# List of film festivals in Canada

This is a list of film festivals that take place (or took place) in Canada. The list below notes when a festival is considered a qualifying festival for the purposes of the Canadian Screen Awards.

## Overview

A variety of genre-specific, regional and specialty film festivals take place throughout the year, with important festivals in this class including Toronto's Hot Docs and Vancouver's DOXA for documentary films, Toronto's Inside Out for LGBT-themed films, Montreal's Fantasia for horror, science fiction and thriller genre films, and the Ottawa International Animation Festival for animated films.
The primary "festival season", comprising the largest and most important general-interest film festivals, takes place almost entirely in the months of September and October, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, the Festival du nouveau cinéma in Montreal and the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax. Many, though not all, Canadian films will screen at one or more of these festivals before going into commercial release later in the fall or sometime in the following year.
The final significant film festival of the year is the Whistler Film Festival in early December, whose Borsos Competition provides a significant platform for independent films by emerging Canadian filmmakers.

## National

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Air Canada enRoute Film Festival | Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and aboard domestic Air Canada flights | Short films | |
| Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLiFF) | Locations throughout Canada | Established in 2009 www.LabourFilms.ca | |
| National Canadian Film Day | Locations throughout Canada | | |
| Tournée Québec Cinéma | Locations throughout Canada | Francophone films | Yes |

## Alberta

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Artifact Small Format Film Festival | Calgary | | |
| Banff Mountain Film Festival | Banff | | Yes |
| Banff World Media Festival | Banff | | Yes |
| Bleak Midwinter Film Festival | Calgary | Animation | |
| Calgary Independent Film Festival | Calgary | | Yes |
| Calgary International Film Festival | Calgary | | Yes |
| Calgary Underground Film Festival | Calgary | | Yes |
| Central Alberta Film Festival | Red Deer | | |
| Dreamspeakers International Film Festival | Edmonton | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Edmonton International Film Festival | Edmonton | | Yes |
| Edmonton Short Film Festival | Edmonton | | Yes |
| FAVA Fest | Edmonton | | Yes |
| Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival | Calgary | LGBT film | Yes |
| Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival | Calgary | Animated film | |
| Lethbridge International Film Festival | Lethbridge | | |
| Marda Loop Justice Film Festival | Calgary | Documentary films | Yes |
| Nordlys Film and Arts Festival | Camrose | | Yes |
| NorthWestFearFest | Edmonton | Horror and thriller films | |
| Northwestfest | Edmonton | Documentary films | Yes |
| Rainbow Visions Film Festival | Edmonton | LGBT film | Yes |
| Red Deer Justice Film Festival | Red Deer | Documentary films | |
| Reel Shorts Film Festival | Grande Prairie | | Yes |

## British Columbia

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Abbotsford Film Festival | Abbotsford | | Yes |
| Chilliwack Independent Film Festival | Chilliwack | | Yes |
| Crazy8s | Vancouver | | |
| DOXA Documentary Film Festival | Vancouver | Documentary films | Yes |
| Fake Flesh Film Festival | Kamloops | Horror shorts | |
| Festival Cinéloops | Kamloops | Francophone films | |
| Gender Equity in Media Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Homeground Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| International South Asian Film Festival Canada | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Invermere Film Festival | Invermere | | Yes |
| Kamloops Black Film Festival | Kamloops | | |
| Kamloops Film Festival | Kamloops | | Yes |
| Kamloops Independent Short Shorts Film Festival | Kamloops | | |
| Ma Boli International Punjabi Film Festival | Surrey | | |
| Mena Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Powell River Film Festival | Powell River | | |
| Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth | Vancouver | Films catered towards youth audiences | Yes |
| Rendez-Vous French Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Run N Gun 48 Hour Film Festival | Vancouver | | |
| Salt Spring Film Festival | Saltspring Island | | Yes |
| Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival | Victoria | | Yes |
| Skoden Indigenous Film Festival | Vancouver | Indigenous films | |
| Spark Animation Festival | Vancouver | Animation festival | Yes |
| Stseptékwles re Sk’elép (Coyote Stories) Indigenous Film Festival | Kamloops | | Yes |
| Sundar Prize Film Festival | Surrey | | |
| Vancouver Asian Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver International Black Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver International Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival | Vancouver | Films about outdoor adventure, recreation and mountain culture | Yes |
| Vancouver International Women in Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver Latin American Film Festival | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Vancouver Queer Film & Video Festival | Vancouver | LGBT films | |
| Vancouver Short Film Festival | Vancouver | Short films | Yes |
| Vancouver Web Fest | Vancouver | | Yes |
| Victoria Film Festival | Victoria | | Yes |
| Whistler Film Festival | Whistler | | Yes |
| Wild & Scenic Film Festival | Invermere | | |
| World Community Film Festival | Courtenay and Kelowna | Documentary films | |

## Manitoba

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| African Movie Festival in Manitoba | Winnipeg | | Yes |
| Afro Prairie Film Festival | Winnipeg | | Yes |
| Canadian International Comedy Film Festival | Winnipeg | | Yes |
| Cinémental | Winnipeg | Francophone films | Yes |
| Freeze Frame International Film Festival | Winnipeg | | Yes |
| Gimli Film Festival | Gimli | | Yes |
| Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival | Winnipeg | Documentary films | Yes |
| NSI Film Exchange Canadian Film Festival | Winnipeg | Defunct | |
| Riding Mountain National Park Film Festival | Wasagaming | | |
| Reel Pride | Winnipeg | LGBT films | Yes |
| University of Winnipeg Film Festival | Winnipeg | Presented by the University of Winnipeg | |
| Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival | Winnipeg | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Winnipeg International Film Festival | Winnipeg | Defunct | |
| Winnipeg Jewish Film Festival | Winnipeg | | |
| Winnipeg Real to Reel Film Festival | Winnipeg | | Yes |
| Winnipeg Underground Film Festival | Winnipeg | | |

## New Brunswick

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| DocTalks Festival and Symposium | Fredericton | Documentary films | Yes |
| Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie | Moncton | Francophone films | Yes |
| Indigenous Film Festival | Fredericton | Indigenous films | |
| Pink Lobster Film Festival | Fredericton | LGBTQ films | |
| Saint John Jewish Film Festival | Saint John | Jewish films | |
| Silver Wave Film Festival | Fredericton | | Yes |

## Newfoundland and Labrador

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Bonavista Film Festival | Bonavista | | |
| Corner Brook Pride Film Festival | Corner Brook | LGBT films | |
| Nickel Film Festival | St. John's | | Yes |
| Smith Sound Film Festival | George's Brook-Milton | | |
| St. John's International Women's Film Festival | St. John's | | Yes |

## Northwest Territories

| Name | City | Notes | CSA | Ref |
| Dead North Film Festival | Yellowknife | Horror, fantasy and science fiction films; defunct | | |
| Yellowknife International Film Festival | Yellowknife | | Yes | |

## Nova Scotia

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Animation Festival of Halifax | Halifax | Animated films | Yes |
| Atlantic International Film Festival | Halifax | | Yes |
| Atlantic Jewish Film Festival | Halifax | Jewish films | |
| Devour! The Food Film Fest | Wolfville | | Yes |
| Emerging Lens Film Festival | Halifax | | Yes |
| Halifax Black Film Festival | Halifax | | Yes |
| Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival | Halifax | | Yes |
| Hellifax Horror Film Festival | Halifax | | Yes |
| Lunenburg Doc Fest | Lunenburg | Documentary films | Yes |
| Nova Scotia Retro Film Festo | Halifax | Screens classic independent films by Nova Scotia directors | |
| OUTeast Film Festival | Halifax | LGBT films | |

## Nunavut

| Name | City | Notes | CSA | Ref |
| Alianait Arts Festival | Iqaluit | Film screenings as part of a larger music and arts festival | Yes | |
| Nunavut International Film Festival | Iqaluit | Free festival devoted to children's films; formerly called the Nunavut Children's Film Festival | | |

## Ontario

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Ageless Film Festival | Toronto | Films about senior citizen issues | |
| AGH Film Festival | Hamilton | | |
| aluCine Latin Film and Media Arts Festival | Toronto | Latin American films | |
| Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival | Ottawa | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Barrie Film Festival | Barrie | | Yes |
| Belleville Downtown DocFest | Belleville | Documentary films | |
| Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Bloody Horror International Film Festival | Ottawa | | Yes |
| Blue Mountain Film Festival | Collingwood | | |
| Breakthroughs Film Festival | Toronto | Devoted to short films by emerging women and non-binary filmmakers | Yes |
| Breast Fest Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| Buffer Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival | Toronto | Short films | |
| Canadian Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Canadian Sport Film Festival | Toronto | Films about the cultural, social and political context of sports | |
| CaribbeanTales International Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| CineFAM Film Festival | Toronto | Films by BIPOC wonen | Yes |
| Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival | Sudbury | | Yes |
| Cinéfranco | Toronto | Francophone films | Yes |
| County Adaptation Film Festival | Picton | Festival devoted exclusively to film adaptations of literature | |
| European Union Film Festival | Toronto | European films; one film from each EU country screened free | |
| Female Eye Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Festival Objectif Cinéma Desjardins | Ottawa | Francophone films | Yes |
| Festival of International Virtual & Augmented Reality Stories | Toronto | | |
| Film North – Huntsville International Film Festival | Huntsville | | |
| Forest City Film Festival | London | | Yes |
| Future of Film Showcase | Toronto | Short films | Yes |
| Global Tourism Film Festival | North Bay | Films about tourism and travel | |
| Grand River Film Festival | Cambridge | | Yes |
| Guelph Film Festival | Guelph | Documentary films | Yes |
| Hamilton Film Festival | Hamilton | | Yes |
| Hamilton Black Film Festival | Hamilton | | |
| Hamilton Queer Film Festival | Hamilton | LGBTQ films | |
| Hollywood North Film Festival | Picton, Quinte West, Belleville | Independent films | |
| Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival | Toronto | Documentary films | Yes |
| Images Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival | Toronto | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Indigenous Film Festival | Forest | Indigenous films | |
| Inside Out Ottawa Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival | Ottawa | LGBT films | Yes |
| Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival | Toronto | LGBT films | Yes |
| International Film Festival of Ottawa | Ottawa | Launched in 2020 | Yes |
| International Film Festival of South Asia | Toronto | South Asian films | Yes |
| Italian Contemporary Film Festival | Toronto | Italian and Italian-Canadian films | Yes |
| Junction North International Documentary Film Festival | Sudbury | Documentary films | Yes |
| Kingston Canadian Film Festival | Kingston | Canadian films | Yes |
| Lambton Film and Food Festival | Forest | | |
| Latin American Film Festival | Toronto | Latin American films | Yes |
| London Lesbian Film Festival | London | LGBT films | Yes |
| Lost Episode Festival Toronto | Toronto | | Yes |
| Making Scenes Film and Video Festival | Ottawa | LGBT films. Defunct 2005, replaced with Ottawa edition of Inside Out. | |
| Meaford International Film Festival | Meaford | | Yes |
| Milton Film Festival | Milton | | Yes |
| Mirror Mountain Film Festival | Ottawa | Independent, underground and alternative films | Yes |
| Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival | Mississauga | | Yes |
| Mosaic Nights Film Festival | Alliston, Barrie | International films, centred on films from a different specific country each year | |
| Mulan International Film Festival | Toronto | Chinese films | Yes |
| Muskoka Queer Film Festival | Bracebridge, Huntsville | | |
| Muslim International Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| North Bay Film Festival | North Bay | | |
| North by Northeast | Toronto | | Yes |
| Northwest Film Fest | Thunder Bay | | |
| Oakville Festivals of Film and Art | Oakville | Social issues festival - screens Canadian and international features, documentaries, shorts | Yes |
| One World Film Festival | Ottawa | Documentary films | |
| Open Roof Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Ottawa Black Film Festival | Ottawa | | Yes |
| Ottawa Canadian Film Festival | Ottawa | | Yes |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival | Ottawa | Animated films | Yes |
| Ottawa International Film Festival | Ottawa | Defunct | |
| Ottawa Film Festival | Ottawa | Program of short films screened at the University of Ottawa | |
| Pendance Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| Planet in Focus | Toronto | | Yes |
| Punjabi International Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| Queer North Film Festival | Sudbury | LGBT films | Yes |
| Rainbow Reels Queer and Trans Film Festival | Kitchener-Waterloo | LGBT films | Yes |
| Reel Stories | Barrie | Documentary films | Yes |
| ReelAbilities Film Festival | Toronto | Films about physical and mental disability | Yes |
| Reelout Queer Film Festival | Kingston | LGBT films | Yes |
| Reelworld Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| ReFrame Film Festival | Peterborough | Documentary films | |
| Regent Park Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Rendezvous with Madness | Toronto | Films about mental health | |
| Routes to Roots Film Festival | Norfolk County | Centres on films with local connections to the Haldimand-Norfolk region | |
| Sault Film Festival | Sault Ste. Marie | Independent films by Northern Ontario filmmakers | |
| Sex Workers' Film and Arts Festival | Hamilton | Films about sex work | |
| Shadows of the Mind Film Festival | Sault Ste. Marie | Films about mental health | |
| Shorts That Are Not Pants | Toronto | Short films | |
| South Western International Film Festival | Sarnia | | Yes |
| Stratford Film Festival | Stratford | Defunct | |
| Stratford Winter Film Festival | Stratford | New in 2024 | |
| Sudbury Outdoor Adventure Reels (SOAR) Film Festival | Sudbury | | |
| Sudbury's Tiny Underground Film Festival (STUFF) | Sudbury | One-day festival of underground and experimental films, launched 2022 | |
| Take 21 | Toronto | Defunct; student films | |
| TIFF Kids | Toronto | Children's films | Yes |
| TIFF Next Wave | Toronto | Canadian and international feature films of youth interest and short films by amateur youth filmmakers | |
| Timmins Film Festival | Timmins | | |
| Toronto After Dark Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Arab Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Black Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| Toronto Food Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Independent Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto International Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto International Teen Movie Festival | Toronto | Defunct | |
| Toronto Japanese Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Jewish Film Festival | Toronto | Jewish films | Yes |
| Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival | Toronto | Stories told through the lens of motorcycling | |
| Toronto Palestine Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Queer Film Festival | Toronto | LGBTQ-themed experimental film | Yes |
| Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Short Film Festival | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Tamil Film Festival | Toronto | Tamil films | |
| Toronto Urban Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| T.O. Webfest | Toronto | | Yes |
| Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival | Toronto | | |
| Videodrunk Film Festival | Whitby | Underground film | Yes |
| Vox Popular Media Arts Festival | Thunder Bay | | |
| Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema | Waterloo | Animated films | |
| Weengushk International Film Festival | Manitoulin Island | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Willson Oakville Film Festival | Oakville | | Yes |
| Water Docs | Toronto | Documentary films about water and environmental protection | |
| Windsor International Film Festival | Windsor | | Yes |
| Windsor Jewish Film Festival | Windsor | | |
| World of Comedy Film Festival | Toronto | Defunct | |

## Prince Edward Island

| Name | City | Notes | CSA | Ref |
| Charlottetown Film Festival | Charlottetown | | Yes | |

## Quebec

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival | Rouyn-Noranda | | Yes |
| Animaze Montreal International Film Festival | Montreal | Animated films | Yes |
| Canada China International Film Festival | Montreal | | Yes |
| Canadian Independent Film Festival | Montreal | | |
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Rimouski | Children's films | Yes |
| Ciné-Sept | Sept-Îles | | Yes |
| Cinemania | Montreal | | Yes |
| Cinoche International Film Festival of Baie-Comeau | Baie-Comeau | | Yes |
| Comedia | Montreal | Program of comedy films screened as part of the Just for Laughs comedy festival | |
| Concordia Film Festival | Montreal | Festival of student films staged by Concordia University | |
| Courts d'un soir | Montreal | Short films | Yes |
| Cuisine, Cinéma & Confidences | Baie-Saint-Paul | Festival of food-related films and culinary events | Yes |
| Eat My Shorts | Montreal | Short comedy films screened in conjunction with Just for Laughs | Yes |
| Fantasia Festival | Montreal | | Yes |
| Festival de films d'auteur de Val-Morin | Val-Morin | | |
| Festival de films pour l'environnement | Saint-Casimir | Environmental films | Yes |
| Festival du film de l'Outaouais | Gatineau | | Yes |
| Festival du nouveau cinéma | Montreal | | Yes |
| Festival Filministes | Montreal | Feminist films | Yes |
| Festival Images en vues | Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine | Short films | |
| Festival Stop Motion Montreal | Montreal | Stop-motion animation | Yes |
| First Peoples' Festival (Presence autochtone) | Montreal | | Yes |
| Hudson Festival of Canadian Film | Hudson | | Yes |
| IF3 International Freeski Film Festival | Montreal | | Yes |
| Image+Nation | Montreal | LGBT films | Yes |
| International Festival of Films on Art | Montreal | | Yes |
| Korean Film Festival Canada | Montreal | Korean films | Yes |
| Longue Vue sur le court | Montreal | Short films | Yes |
| Massimadi Festival | Montreal | Canadian and international films about Black LGBTQ people and issues | Yes |
| Montreal Critic's Week | Montreal | Slated to launch in 2025 | |
| Montreal International Black Film Festival | Montreal | | Yes |
| Montreal International Children's Film Festival | Montreal | | Yes |
| Montreal International Documentary Festival | Montreal | Documentary films | Yes |
| Montreal International Film Festival | Montreal | Defunct | |
| Montreal Israeli Film Festival | Montreal | Jewish and Israeli films; formerly the Montreal Jewish Film Festival | |
| Montreal World Film Festival | Montreal | Defunct | |
| Les Percéides | Percé | | Yes |
| Plein(s) écran(s) | Montreal | Short films | Yes |
| Pop Montreal | Montreal | Music-related films screened in conjunction with a music performance festival | Yes |
| Quebec City Film Festival | Quebec City | | Yes |
| Regard – Saguenay International Short Film Festival | Saguenay | Short films | Yes |
| Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (Montreal) | Montreal | | Yes |
| Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (Quebec City) | Quebec City | | Yes |
| Sherbrooke World Film Festival | Sherbrooke | | Yes |
| Social Impact Film and Art Festival | Montreal | | |
| Sommets du cinéma d'animation | Montreal | | Yes |
| South Asian Film Festival of Montreal | Montreal | South Asian films | Yes |
| Vues d'Afrique | Montreal | | Yes |
| Vues dans la tête de... | Rivière-du-Loup | | Yes |
| Urban Films Festival | Montreal | Qualifying event to select the Canadian submission to France's Urban Films Festival competition | Yes |
| Wakefield Documentary Film Festival | Wakefield | Documentary films | |
| The YoungCuts Film Festival | Montreal | | |

## Saskatchewan

| Name | City | Notes | CSA |
| Ācimowin Film Festival | Saskatoon | Indigenous films | |
| Cinergie | Saskatoon | Francophone films | Yes |
| Living Skies Student Film Festival | Regina | Festival exhibiting films by University of Regina film students | |
| Mispon: A Celebration of Indigenous Filmmaking | Regina | Indigenous films | Yes |
| Queer City Cinema | Saskatoon | LGBT films | Yes |
| Regina International Film Festival | Regina | | Yes |
| Saskatchewan International Film Festival | Various locations | | |
| Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival | Saskatoon | | Yes |
| Reel Rave International Film Festival | Waskesiu Lake | | |
| Yorkton Film Festival | Yorkton | | Yes |

## Yukon

| Name | City | Notes | CSA | Ref |
| Available Light Film Festival | Whitehorse | | Yes | |
| Out North Queer Film Festival | Whitehorse | LGBT films | Yes | |