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.
Screenings for our 9th annual film festival take place at the ByTowne Cinema, November 6-8, 2025.
Tickets are available at the ByTowne box office, in person at the cinema on event day, or for advanced purchase online at bytowne.ca.
OCan25 gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa and and Gallivan Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities.
Thank you to our sponsors Koch & Kahkonen Communications, Doubletree by Hilton, and Diffusart Media.
The Burden, Vahid Fazel, (Toronto, Ontario) [Animation | Sci-fi] 3:56
It Comes in Waves, Fitch Jean (Ottawa, Ontario) [Drama | Crime] 1:45:00
Photography Consent Disclosure
By purchasing a ticket to this event, you consent that our photographer will be taking photos and videos that may be used in future marketing materials in the promotion of OCan Film Festival. You also consent to being held 100% responsible if you, for any reason, experience injury in attending this event.
Orest Leere and His Marvelous, Mysterious, Malicious Empathy Machine, Jeff Smith, (Toronto, Ontario) [Sci-fi | Horror] 10:00
Blue Room, Nicholas Waters, (Hamilton, Ontario) [Drama | Romance] 10:07
Crabsassin, Studio S222, (Toronto, Ontario) [Animation | Comedy| Drama] 1:05
Strangers, Leah Doz, (Toronto, Ontario) [Drama] 13:42
The Renfrew County Killing, Quentin Ferrant, (Renfrew, Ontario) [Drama] 7:30
Image Whisperers (Souffler des images), Antoine Greco, (Quebec City, Quebec) [Animation | Documentary] * 18:05
The Human Under the Bed, Euan O’Leary, (Quebec City, Quebec) [Short ] 10:00
This Isn’t How I Pictured It, Charles Burroughs, (Montreal, Quebec) [Comedy] 29:57
Photography Consent Disclosure
By purchasing a ticket to this event, you consent that our photographer will be taking photos and videos that may be used in future marketing materials in the promotion of OCan Film Festival. You also consent to being held 100% responsible if you, for any reason, experience injury in attending this event.
Happy Birthday, Catherine Marois, (Montreal, Quebec) [Short] * 18:33
Daddy’s Boy, Tom Peters, (Ottawa, Ontario) [Short] 13:11
Thereby Hangs a Tale, Aaron Yeger, (Toronto, Ontario) [Drama] 13:10
The Dinner Party, Jaye Lodhia, Steven Chau, (Toronto, Ontario) [Short] 9:04
Dancing with Time (Danser avec le temps), Marie Lavorel, Tamar Tembeck, Paul Tom (Montreal, Quebec) [Documentary] * 22:00
Hatch, Alireza Kazemipour, Panta Mosleh (Vancouver, British Columbia) [Drama] 10:57
Christopher & the Bug, Vanessa Esteves, Kevin Micallef, (Toronto, Ontario) [Animation | Drama] 12:07
Photography Consent Disclosure
By purchasing a ticket to this event, you consent that our photographer will be taking photos and videos that may be used in future marketing materials in the promotion of OCan Film Festival. You also consent to being held 100% responsible if you, for any reason, experience injury in attending this event.
* presented with English Subtitles
Doubletree by Hilton offers modern design and cozy rooms, with a maximum comfort.
Spacious rooms with one king bed or two doubles, complimentary wi-fi, ergonomic work area,
LCD TV, in room safe, mini cooler, hair dyer and tea/coffee machine.
Access to indoor pool as well as the fitness area are also included.
Address: 33 Nicholas St., Ottawa, ON K1N 9M7
(9 minute walk to ByTowne Cinema)
Telephone: (613) 230-3033
Booking link
15% off best available rate.
Book by October 30, 2025
Check out our filmfreeway page for more reivews.
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.
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:
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.
We host annual in-person festival screenings at the ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa in November. The 9th annual festival will take place from November 6-8, 2025.
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.
Looking for information about an OCan film? Here is a list of all films featured at the festival.
Use the area below to search through the content on the pages of this site using Google.
Interested in volunteering with our festival?
drop us an email
OCanFilmFest
