IFFO - the International Film Festival of Ottawa

What IFFO - the International Film Festival of Ottawa does

IFFO - the International Film Festival of Ottawa is a non-profit annual film festival presented by the Canadian Film Institute (CFI), a registered charitable organization founded in 1935 that reaches over 100,000 audience members across national and international events. IFFO was established in 2020, with its inaugural in-person edition held in March 2021 after the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19. The festival showcases 22 Canadian and international feature films annually, each paired with a Canadian short film, drawn from the international festival circuit. Programming is organized around several series: The Gaze (diverse representation from underrepresented filmmakers), Screen Summit (industry conferences for emerging and mid-level film professionals), SAVE AS (film preservation, restoration, distribution, and exhibition), Canadian Masters (retrospectives with leading Canadian filmmakers), EyeCANdy (Canadian independent animation curated with the Ottawa International Animation Festival), and Café Ex (experimental film).

IFFO's business model is multi-streamed, characteristic of a non-profit cultural organization. Revenue is generated through individual ticket sales (e.g., $14 per screening, $20 Screen Summit pass, pay-what-you-can for Café Ex), corporate sponsorships organized into tiers (Principal, Government, Supporting, Contributing, Screening Partners) with CF Rideau Centre as Principal Sponsor, public arts funding from Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Telefilm Canada, and Ontario Creates, individual donations and CFI memberships, and a 50/50 Draw. Distribution is hybrid: in-person screenings across four Ottawa venues (Ottawa Art Gallery, Mayfair Theatre, Club SAW, ByTowne Cinema) combined with online ticketing via Eventive and Universe, and virtual programming on BigMarker.

The organization operates with approximately 10 employees under CFI leadership — Tom McSorley as Executive Director of CFI, Kelly Neall as CFI Managing Director, Tish Black as IFFO Programmer, and Amy Kassem as Development Coordinator. International embassy partnerships (France, Germany) and institutional collaborations (Carleton University Film Studies, Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival) extend IFFO's programming reach. The festival runs annually in March, with the sixth edition completed in March 2026 and the seventh edition scheduled for March 10-21, 2027.

Name

IFFO - the International Film Festival of Ottawa

Legal name

Canadian Film Institute

Website

https://iffo.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IFFO is a non-profit annual international film festival in Ottawa, presented by the Canadian Film Institute, showcasing 22 Canadian and international feature films per year alongside industry programming and diverse-representation series for cinephiles and film professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IFFO is an annual international film festival in Ottawa presented by the Canadian Film Institute, showcasing 22 contemporary Canadian and international feature films each paired with a Canadian short film. It complements screenings with industry conferences (Screen Summit for emerging film professionals, SAVE AS for preservation/distribution), curated film series (The Gaze for diverse representation, Canadian Masters for filmmaker retrospectives, EyeCANdy for Canadian animation, Café Ex for experimental film), and an audience-voted People's Choice Award.

Product overview

IFFO is an annual international film festival in Ottawa presented by the Canadian Film Institute. The core offering is the festival itself, which presents feature film screenings (22 Canadian and international features annually), each paired with Canadian short films. Supporting programs include The Gaze (screening and discussion series for underrepresented filmmakers), Screen Summit (industry conferences for film professionals), SAVE AS (film preservation/distribution conferences), Canadian Masters (filmmaker retrospectives), EyeCANdy (Canadian animation), and Café Ex (experimental film). The festival runs annually in March with audience award voting through an online system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO)
• The Gaze
• Screen Summit
• SAVE AS
• Canadian Masters
• EyeCANdy
• Café Ex
• CF Rideau Centre People's Choice Award

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Canadian Film Institute (CFI)coreOthersThe Canadian Film Institute presents IFFO. CFI is a registered charitable organization and non-profit cultural organization that has been operating for 90+ years, reaching over 100,000 audiences through multiple national and international events and festivals.
• CF Rideau CentrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrincipal sponsor of IFFO, providing the naming rights for the People's Choice Award and supporting festival operations.
• Ontario CreatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment agency supporting the Screen Summit industry programming and festival operations.
• Canada Council for the ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal arts funding agency supporting IFFO through sponsorship.
• Ontario Arts CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvincial arts funding agency supporting the festival.
• Telefilm CanadacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal cultural agency supporting Canadian film industry and IFFO.
• Ottawa Art GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary venue for IFFO screenings including The Gaze series and feature presentations.
• Mayfair TheatrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOttawa venue hosting IFFO screenings.
• Club SAWcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOttawa venue for IFFO opening night gala and screenings.
• ByTowne CinemacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOttawa cinema venue hosting IFFO screenings.
• Ambassade de France au Canada (Embassy of France)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for co-presentations including Wild Diamond screening and support for French cinema.
• Institut français du CanadamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for French-language film programming including Wild Diamond.
• Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany OttawamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport for German film presentations including Searching Eva.
• Cultural Services of the Embassy of France in CanadamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport for Noura's Dream screening and French cultural programming.
• Ottawa International Animation FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurates the EyeCANdy program featuring Canadian independent animation films.
• Carleton University - Film StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Carleton University's School for Studies in Art and Culture's Film Studies section for Canadian Masters programming.
• Asinabka Film & Media Arts FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presenter of Red Snow Enlightened Screen session.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toronto International Film Festival: TIFF is Canada's flagship film festival and the largest in North America. It is a broader incumbent in the same Canadian festival circuit where IFFO operates, drawing on overlapping corporate sponsors, federal funding (Telefilm Canada), and competing for the same pool of award-calibre international films.
• Sundance Film Festival: Sundance is a globally benchmarked film festival whose programming slate overlaps with IFFO's curated-international-cinema selection (e.g., Jazz Infernal won a 2026 Sundance award after screening at IFFO). Sundance is a broader incumbent whose curatorial choices influence which films IFFO can license.

Direct peers

• Calgary International Film Festival: CIFF is a Canadian regional film festival of similar size to IFFO, presenting curated international and Canadian cinema to a single metropolitan market. It competes for sponsors, audiences, and curated international films within the Canadian festival circuit.
• Hot Docs: Hot Docs is a Toronto-based documentary festival comparable in size and operating model to IFFO, drawing on similar federal/provincial arts funding and corporate sponsorships. Both festivals operate as curated single-city Canadian festivals serving cinephile audiences.
• Fantasia International Film Festival: Fantasia is a Montreal-based Canadian film festival comparable in scale to IFFO, with curated programming across multiple genres and industry-facing components. It operates on a similar non-profit, sponsor-and-grant-funded model within the Canadian festival landscape.
• Atlantic Film Festival: The Atlantic Film Festival is a Canadian regional festival of similar scale to IFFO, presenting curated international and Canadian cinema in a single city (Halifax). It draws on comparable federal/provincial arts funding and competes in the same Canadian festival ecosystem.
• Whistler Film Festival: Whistler Film Festival is a Canadian regional festival with comparable scale and curated-international-cinema programming model to IFFO. Both festivals target a single metro/regional audience and draw on similar funding sources including Telefilm Canada and provincial arts councils.
• Vancouver International Film Festival: VIFF is a Canadian regional film festival of comparable scale to IFFO, presenting curated international and Canadian cinema to a single metropolitan audience. It competes directly for sponsors, audiences, and curated film selections within the Canadian festival ecosystem.

Others

• Ottawa International Animation Festival: OIAF is IFFO's actual programming partner in Ottawa, curating IFFO's EyeCANdy animation program. As the world's largest animation festival, OIAF is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor — it supplies curated content to IFFO and shares the same Ottawa audience pool.

Regional players

• Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival: Asinabka is an Ottawa-based Indigenous film and media arts festival that co-presents sessions with IFFO. Operating in the same Ottawa geography, it serves an overlapping cinephile audience and shares IFFO's mission of platforming underrepresented filmmakers through The Gaze-style programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iffottawa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFFO - the International Film Festival of Ottawa