We’re now accepting submissions for OCAN26.
Go to https://filmfreeway.com/
Early bird pricing ends January 31, 2026.
Regular pricing begins February 1, 2026 and ends February 28, 2026.
Late pricing starts March 1, 2026 and ends March 31, 2026.
OCan Film Festival is happening the first weekend in November 2026. More details soon!
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Our Mission
OCan is a Film Festival in Ottawa that celebrates Canadian film.
Through annual festival screenings at the ByTowne Cinema in November and activities throughout the year, our volunteer‑run registered charity works to promote Canadian film as distinctive and vital to our country’s culture and the local economy.
OCan is an IMDB qualifying festival, and is listed among qualifying festivals for the Canadian Screen Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Festival Reviews
“Boasting an ambitious program and an exceptional selection of Canadian films and filmmakers, the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival is the ultimate destination for film lovers. Typically hosted in November, it’s the perfect event to add to your itinerary if you’re looking for what to do in Ottawa in November. With an eye to the future, this festival has established itself as an innovative event that is uniting Canadian communities to recognize and promote Canadian cinema in a thrilling atmosphere.”
— Jami Savage, Adventure Awaits Travel Blog
“I really enjoyed my experience participating as a filmmaker in this festival. The communication is excellent because you are working directly with the key organizers. They helped set up media opportunities for the filmmakers and they featured each filmmaker on their social media channels. They hosted informal networking nights after every screening. And the venue they use for the screenings is wonderful — it’s the best I’ve ever heard my film sound at a festival. I highly recommend attending as a viewer and submitting your film as a filmmaker to this festival!”
— Nicole Bedford, Director, the smallest steps
“The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival was a remarkable event that showcased a diverse range of films from filmmakers all across the country. These festivals are integral to our community as they foster a supportive environment where individuals with a shared passion for filmmaking can come together and build lasting connections. Its films encourage filmmakers to take risks and explore unconventional storytelling techniques. Seeing filmmakers exercise their freedom to experiment with different visual styles, narrative structures, and genres was refreshing and left me feeling inspired.”
— Emma Poole, Ottawa Festivals d’Ottawa
Check out our filmfreeway page for more reivews.
About OCan
Our Mission
OCan is a Film Festival in Ottawa that celebrates Canadian film. Through annual festival screenings at the ByTowne Cinema in November and activities throughout the year, we work to promote Canadian film as distinctive and vital to our country’s culture and the local economy.
OCanFilmFest is a registered charity that is artist and volunteer-run, and is strongly committed to fostering diversity in its approach to programming. We strive to achieve this by encouraging film submissions from under-represented independent artists including those who identify as women, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour (BIPoC), persons from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and persons with disabilities. We recruit diverse members and voices to our Board of Directors and film selection juries.
OCan is an IMDB qualifying festival, and is listed among qualifying festivals for the Canadian Screen Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Check out our About page for more about our vision and history.
Meet the Team
OCan Film Festival Board
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes OCan different from other film festivals in Ottawa?
Ottawa is fortunate to host a variety of film festivals thoughout the calendar year at both indoor and outdoor venues throughout the city. Here are some of the differentiating features of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival:
- Films at OCan are jury-selected from submitted work that is already produced and completed.
- All featured films are Canadian. Films are written or directed by Canadian filmmakers.
- There are no genre, theme or duration requirements. Selected films are usually a mix of short films, feature-length films and those that fall in between those two categories. Films can be narrative (fiction), documentary or experimental. There may even be a sprinkiling of dance films, music videos and cine-poetry.
- There is no premiere requirement. A film you see at OCan may be the first time it is shown to an audience outside of the filmmakers, or it may be Canadian movie that has had incredible buzz on the festival circuit elsewhere but not yet widely available. You may see a short film or two that was made in response a “catch” or featured at another festival held in Ottawa or elsewhere earlier in the year or a few years ago. You may also see a film that has been available on a streaming platform getting its big-screen theatrical debut.
- Artist Fees (also referred to as Screening Fees) are paid to filmmakers for all films selected to screen at OCan.
- Festival audience select one film as the audience favourite every year.
- A Jury Prize is also awarded to one film that the Jury selects for excellence in filmmaking.
How can I submit a film to screen at OCanFilmFest?
Filmmakers from across Canada are invited to submit films to OCanFilmFest via FilmFreeway. The Call for Submissions lists all criteria and is usually opened in January each year, with various discount periods posted with the call. The jury watches and evaluates films over the Spring and official selections usually announced in September.
Visit our FAQ page for more questions and answers about OCan.
Annual Festival Screenings
We host annual in-person festival screenings at the ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa in November.
Other Activities and Events
In addition to our annual screenings, OCan programs a number of events including curated online and in-person screenings and fundraising events in collaboration with local filmmakers and other festivals.
- The OCan Newsletter is an email digest of articles, news, events, fundraisers, and links related to Canadian film and filmmakers, arriving in your inbox about once a month.
- We highlight feature-length and short films previously featured at the festival, now available on YouTube, Vimeo or popular streaming platforms like CBC Gem, and Tubi on the OCan Spotlight page.
- From time to time, the board curates and spotlights locally produced content in a series called OCan Presents.
- Reviews of OCan films can be found on Treepot Media‘s blog, film613.ca.
OCanFilmFest proudly accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world’s #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests.