About OCan
The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival
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.
Our Vision
We believe in programming and content that provides Ottawa audiences with entertaining and high-quality independent films, information, activities and events. Our annual festival, events, online presence and resources aim to encourage collaboration, artistic innovation and creativity while providing access for a broad audience segment. The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival is committed to cooperation and collaboration with other arts organizations as well as the business community. Our programs are interactive, entertaining, educational and great value for the money.
Sponsorships, grants, film submission fees, and proceeds from ticket sales are used to fund exhibition / artist fees that are paid out to filmmakers for the use of their work in our annual festival screenings.
Our Approach to Programming
OCan is a registered chairity 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.
Our History
The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival grew out of the Treepot Film Festival, independent filmmaker Jith Paul’s series of public screenings that showcased more than 150 Canadian independent films at movie theatres, universities, colleges, and outdoor venues in downtown Ottawa between 2011 and 2014. Although the Treepot screenings were successful and well-received, Jith felt it was time to take the initiative further. He envisioned a more formal, sustainable structure that could amplify independent filmmakers and bring their work to broader audiences.
That vision became the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (OCan), founded in 2015 by Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell, with the festival’s first annual screenings held in 2017. Since then, OCan has presented Canadian films of all genres and lengths from filmmakers across the country, offering both in-person and online screenings to reach audiences nationwide.
Each year, the festival audience select one film as the audience favourite and the jury awards the Jury Prize to one film in recognition of excellence in filmmaking.
Annual Festival Screenings
We host annual in-person festival screenings at the Bytowne Cinema in Ottawa in November. The 9th annual festival took place from November 6-8, 2025.
Other Activities and Presentations
In addition to our annual screenings, OCanFilmFest programs a number of events including curated online and in-person screenings and fundraising events in collaboration with local filmmakers and other festivals.
Launched in 2024, the OCan Newsletter an email digest of articles, news, events, fundraisers, and links related to Canadian film and filmmakers, arriving in subscribers’ inboxes about once a month.
In 2020 we launched ‘Shorts at Home’, a series of short films presented online using Vimeo’s Video on Demand service as a means to continue our mission to promote and celebrate and promote Canadian filmmakers and films in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The films for this series were curated by the OCan Board of Directors and we extended our artist fee policy to the ‘Shorts at Home’ selections. In February 2022, we launched a second series, ‘OCan Spotlight’, which includes feature-length and short Canadian films, previously featured at the festival, now available to stream on YouTube, Vimeo and on streaming services like CBC Gem. This series has also been featured in numerous National Canadian Film Day initiatives.
In 2022, OCan launched a companion blog, film613.ca with a mandate to build engagement and community among film fans in the Ottawa / Outaouais area. The blog was relaunched in 2025, when it was transferred to Treepot Media. With content curated by OCan Co‑founder Jith Paul, the blog blends commissioned and volunteer-produced articles on film, television and the creative arts.
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. Most recently, we presented episodes from two locally-produced web series, ‘Chateau Laurier’ and ‘No Regrets’ at the Bytowne Cinema in 2023.
Meet the Team
OCan Film Festival Board
Co-founder, Board Member
Blair Campbell is a graduate of the television broadcasting program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. A long-time fan of everything film-related, he is passionate about independent films and works as a producer focused on providing support to local, independent filmmakers. Blair is a board member of Festivals Ottawa where he advocates for emerging film festivals in Ottawa.
Blair’s other passion is exploring art and history throughout the world.
Treasurer, Event Planner, Board Member
Lorelei Miller, an alum of the Humber College Film and Television Production program, is a local independent producer and director. Lorelei has been involved in various film and TV productions in Ottawa and volunteered with local community theatre groups. She has independently produced several projects, including Louder Than Words and The Gift. Lorelei serves on the OCan board as Treasurer and Event Planner.
When she’s not making or watching films, Lorelei is travelling the world.
Co-founder, Board Member
Ben is an Ottawa local and the Creative Director of Hot Shoe Productions, an Ottawa-based social enterprise that focuses on providing meaningful opportunities to young people facing barriers to employment to connect with the film industry. Through the enterprise, Ben has previously worked with Sol One Productions to bring the 48-Hour Film Project to Ottawa in 2024, as well as mentoring a youth-led committee to develop the inaugural edition of the Ottawa Youth Film Festival. Ben is also a filmmaker, with experience in writing, directing, producing & editing a variety of projects. Ben is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to OCan in order to help amplify the talent of Canadian filmmakers in the nation’s capital.
Treasurer, Event Planner, Board Member
Colin is an Ottawa-based filmmaker and a graduate of Canadore College’s Digital Cinematography and Post-Production program. Colin has worked on numerous projects, including serving as a producer, cinematographer, and handling post-production for the Bell TV1 series Cassandra and Twelve Tales, an anthology feature film of monthly short films created over a year. With experience in directing, editing, and cinematography, Colin collaborates with creatives to craft compelling narratives. Colin is also an advocate for supporting local talent and fostering the independent film community. As a new member of the OCan Film Festival board, he is excited to bring his expertise and enthusiasm to help grow and celebrate independent Canadian cinema.