See new, cutting-edge and offbeat movies at these cool film festivals

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Tired of the selection on Netflix? Dying to snap a photo of a movie star? Want to catch a foreign flick? Then it might be time to check out a few film festivals, whether you want to hit the road or stay right here in Ottawa. Here are some suggestions.

• Reelout (January/February): Comedies, dramas, documentaries and other movies with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender themes are the focus of this annual two-week event. (Kingston)
• Kingston Canadian Film Festival (February/March): As the name suggests, this festival focuses on movies made in the Great White North.
• International Film Festival of Ottawa (March): Presented by the Canadian Film Institute (CFI), this festival screens movies from around the world and also offers events for local filmmakers.
• Belleville Downtown DocFest (March): More than 50 documentaries are regularly screened at this weekend event.
• Canadian Film Fest (March/April): This event also shines a spotlight on works by Canadian filmmakers. (Toronto)
• Outaouais Film Festival (April): This festival shows short and feature-length films—including fiction, animation and documentaries—from around the world, with a particular emphasis on Outaouais and Quebec movies. (Gatineau)

• Latin American Film Festival (April): Founded in 1987, this CFI festival screens films made in countries from Mexico to Argentina. (Ottawa)
• Mohawk Short Film Fest: This one-day film festival showcases short movies made by Indigenous filmmakers from Eastern Ontario. (Cornwall)
• Irish Film Festival Ottawa (April): This festival shows Irish films, usually including a children’s movie, and often features talks and panel discussions, too.
• South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (April/May): This one features dramas, comedies and documentaries from the Indian subcontinent and by South Asians living around the world.
• Hot Docs (April/May): Do you love a true story? Then this huge festival of documentary films is for you. (Toronto)
• European Union Short Film Festival (May): This festival features short movies—ranging from animated films to experimental works, and everything in between—from more than 20 EU countries. There’s usually a Tastes of Europe event before each show where you can nosh on free food and drink. (Ottawa)
• Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film Festival (May/June): This celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movies is the largest such event in Canada and one of the five top LGBT film fests in the world.
• Toronto Jewish Film Festival (June): Over 11 days, this event screens features, shorts and documentaries on Jewish themes created by filmmakers around the world.

• Fantasia International Film Festival (July/August): Celebrating genre films from around the world (think science fiction, fantasy and horror, among others), this eclectic festival features both big-budget Hollywood movies and quirky independent films. (Montreal)
• Mirror Mountain Film Festival (September): Do you like your movies to be a bit off the wall? Then this weekend festival of independent, underground and alternative cinema, in genres ranging from documentary to science fiction, will be just the ticket. (Ottawa)
• Toronto International Film Festival (September): TIFF is one of the world’s largest and most popular movie fests, so book your tickets (and your hotel room) as early as you can. Tickets usually go on sale in early summer. When you’re there, watch Toronto newspapers for the latest details on celebrity sightings and red carpet events.

• Quebec City Film Festival (September): This event generally screens about 50 features and 120 short films from around the world each year, with a special focus on Quebec movies.
• Animaze (September): This animation festival includes screenings, talks, a conference and more. (Montreal)
• Cinéfest Sudbury (September): Over nine days, this festival presents a diverse range of about 135 features, documentaries, shorts and animated films.
• Ottawa International Animation Festival (September): The largest event of its kind in North America, this CFI festival brings quirky, innovative animated movies to a variety of downtown theatres.

• Montreal International Black Film Festival (September): At this event, movie fans can catch documentaries, short films and features focusing on the Black experience around the world.
• Festival du nouveau cinéma (October): Featuring a wide slate of movies in French, English and other languages, this festival screens both cutting-edge fare and big-budget mainstream movies. With lots of workshops and social events, it’s as much about the love of movies as the movies themselves. (Montreal)
• Toronto After Dark Film Festival (October): Don’t expect to see the latest rom-coms or kids’ flicks at this nine-night festival of sci-fi, horror, action and cult movies.
• Ottawa Korean Film Festival (October): This festival features a wide range of Korean movies, including short films and independent flicks. They’re often screened at the ByTowne Cinema on Rideau Street and the Korean Cultural Centre Canada on Elgin Street.

• Cinemania (November): Movies in this Francophone film fest come from a diverse range of countries—including Canada, of course—and run the gamut from romantic comedies to military adventures. Films are subtitled in English. (Montreal)
• Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (November): Canada’s largest Asian film festival screens movies from East, South and Southeast Asia in a huge range of genres.
• Montreal International Documentary Festival (November): Often known by its French acronym, RIDM, this festival shows more than 100 documentaries annually, and brings together filmmakers and movie fans.
• European Union Film Festival (November): This two- to three-week event, one of the CFI’s oldest festivals, features films new to Ottawa and offers special prices for seniors, students and CFI members. (Ottawa)

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As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

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