Since 1935, the Canadian Film Institute has brought the world of cinema to Ottawa audiences.  Today this federally incorporated, charitable organization offers year-round film festivals, screenings and professional development events.

The CFI originated as a film society with the aim of challenging Hollywood's dominance of Canadian screens;  it created a national archive and undertook distribution of Canadian content through educational activities and exhibitions. Today, the CFI continues to bring Canadian and international cinema to the public.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival

The CFI’s flagship event is the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OlAF), the largest competitive animated film festival in North America and one of the most respected forums for animated art in the world.  Since its start in 1976, for five days in autumn, the OlAF provides an engaging array of first-class screenings, exhibits, talks and special events.  It strives to highlight the talents of artists from Canada and beyond, and allow audiences the chance to discover the art of animation in all its diversity.

The total attendance for the OlAF averages 30,000 - including over 1,500 delegates from the animation world who visit Ottawa specifically for this event. In fact, the OlAF typically attracts approximately 82% of its delegates from out of town, contributing over $2 million to local businesses and the hospitality industry. 

Each year the OIAF presents approximately 30 talks, 65 screenings and 12 networking events over 5 days. It receives over 2000 submissions that are considered for 150 screening spots.  Usually at least 75 filmmakers from across Canada and from around the world attend.

The OlAF is on the prestigious qualifying festivals list of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which allows the OlAF Grand Prize winner to bypass the usual qualification process for the Oscars.

The OlAF is a key attraction in Ottawa's local festival sector and makes a distinctive contribution to both the City's arts and culture landscape while contributing to its economy. The OlAF promotes Ottawa to the world, showcasing our City and our talent, and brings the world to Ottawa to discover - and keep coming back to - our vibrant city.

IFFO - The International Film Festival of Ottawa

The International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) is a new event bringing the best of the global film festival circuit to Canada’s Capital. The Festival’s third edition will take place March 8 - 19, 2023 in venues across Ottawa’s downtown core.

IFFO was founded by the Canadian Film Institute (CFI) to bring an exciting, high-profile film festival to the Capital in the tradition of a ‘festival of festivals’. IFFO provides international cinema to Ottawa in a way it hasn’t seen before, expanding the cinematic scope of the city alongside existing theatres and festivals. This live-action film festival complements the CFI’s other major film event, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, creating another opportunity for this established organization to bring exceptional film content to Ottawa.

This year will provide cinephiles and Ottawa locals with an eclectic mix of films that have won awards and made waves in the international film circuit over the past year. IFFO programmers are curating over 20 feature films from Canada and around the globe, along with Canadian short films to accompany each feature screening, to create the Official Selection. Other programs in the Festival include perennial CFI series Canadian Masters (Mina Shum) and IFFO series “The Female Gaze”.

IFFO’s industry event Screen Summit is an event dedicated to strengthening and inspiring Ottawa's growing screen-based industries while addressing topics relevant to all film industry professionals. Join thought leaders for an insightful and inspirational series of panels and gain access to key industry representatives and the talent and skills of the local production community. This industry event consists of informative workshops, artist talks and presentations that strengthen the skill set of emerging and established film industry professionals in Canada’s Capital.

IFFO presents SAVE AS, a symposium exploring Canadian and international efforts to preserve, promote, and, most importantly, distribute and exhibit Canada’s and the world’s cinematic heritage. Celebrating recent restorations of classic films with case studies and special screenings, this one-day conference will also host panel discussions on ways to increase the accessibility of this heritage to audiences worldwide.

In only its third year, IFFO is already growing into a diverse, essential cultural event for Ottawa.

Canadian Film Institute Year-Round Programming

The CFI has several Canadian programming components that run throughout the year, including Café Ex for experimental filmmakers, the Enlightened Screen for mid-career artists, and Canadian Masters series for established, accomplished Canadian filmmaking legends. Each of these programs runs 2 or 3 times per year and has a set format. This type of structured ‘series’ programming ensures the CFI showcases a complete range of filmmakers and reaches a larger audience by simplifying promotion.  Recently, the Female Gaze program was added which showcases filmmakers who identify as women.   All these programs allow Ottawa audiences a chance to interact with the attending filmmakers.   Ottawa artists are often in the spotlight.  Recently showcased filmmakers have included Penny McCann,  Pixie Cram, Dave Johnson, and Patrice James.  

The CFI organizes several annual international film festivals that reach out to many different communities in Ottawa. These events include the African Film Festival, the European Union Film Festival (also presented in Vancouver and Toronto), and the Latin American Film Festival. These international festivals are an incredible cultural asset for local audiences and filmmakers alike. The CFI works closely with diverse local communities to ensure these festivals meet their needs.