This is an event that movie lovers adore and eagerly await. Practice has shown that there are indeed many residents of Ottawa who genuinely love and are interested in cinema. The Ottawa International Film Festival showcases the best world cinema, which is screened in Canada’s capital. You can find out more about the event and the features of the film festival on ottawa-trend.com.
What is known about the event?
The event was founded by the Canadian Film Institute, a registered charity. The institution was founded in 1935, making it the oldest cinematographic institution in Canada, and the second oldest cinematographic institute in the world. The main mission of the Canadian Film Institute is to encourage and promote the production, distribution, study, evaluation, and use of moving images for cultural and educational purposes in Canada and abroad.
The Ottawa International Film Festival was a response to the growing film production industry in Canada’s capital. The specified address in Ottawa is 22 Daly Ave.
I would like to know more about the history of this event. The first annual OIFF (Ottawa International Film Festival) competition took place in 2010. The festival traditionally lasted three days, during which short and feature films of various genres and countries of origin were shown.
The second event took place on August 17-21, 2011. The 2011 program included the following works: 24 short films, 7 feature films, three of which were world premieres, one of which was a Canadian premiere, and one an Ottawa film premiere. At the end, the audience was treated to a competition of music videos and local performers.
The film festival was last held in 2015. The event was replaced in 2020 by the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO).
IFFO
The first screening was scheduled for March 25-29, 2020, but it never took place due to the pandemic. Lisa MacLeod, Member of Parliament for Nepean and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport in 2020, noted that the cultural industries in the province of Ontario will be leaders in the new economy. She added that Ontario’s cultural industries contribute about $71 billion to economic activity, so creative industries are exactly what Canada’s capital needs.
Over the next few months, the Canadian Film Institute organized and held a number of online performances and seminars. In 2021, the film festival was held online, and the first live meeting took place in March 2022.
IFFO 2025 Audience Award Winners
Let’s look at the films that won the audience awards.
The film “The Penguin Lessons” by director Peter Cattaneo. This is a story that touched the hearts of the audience. The director is known for his works that harmoniously combine humor and deep meaning. He managed to create a film that became a public favorite thanks to its emotional depth and positive message.
The audience award for short film was won by “Once This Child” by director Alexandre Farah. He managed to tell a complete story concisely but meaningfully in a limited time. This work stands out for its originality and emotional impact. The film “Once This Child” stood out for its emotionality and originality. This is what allowed it to receive the recognition of viewers who highly value brevity and depth.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the films from the Ottawa International Film Festival with honorable mentions.
- “L’histoire de Souleymane” (The Story of Souleymane) by director Borys Lozhkin. The film did not win the main prize, but it still caused a strong emotional response in the audience. In this work, the director focused on social and personal problems.
- “Café des cauchemars” (Café of Nightmares). Directors: Frida Simons-Swann, Nia Clark. The honorable mention of this work indicates its uniqueness and masterful realization.
It is worth noting that the audience award is one of the most important awards at any film festival. Such awards reflect the true reaction and emotions of the audience, and not exclusively the opinion of a professional jury. Only those films that found the greatest response among the wide crowd won these prizes.
Ottawa International Film Festival 2026
The Ottawa International Film Festival 2026 will take place on March 11-22. The event showcases the best contemporary Canadian and international cinema from prestigious film festivals around the world.
Movie lovers will enjoy an eclectic mix of films that have won awards and delighted audiences at the International Film Festival throughout 2025. In the official selection, the organizers of the event noted 22 Canadian and international feature films. A new Canadian short film was chosen for each screening.
Separately, I would like to highlight the “Canadian Masters” series and the “A Gaze” series. For example, the CFI’s “Canadian Masters” series offers in-depth discussions with some of the most outstanding and prolific Canadian filmmakers. This series was founded in 2016 and is an annual celebration of Canadian cinematic excellence. It includes extended on-stage interviews, special screenings, and discussions with the audience of prominent names in the history of Canadian cinema. On the official website of the Canadian Film Institute, it is noted that this series is the personification of Canadian cinematic excellence. In 2025, the focus was on the Canadian master Clément Virgo.
The IFFO “A Gaze” series engages viewers in a discussion about diverse representation on screen. This series was created in 2020 in collaboration with IFFO programmer Tish Black. The “A Gaze” series encourages viewers to watch films by filmmakers who have been underrepresented for one reason or another. Initially, this was a series called “A Woman’s Gaze”, but the programmer expanded this idea. The point was to get viewers to watch and discuss what they saw. Previous guests included: Canadian directors Emily Diana Ruth and Jessi Posthumus, film critics Di Golding and Saffron Maeve, and YouTube sensation Broy Deschanel.
Industry conferences
The Ottawa International Film Festival also expands its activities through the organization of industry conferences. They are focused on various aspects of the film industry and are aimed at different levels of professionals.
The Screen Summit conference serves as a platform for exchanging experience and knowledge, intended for beginners and mid-level professionals in the film industry. This event is more focused on the practical aspects of filmmaking. The purpose of this conference is to provide participants with the necessary tools and contacts to develop their careers. The Screen Summit covers such issues as: screenwriting, directing, production, producing, and networking.
The SAVE AS conference is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and distribution of cinema. This event brings together a much narrower circle of specialists. This conference is compared to a bridge that connects the past and the future of cinematography.
Ottawa is a city of movie lovers
The number of people who go to the cinema and attend film festivals in Ottawa is encouraging. This indicates that there is indeed a demand for international cinema and that the townspeople are ready for it. Bruce Harvey, Ottawa’s Film Commissioner, noted that the level of film production activity in the city is at a really high level.
