diff --git a/src/Background/Animation.vala b/src/Background/Animation.vala
index 1598a98a0..8f617a38e 100644
--- a/src/Background/Animation.vala
+++ b/src/Background/Animation.vala
@@ -17,20 +17,20 @@
 
 namespace Gala {
     public class Animation : Object {
-        public string filename { get; construct; }
-        public string[] key_frame_files { get; private set; default = {}; }
+        public GLib.File file { get; construct; }
+        public GLib.GenericArray<GLib.File> key_frame_files { get; private set; default = new GLib.GenericArray<GLib.File> (); }
         public double transition_progress { get; private set; default = 0.0; }
         public double transition_duration { get; private set; default = 0.0; }
         public bool loaded { get; private set; default = false; }
 
         private Gnome.BGSlideShow? show = null;
 
-        public Animation (string filename) {
-            Object (filename: filename);
+        public Animation (GLib.File file) {
+            Object (file: file);
         }
 
         public async void load () {
-            show = new Gnome.BGSlideShow (filename);
+            show = new Gnome.BGSlideShow (file.get_path ());
 
             show.load_async (null, (obj, res) => {
                 loaded = true;
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ namespace Gala {
         }
 
         public void update (Meta.Rectangle monitor) {
-            string[] key_frame_files = {};
+            var new_key_frame_files = new GLib.GenericArray<GLib.File> ();
 
             if (show == null)
                 return;
@@ -52,19 +52,21 @@ namespace Gala {
 
             double progress, duration;
             bool is_fixed;
-            string file1, file2;
+            unowned string? file1, file2;
             show.get_current_slide (monitor.width, monitor.height, out progress, out duration, out is_fixed, out file1, out file2);
 
             transition_duration = duration;
             transition_progress = progress;
 
-            if (file1 != null)
-                key_frame_files += file1;
+            if (file1 != null) {
+                new_key_frame_files.add (GLib.File.new_for_path (file1));
+            }
 
-            if (file2 != null)
-                key_frame_files += file2;
+            if (file2 != null) {
+                new_key_frame_files.add (GLib.File.new_for_path (file2));
+            }
 
-            this.key_frame_files = key_frame_files;
+            this.key_frame_files = new_key_frame_files;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Background/Background.vala b/src/Background/Background.vala
index ff4491093..2569a5b8d 100644
--- a/src/Background/Background.vala
+++ b/src/Background/Background.vala
@@ -28,31 +28,31 @@ namespace Gala {
         public BackgroundSource background_source { get; construct; }
         public bool is_loaded { get; private set; default = false; }
         public GDesktop.BackgroundStyle style { get; construct; }
-        public string? filename { get; construct; }
+        public GLib.File? file { get; construct; }
         public Meta.Background background { get; private set; }
 
         private Animation? animation = null;
-        private Gee.HashMap<string,ulong> file_watches;
+        private Gee.HashMap<GLib.File, ulong> file_watches;
         private Cancellable cancellable;
         private uint update_animation_timeout_id = 0;
 
         private Gnome.WallClock clock;
         private ulong clock_timezone_handler = 0;
 
-        public Background (Meta.Display display, int monitor_index, string? filename,
+        public Background (Meta.Display display, int monitor_index, GLib.File? file,
                 BackgroundSource background_source, GDesktop.BackgroundStyle style) {
             Object (display: display,
                     monitor_index: monitor_index,
                     background_source: background_source,
                     style: style,
-                    filename: filename);
+                    file: file);
         }
 
         construct {
             background = new Meta.Background (display);
             background.set_data<unowned Background> ("delegate", this);
 
-            file_watches = new Gee.HashMap<string,ulong> ();
+            file_watches = new Gee.HashMap<GLib.File, ulong> ();
             cancellable = new Cancellable ();
 
             background_source.changed.connect (settings_changed);
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ namespace Gala {
             clock = new Gnome.WallClock ();
             clock_timezone_handler = clock.notify["timezone"].connect (() => {
                 if (animation != null) {
-                    load_animation.begin (animation.filename);
+                    load_animation.begin (animation.file);
                 }
             });
 
@@ -121,18 +121,18 @@ namespace Gala {
             }
         }
 
-        private void watch_file (string filename) {
-            if (file_watches.has_key (filename))
+        private void watch_file (GLib.File file) {
+            if (file_watches.has_key (file))
                 return;
 
             var cache = BackgroundCache.get_default ();
 
-            cache.monitor_file (filename);
+            cache.monitor_file (file);
 
-            file_watches[filename] = cache.file_changed.connect ((changed_file) => {
-                if (changed_file == filename) {
+            file_watches[file] = cache.file_changed.connect ((changed_file) => {
+                if (changed_file == file) {
                     var image_cache = Meta.BackgroundImageCache.get_default ();
-                    image_cache.purge (File.new_for_path (changed_file));
+                    image_cache.purge (changed_file);
                     changed ();
                 }
             });
@@ -145,13 +145,13 @@ namespace Gala {
             }
         }
 
-        private void finish_animation (string[] files) {
+        private void finish_animation (GLib.GenericArray<GLib.File> files) {
             set_loaded ();
 
             if (files.length > 1)
-                background.set_blend (File.new_for_path (files[0]), File.new_for_path (files[1]), animation.transition_progress, style);
+                background.set_blend (files[0], files[1], animation.transition_progress, style);
             else if (files.length > 0)
-                background.set_file (File.new_for_path (files[0]), style);
+                background.set_file (files[0], style);
             else
                 background.set_file (null, style);
 
@@ -164,12 +164,12 @@ namespace Gala {
             animation.update (display.get_monitor_geometry (monitor_index));
             var files = animation.key_frame_files;
 
-            var cache = Meta.BackgroundImageCache.get_default ();
+            unowned var cache = Meta.BackgroundImageCache.get_default ();
             var num_pending_images = files.length;
-            for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
-                watch_file (files[i]);
+            foreach (unowned var file in files) {
+                watch_file (file);
 
-                var image = cache.load (File.new_for_path (files[i]));
+                var image = cache.load (file);
 
                 if (image.is_loaded ()) {
                     num_pending_images--;
@@ -213,8 +213,8 @@ namespace Gala {
             });
         }
 
-        private async void load_animation (string filename) {
-            animation = yield BackgroundCache.get_default ().get_animation (filename);
+        private async void load_animation (GLib.File file) {
+            animation = yield BackgroundCache.get_default ().get_animation (file);
 
             if (animation == null || cancellable.is_cancelled ()) {
                 set_loaded ();
@@ -222,15 +222,15 @@ namespace Gala {
             }
 
             update_animation ();
-            watch_file (filename);
+            watch_file (file);
         }
 
-        private void load_image (string filename) {
-            background.set_file (File.new_for_path (filename), style);
-            watch_file (filename);
+        private void load_image (GLib.File file) {
+            background.set_file (file, style);
+            watch_file (file);
 
             var cache = Meta.BackgroundImageCache.get_default ();
-            var image = cache.load (File.new_for_path (filename));
+            var image = cache.load (file);
             if (image.is_loaded ())
                 set_loaded ();
             else {
@@ -242,20 +242,22 @@ namespace Gala {
             }
         }
 
-        private void load_file (string filename) {
-            if (filename.has_suffix (".xml"))
-                load_animation.begin (filename);
-            else
-                load_image (filename);
+        private inline void load_file (GLib.File file) {
+            if (file.get_basename ().has_suffix (".xml")) {
+                load_animation.begin (file);
+            } else {
+                load_image (file);
+            }
         }
 
         private void load () {
             load_pattern ();
 
-            if (filename == null)
+            if (file == null) {
                 set_loaded ();
-            else
-                load_file (filename);
+            } else {
+                load_file (file);
+            }
         }
 
         private void settings_changed () {
diff --git a/src/Background/BackgroundCache.vala b/src/Background/BackgroundCache.vala
index 77ab1ae66..20d2f3dc9 100644
--- a/src/Background/BackgroundCache.vala
+++ b/src/Background/BackgroundCache.vala
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ namespace Gala {
             return instance;
         }
 
-        public signal void file_changed (string filename);
+        public signal void file_changed (GLib.File file);
 
-        private Gee.HashMap<string,FileMonitor> file_monitors;
+        private Gee.HashMap<GLib.File,FileMonitor> file_monitors;
         private Gee.HashMap<string,BackgroundSource> background_sources;
 
         private Animation animation;
@@ -38,29 +38,28 @@ namespace Gala {
         }
 
         construct {
-            file_monitors = new Gee.HashMap<string,FileMonitor> ();
+            file_monitors = new Gee.HashMap<GLib.File, FileMonitor> ((Gee.HashDataFunc) GLib.File.hash, (Gee.EqualDataFunc) GLib.File.equal);
             background_sources = new Gee.HashMap<string,BackgroundSource> ();
         }
 
-        public void monitor_file (string filename) {
-            if (file_monitors.has_key (filename))
+        public void monitor_file (GLib.File file) {
+            if (file_monitors.has_key (file))
                 return;
 
-            var file = File.new_for_path (filename);
             try {
                 var monitor = file.monitor (FileMonitorFlags.NONE, null);
                 monitor.changed.connect (() => {
-                    file_changed (filename);
+                    file_changed (file);
                 });
 
-                file_monitors[filename] = monitor;
+                file_monitors[file] = monitor;
             } catch (Error e) {
-                warning ("Failed to monitor %s: %s", filename, e.message);
+                warning ("Failed to monitor %s: %s", file.get_path (), e.message);
             }
         }
 
-        public async Animation get_animation (string filename) {
-            if (animation != null && animation.filename == filename) {
+        public async Animation get_animation (GLib.File file) {
+            if (animation != null && animation.file == file) {
                 Idle.add (() => {
                     get_animation.callback ();
                     return false;
@@ -70,7 +69,7 @@ namespace Gala {
                 return animation;
             }
 
-            var animation = new Animation (filename);
+            var animation = new Animation (file);
 
             yield animation.load ();
 
diff --git a/src/Background/BackgroundSource.vala b/src/Background/BackgroundSource.vala
index b4b141cd4..16c42ff08 100644
--- a/src/Background/BackgroundSource.vala
+++ b/src/Background/BackgroundSource.vala
@@ -87,26 +87,26 @@ namespace Gala {
         }
 
         public Background get_background (int monitor_index) {
-            string? filename = null;
+            GLib.File? file = null;
 
             var style = settings.get_enum ("picture-options");
             if (style != GDesktop.BackgroundStyle.NONE) {
                 var uri = settings.get_string ("picture-uri");
                 if (Uri.parse_scheme (uri) != null)
-                    filename = File.new_for_uri (uri).get_path ();
+                    file = File.new_for_uri (uri);
                 else
-                    filename = uri;
+                    file = File.new_for_path (uri);
             }
 
             // Animated backgrounds are (potentially) per-monitor, since
             // they can have variants that depend on the aspect ratio and
             // size of the monitor; for other backgrounds we can use the
             // same background object for all monitors.
-            if (filename == null || !filename.has_suffix (".xml"))
+            if (file == null || !file.get_basename ().has_suffix (".xml"))
                 monitor_index = 0;
 
             if (!backgrounds.has_key (monitor_index)) {
-                var background = new Background (display, monitor_index, filename, this, (GDesktop.BackgroundStyle) style);
+                var background = new Background (display, monitor_index, file, this, (GDesktop.BackgroundStyle) style);
                 background.changed.connect (background_changed);
                 backgrounds[monitor_index] = background;
             }
diff --git a/vapi/gnome-desktop-3.0.vapi b/vapi/gnome-desktop-3.0.vapi
index cf4c4d0cb..d1327ba61 100644
--- a/vapi/gnome-desktop-3.0.vapi
+++ b/vapi/gnome-desktop-3.0.vapi
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ namespace Gnome {
 	public class BGSlideShow : GLib.Object {
 		[CCode (has_construct_function = false)]
 		public BGSlideShow (string filename);
-		public void get_current_slide (int width, int height, out double progress, out double duration, out bool is_fixed, out unowned string file1, out unowned string file2);
+		public void get_current_slide (int width, int height, out double progress, out double duration, out bool is_fixed, out unowned string? file1, out unowned string? file2);
 		public bool get_has_multiple_sizes ();
 		public int get_num_slides ();
 		public bool get_slide (int frame_number, int width, int height, out double progress, out double duration, out bool is_fixed, out unowned string file1, out unowned string file2);