A Saskatchewan farm kid grows up to be a fashion-forward optometrist in Alberta, and now there’s a film about her on a festival lineup in Regina. We love this one.
The film is Legacy of a Butterfly, and according to the festival listing for the film, it’s a Documentary Shorts entry at the Regina International Film Festival and Awards. RIFFA’s 2026 festival page gives the dates as August 12 to 22, 2026.
Who made it
Calgary director Monique Barrie, and she’s a friend of this site, so yep, we’re proud. The RIFFA listing names her as director and as a producer, alongside producer Griffin Cork.
Barrie and Ana Malick are credited as writers, Josef Wright as cinematographer and Morgan Erm as editor. Diana Monea, Paul Hardy and Holly Allen appear in the cast list, each marked as appearing as themselves, which suits a documentary.
The listing also shows the film as Canadian, in English, rated G and carrying a premiere status. It gives the runtime as 14 minutes, while the Calgary International Film Festival lists 13 minutes. Festivals do that. Settle on the exact length on screening day.
What it’s about
RIFFA’s synopsis calls it a portrait of Dr. Diana Monea, “one of Alberta’s longest-practicing female optometrist,” and describes a path from a Saskatchewan farm to a fashion-forward doctor, mentor and philanthropist. It adds that her life shows “resilience, reinvention, and unapologetic self-expression.”
Those words are the festival’s, taken from the listing rather than a review. We haven’t seen the film yet, so this is pure curiosity talking.
And what a hook. Glasses are the one piece of medical equipment you pick because of how it looks. A documentary built around someone who works in that space comes with its own visual style, and that’s exciting.
The Regina connection
The listing doesn’t say why Regina, and we won’t guess. What it does show is a link between two provinces in the story itself, since Monea’s life is described as starting in Saskatchewan and her optometry career as Albertan.
Heading to Regina? The RIFFA page has the programme details. The listing doesn’t give a screening date or time.
Short documentaries about working Albertans deserve a lot more room on festival schedules, and this one is the kind of local story this archive exists to keep. The Regina festival wrapped on August 22, so watch for the next screening announcement.
Keep reading: A Calgary short film landed two CIFF slots, Nell Shipman and the Alberta silent film that cleaned up, ACTRA Alberta Backs Performers With Grants, Tips and Stunt Trophies.
Quick answers
Legacy of a Butterfly is a documentary short by Calgary director Monique Barrie. It’s a portrait of Dr. Diana Monea, described by the Regina International Film Festival as one of Alberta’s longest-practicing female optometrists, following her path from a Saskatchewan farm to a fashion-forward doctor and mentor.
The film was listed as a Documentary Shorts entry at the Regina International Film Festival and Awards, whose 2026 festival ran August 12 to 22, 2026. That festival has wrapped, so watch for the next screening announcement for this Calgary short.
Calgary director Monique Barrie directed and produced it, alongside producer Griffin Cork. Barrie and Ana Malick are credited as writers and Josef Wright as cinematographer. Diana Monea, Paul Hardy and Holly Allen appear as themselves in the cast.
The Regina festival listing gives the runtime as 14 minutes, while the Calgary International Film Festival lists 13 minutes. Festivals sometimes differ, so check the exact length on screening day. The listing also shows the film as Canadian, in English and rated G.
Keep going with Legacy of a Butterfly heads to Regina for its premiere and Wynonna Earp Made Calgary Its Home Base.
