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. (I’m not saying you will spot George Clooney…but, hey, anything’s possible.)

• Canada’s Top 10 Film Festival (January): This event, run by TIFF, showcases movies by leading Canadian directors. (Toronto)
• Snowtown Film Festival (January): This relative newcomer to the movie event circuit celebrates movies of all sorts and includes a “flannel casual red carpet reception.” (Watertown NY)
• 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)

• Belleville Downtown DocFest (March): More than 50 documentaries are regularly screened at this weekend event.
• Kingston Canadian Film Festival (March): As the name suggests, this festival focuses on movies made in the Great White North.
• Canadian Film Fest (March/April): This event also shines a spotlight on works by Canadian filmmakers. (Toronto)

• 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)
• Latin American Film Festival (May): Founded in 1987, this CFI festival screens films made in countries from Mexico to Argentina. (Ottawa)
• Toronto Jewish Film Festival (May/June): Over 11 days, this event screens features, shorts and documentaries on Jewish themes created by filmmakers around the world.
• 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. (There’s also an Ottawa version in November.)

• Outaouais Film Festival (June): 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)
• Mirror Mountain Film Festival (July): 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)
• 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)
• 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 screens about 50 features and 120 short films from around the world each year, with a special focus on Quebec movies.
• Cinéfest Sudbury (September): Over nine days, this festival presents a diverse range of about 135 features, documentaries, shorts and animated films.
• New York State International Film Festival (September): Short films are the focus at this event, which encourages filmmakers to submit their movies in any genre, from animated movies and musicals to documentaries and horror flicks. (Albany NY)
• Animaze (September): This animation festival includes screenings, talks, a conference and more. (Montreal)
• 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/October): At this event, movie fans can catch documentaries, short films and features focusing on the Black experience around the world.
• Ottawa Korean Film Festival (September/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.
• 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 La La Land or The Hangover at this nine-night festival of sci-fi, horror, action and cult movies.
• Lake Placid Film Festival (October): This event includes theatre screenings, workshops, panel discussions and more. (Lake Placid NY)

• Glimmerglass Film Days (November): This event presents movies that examine humans’ relationship with the natural world and includes a companion program of hikes, bike rides and other outdoor events. (Cooperstown NY)
• 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.
• Inside Out: Ottawa LGBT Film Festival (November): This weekend-long event is run by the same organization behind the similarly named Toronto festival.
• 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)
• European Union Film Festival (November/December): 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)
• Japanese Film Festival (December): Yet another cool festival presented in collaboration with the CFI, this event features screenings of contemporary Japanese movies. (Ottawa)

Want more tips on road trips from Ottawa—including info on hotel discounts, contests, festivals and other cool news? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I will never spam you—promise.

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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