Ottawa Canadian Film Festival

Mountain Men

Mountain Men is a Canadian comedy/drama that follows two estranged brothers, Toph and Cooper (played by Tyler Labine and Chance Crawford), as they journey to a remote family cabin in the mountains to evict a squatter. When old resentments and bruised egos derail their plans they end up with a burned truck, a destroyed cabin and injuries which force them...

Canadian Films

The Fruit Machine

On November 28th, 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a formal apology in the House of Commons on behalf of the Canadian government for its past treatment of LGBTQ2 Canadians. In her new feature-length documentary The Fruit Machine, Ottawa filmmaker Sarah Fodey speaks with survivors of that four-decade anti-gay witch-hunt.

Canadian Films

My Internship in Canada

“Guibord is an independent Member of Parliament who represents Prescott-Makadewà-Rapides-aux Outardes, a vast county in Northern Quebec. As the entire country watches, Guibord unwillingly finds himself in the awkward position of holding the decisive vote to determine whether Canada will go to war. Accompanied by his wife, his daughter and an idealistic intern from Haiti named Souverain (Sovereign) Pascal, Guibord...

Canadian Films

What is a ‘Canadian’ Film?

While I was growing up it was pretty easy to recognize a ‘Canadian’ Film. It was on CBC, it had ‘NFB’ on the credits and it was usually a little depressing. Going Down The Road, Wedding in White and Mon Oncle Antoine stick in memory along with a lot of others. Then came the era of insanely generous tax credits and...

Blair's Blog

Diving with Selvi

“Selvi, like so many girls living within India’s patriarchal culture, is forced to marry at a young age, only to find herself in a violent and abusive marriage. One day in deep despair, she chooses to escape, going to a highway with the intention of throwing herself under the wheels of a bus. Instead she gets on the bus, choosing...

Canadian Films

Closet Monster

Newfoundland director Stephen Dunn‘s feature film debut Closet Monster, starring Connor Jessup, tells the story of a teenage boy desperate to escape his dysfunctional family and get a job developing special effects for movies. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 where it won the award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Dunn is an award-winning filmmaker...

Canadian Films

Why Independent Films?

For me the appeal of Independent Film is the same appeal of Triple-A baseball or the OHL – you get to see potential million dollar players on their way up or on their way down. Either way its a privilege to see the talent, creativity and ability to do more with less that characterize independent artists. Its fashionable to knock...

Blair's Blog

Fox and the Whale

Toronto filmmaker Robin Joseph‘s self-financed Fox and the Whale is among 10 short animated films that have advanced in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards. Directed and produced by Joseph, the film features character animation by Kim Leow, character rig (fox) by Louis Vottero and music by John Poon. In addition to producing and directing Joseph was responsible for storyboards,...

Canadian Films

A Better Man

A Better Man is a documentary which follows the story of Canadian filmmaker Attiya Khan, a survivor of domestic abuse, as she invites her abuser to discuss the events in their lives from over 20 years ago. They confront and contrast their memories as they visit their old apartment, school and other places where key events in their past took...

Canadian Films

Ben’s at Home

Ben’s at Home is a quirky comedy about a 30-year-old guy who has made the unusual decision never to leave the house after a bad break-up. Thanks to the power of the internet, has finds that abiding by this decision is easier than he thought. The film is the first feature of award award-winning Canadian director Mars Horodyski. An alumna of...

Canadian Films

Bonnie Robinson

Bonnie Robinson is the founder of YOW Productions. A professional writer, producer and director, on this episode she talks about her favourite types of films to make and where she likes to go to see movies in Ottawa. She also reminds us that making films is most often a collaborative endeavour and has some great tips for aspiring filmmakers looking...

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers

Howard Adler

Howard Adler is a filmmaker and curator and founder of Ottawa’s Asinabka Film Festival. Howard tells us about his first experience with video editing in high school, how he worked with a group of friends to start a new film festival and what makes Ottawa an amazing place for a media artist. The Ottawa Indie Filmmakers web series is produced by...

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers

Jean of the Joneses

“It’s just like a Woody Allen movie. Except in this case, he’s a Jamaican woman.” That’s how someone described Canadian writer-director Stella Meghie’s debut feature comedy Jeans of the Joneses at a recent screening I attended. It’s an accurate description of what I have to say was one of the most entertaining and satisfying movie experiences I have enjoyed in...

Canadian Films

Roger D. Wilson

Roger D. Wilson is an independent film artist based in Ottawa, Ontario. Described as an “experimental film scientist”, his films are infused with thematically-related techniques such as layering images, adding textures and hand processing and printing the film. Roger’s films have screened at festivals across Canada. The Ottawa Indie Filmmakers web series is produced by Jith Paul in collaboration with Apartment613.

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers

The Stairs

Winner of the Toronto Film Critics Association prize for Best Canadian Feature of 2016, Hugh Gibson’s documentary The Stairs is a challenging look at the lives of those who live on the margins. I saw this film at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival earlier this year and was blown away by the sensitivity of the filmmaker and the amazing access to the subjects...

Canadian Films

Rhiana Chinapen

Filmmaker Rhiana Chinapen’s interest in social justice issues drew her to documentaries and her work planning Ottawa’s One World Film Festival which celebrated its 28th anniversary in 2017. She recently completed her first film, an exploration of Capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art which she practices) with the assistance of SAW Video Media Arts Centre’s Jumpstart Program. The Ottawa Indie Filmmakers web series is produced...

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers

The Reviews for our 2017 Festival

Here are some of the early reviews from the featured filmmakers from our 2017 festival. Thanks again to all of the filmmakers who submitted films for consideration in our inaugural festival program. Without you we would have no festival.

News

Shannon Lough, Emanuela Campanella, Sarah Turnbull and Fangliang Xu

This episode features Shannon Lough, Emanuela Campanella, Sarah Turnbull and Fangliang Xu, four students from the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University. They have just completed their first film together, a documentary called “Secret War” about the innovative War Horse project which utilizes horses to help veterans dealing with the traumas of war. “Secret War” is an Official Selection at this year’s Yorkton Film Festival....

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers

Brandon Cronenberg (presented by the Canadian Film Institute)

Here’s another video we would like to highlight from our YouTube channel. The Canadian Film Institute recently presented the film Antiviral by talented emerging Canadian filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg at a screening at the River Theatre at Carleton University. Cronenberg attended the screening and answered questions from the audience. The video also features Tom McSorley, Executive Director, CFI. Videographer, Editor: Jith Paul. Special thanks...

OCanFilmFest Talks

Cory and Gary Thibert

To commemorate our re-branding (and so that they are on this new website,) we are sharing episodes of the OttawaIndieFilm series which was produced by Jith Paul in collaboration with Apartment613. Here’s episode 1. In this installment, Cory and Gary Thibert of Wolf Pelt Productions talk about their love of film, the supportive filmmaking community in the city, and the nerve-wracking...

OCanFilmFest Talks/Ottawa Filmmakers