The race to save farmable soil, treating a child's illness with cannabis, and a Red Deer woman running a marathon in Afghanistan are just a few of the topics that will be discussed at the Red Deer Justice Film Fest.

President of the Film Fest Lane Tomalty says some of the topics discussed in the film are difficult or it may be something you don't agree with, but that is the point of the films.

“About half of the films will have a speaker to follow up just to kind of shed a little bit further light on the topics that we have just watched. Sometimes social justice can be a little bit heavy, so it’s nice to be able to kind of have some questions answered or have a little bit of a further explanation of what it was that we just watched.”

There is also a number of guest speakers attending, as well as resources available for those who may need help or may want to help out or learn more about the information showcased in the films.

Tomalty says it's all about hearing from different perspectives.

“It’s all about education. Education is super important and like I said… we’re not here to change your mind, we’re just here to broaden your horizons and kind of expand your perspectives a little bit. There’s a quote that ties into our festival, and it says ‘Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand’, so that is kind of what we are trying to do with bringing in the speakers.”

The local women who ran in the Afghanistan marathon will also be in attendance to discuss the film and answer questions, as it was the first time women were allowed to participate in a marathon in that country.

Admission to the Film Fest is free, and it runs from January 23rd to the 25th down at the Welikoklad Event Centre in downtown Red Deer.

For more information on all the films playing at this year's Red Deer Film Fest, you can click here for their official Facebook page.