay, the festival was then appropriately named the Bay Street Film Festival. 

Our motto ‘Films for the People’ paid homage to the history of the hall where we screened the films. Not only was the Finnish Labour Temple the location of the founding meeting of the Social Democratic Party of Canada, which was the foundation for what is now the New Democratic Party, it also served as an Industrial Workers of the World headquarters and has a long history of connection to the working-class and labour movements in Canada.

Years later we are no longer on Bay street and the Finnish Labour Temple has burned down. We’ve made a name change but stuck to our motto of ‘Films for the People’. We’ve renamed ourselves based on the phrase ‘Vox Populi or Voice of the People’ thus Vox Popular was born. 

We have screened over 946 films and hosted over 178 visiting filmmakers from across Canada and around the world. Sparking countless discussions in our Q&As, Master Classes and hands-on workshops with media creators!

We’ve come a long way since 2005, our festival could not happen without the countless number of volunteers, past board members and staff, sponsors, partner organizations, and dedicated audiences. We thank everyone who has helped us carry this festival forward throughout the years.