Three days.
One creative room.

Open World Toronto Film Festival (OWTFF) is an annual multi-day Toronto celebration of independent cinema, live performance and fashion. It creates a platform for emerging filmmakers, visual artists and performers to present their work, meet audiences and engage directly with industry professionals.

The festival is intentionally more than a screening schedule. Film, art, music, fashion, conversation and community share the same space, creating a multi-sensory event built around inclusion, social connection and a fashion-forward creative atmosphere.

OWTFF has consistently focused on new and underrepresented voices, with the goal of building a diverse, collaborative environment where creators can be seen without the size of a production or the fame of a name deciding the value of the work.

OWTFF’s mission is to empower new and underrepresented voices in film by giving emerging filmmakers, artists and performers a dedicated place to debut work and connect directly with audiences, industry insiders and mentors.

Q&As, panels, hands-on workshops and informal networking extend the experience beyond the screening itself. Creativity, inclusion, sustainability and access are treated as part of the same mission: helping fresh talent build real momentum.

OWTFF envisions a creative ecosystem where fresh talent from every background has a meaningful opportunity to shine. Film, performance and fashion are brought together as complementary forms rather than separate worlds.

Technology, sustainability and equitable access are used to expand participation, while the long-term goal remains human: nurture emerging voices, help them grow, and leave a positive mark on the future of cinema and the arts.

Category winners receive the OWTFF Trophy, presented during the live festival whenever possible. Winners also receive guaranteed full festival access for themselves and their family or team, opening the door to screenings, networking and festival activities.

When required, OWTFF can assist award winners with visa invitation letters so they have time to make travel arrangements.

1. Award attendance: trophy collection is ideally in person. If a winner cannot attend, a prerecorded thank-you may be presented. Shipping a trophy can be facilitated, but the recipient is responsible for arranging and paying shipping.
2. Visa assistance: invitation letters can be provided for award winners when required.
3. Submission route: festival submissions are handled through FilmFreeway.
4. Schedule flexibility: event timing may change when venue, weather or international participation requires adjustment.
5. Multiple submissions: multiple projects and multiple categories are permitted, subject to the applicable submission fee or waiver conditions.
6. Judging and fees: decisions by judges, programmers and organizers are final; entry fees are non-refundable.
7. Screening format: downloadable digital screening files are required; mailed physical screening copies are not accepted.
8. Language: films not in English must include subtitles.
9. Liability: entrants release OWTFF and its organizers from claims relating to the submitted entry while it is in the festival’s possession.
10. Authorization: the person submitting must be authorized to enter the work.
11. Rights and promotion: entrants must control the necessary music and exhibition rights and grant OWTFF permission to use supplied stills, titles, posters, trailers and project information for festival promotion, as well as permission to screen the work.
12. Accuracy and compliance: submission information must be accurate, the entrant must comply with festival eligibility requirements, and the work must not be subject to threatened or active litigation that prevents its exhibition.
13. Rule changes: submission criteria and festival rules may be updated when necessary.