Ottawa Canadian Film Festival

November 7-9, 2024
Bytowne Cinema


La folle traversée de Philippe
(Philippe, a lake and a dream)
Thursday Nov 7


Stealing Vows
Saturday November 9


<Bridge the Gap>
Thursday Nov 7


Safe Space
Friday Nov 8


Nix's Symphony
Thursday Nov 7


Ayam Zaman
(The Old Days)
Friday November 8


OCD
Thursday Nov 7


Les mots d'amour
(Words of Love)
Thursday Nov 7


Triage
Friday November 8


Radio Bingo
Thursday Nov 7


The Steak
Thursday November 7


Desync
Friday November 8


Silent Cries
(Kiayunik Tuhanak)
Friday November 8


A Good Day Will Come
Friday November 8


Treat Day
Friday November 8


Gro$ Lot
(Jackpot)
Friday November 8

Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (OCan)

QUICK LINKS

OCan24 lineup / Schedule

OCan24 Tickets

OCan Newsletter

Bytowne Cinema logo

Screenings for our 8th annual film festival, OCan24, take place at the Bytowne Cinema, November 7-9, 2024. Subscribe to the OCan Newsletter to vote for your favourite film.

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 not‑for‑profit organization works to promote Canadian film as distinctive and vital to our country’s culture and the local economy.


OCan on FilmFreeway    OCan on FilmFreeway

OCan is an IMDB qualifying festival, and is listed among qualifying festivals for the Canadian Screen Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

OCan24


Ayam Zaman (The Old Days) poster  <Bridge the Gap> poster  Desync poster  La folle traversée de Philippe poster  A Good Day Will Come poster  Gro$ Lot (Jackpot) poster  Les mots d'amour poster  Nix's Symphony poster  OCD poster  Radio Bingo poster  Safe Space poster  Silent Cries poster  Stealing Vows poster  The Steak poster  Treat Day poster  Triage poster 

City of Ottawa     and Gallivan Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities

OCan24 gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa and Gallivan Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities.
Screenings for our 8th annual film festival take place at the Bytowne Cinema, November 7-9, 2024. Subscribe to the OCan Newsletter to vote for your favourite film.


— Thursday November 7, 2024 at 9 PM —

La folle traversée de Philippe, (Philippe, a lake and a dream) Stéphanie Gagné , (Chicoutimi, QC) [ Documentary ] * 52:00

Nix's Symphony, Karina Loerchner (she/her), (Waterloo, ON) [ Animation | Fantasy ] 06:00

The Steak, Kiarash Dadgar, (Toronto, ON) [ Drama | War ] 08:13

Les mots d'amour (Words of Love), Laetitia Demessence (she/her), (Montreal, QC) [ Poetic | Dance ] 05:30

OCD, Madonna Gonzalez (she/her), (Vancouver, BC) [ Drama ] 01:00

Radio Bingo, Shelby Adams, (Akwesasne, ON) [ Documentary ] 08:05

<Bridge the Gap>, Luca Fiore (he/him), (Ottawa, ON) [ Documentary | Comedy ] 06:37

— Friday November 8, 2024 at 7 PM —

Silent Cries (Kiayunik Tuhanak), Navalik Tologanak (she/her), (Iqaluit, NU) [ Documentary | Biography ] 16:46

Desync, Minerva Navasca (she/her), (Oakville, ON) [ Narrative | Drama ] * 12:00

Gro$ Lot (Jackpot), Sharbel El-Showairy (he/him), (Sainte-Adèle, QC) [ Satirical Comedy ] * 07:55

A Good Day Will Come, Amir Zargara (he/him), (Ottawa, ON) [ Drama | Sport ] *18:35

Treat Day, Lisa Kockeritz (she/her), (Oakville, ON) [ Drama ] 11:59

Safe Space, Matt Pittroff (he/him), (Toronto, ON) [ Narrative | Sci-Fi | Dramedy ] 09:12

Triage, David Rendall (he/him), (Picton, ON) [ Social Realist Drama ] 13:50

Ayam Zaman (The Old Days), Hassib Hani (he/him), (Ottawa, ON) [ Drama | Romance ] * 07:00

— Saturday November 9, 2024 at 9 PM —

Stealing Vows, Bobby Singh Brown, (Toronto, ON) [ Heist Drama | Comedy ] 02:00:00

* presented with English Subtitles

OCan24 film reviews on film613

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 OCanFilmFest


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 not-for-profit organization 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.

The Team

Jith Paul

Jith Paul

Board Member
Co-founder

Blair Campbell

Blair Campbell

Board Member
Co-founder

Lorelei E. Miller

Lorelei E. Miller

Board Member
Treasurer, Event Planner

Zachary Chabot

Zachary Chabot

Jury President

Daniel Perras

Daniel Perras

Jury Member

Fitch Jean

Fitch Jean

Jury Member

Nicole Bedford

Nicole Bedford

Jury Member

Nicole Bedford

Shelby

Festival Mascot

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:

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 summer and official selections usually announced in October.

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. The 8th annual festival will take place from November 7-9, 2024.

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.


FilmFreeway
OCanFilmFest proudly accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world’s #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests.