ABOUT MARIE DRESSLER FOUNDATION
Preserving a Legacy. Inspiring Future Generations.
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating Marie Dressler's remarkable life while preserving Canada's film heritage through education, community engagement, and the arts.
Marie Dressler Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, registered as a charity under Canada Revenue Agency effective January 1, 1991 with registration number 13018 8535 RR0001.
The objects for which Marie Dressler Foundation is incorporated are:
To operate a non-profit Community organization established to ensure the preservation and restoration of the birthplace of MARIE DRESSLER, at 212 King St. West, Cobourg, Ontario, as a heritage property;
To conduct educational programs;
To operate a museum honoring MARIE DRESSLER and other Canadians in the film industry;
- To create a fund to ensure the continued operation and maintenance of MARIE DRESSLER’S birthplace, for the benefit of the Public.
We aim to build engaged community audiences through curated exhibits at the Canadian Women in Film Museum, hosted in the natal home of Marie Dressler, along with screenings of vintage filmmaking at the annual Vintage Film Festival.
We bring our “love of film” to our community through the annual Vintage Film Festival. Founded in 1993 to raise funds for the restoration of Marie Dressler’s natal home, the Vintage Film Festival continues as the Foundation’s major fundraising event. The Festival features a curated program of films made at least 50 years ago and screened over a weekend in October.
The Canadian Women in Film Museum features permanent exhibits for Marie Dressler, Mary Pickford, and Norma Shearer, the only Canadian women (so far) to win an Academy Award™ for Best Actress and information about other Canadian women in front of, and behind the camera in early Hollywood.
We are committed to providing accessible museum and Festival experiences by lowering physical, social, and economic barriers to participation, valuing and empowering volunteers, and nurturing collaborative community partnerships.
For the past 25+ years, the Foundation has awarded student bursaries annually to graduating students in Northumberland County who are pursuing further studies related to the performing arts.
The Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors supported by a group of enthusiastic volunteers.
Marie Dressler Foundation
Board of Directors 2026 / 2027
President & Chair of the Board
Rick Miller
Corporate Secretary
Matthew Wardle
Treasurer
Tammy Archer
Director
Tammy Browes-Bugden
Director – Chair, Community Outreach
Scott Fraser
Director – Chair, Vintage Film Festival
Rick Hill
Help Preserve Marie Dressler's Legacy
Whether through volunteering, donating, or attending the Vintage Film Festival, your support helps preserve Canadian film history for generations to come.