CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) is an annual event that celebrates the talents of established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean and African heritage who practice their art across the Caribbean Diaspora worldwide. The event takes place each year in September and is now offering viewership online and in-person experiences.

2025 marked the 20th edition of the CaribbeanTales Film Festival and we can’t wait to welcome our audiences back in person across the Greater Toronto Area!

Submissions for CTFF 2025 will open on October 31 2025.

Awards & Prizes

Best Feature Film
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Film
Best Short Documentary
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Cinematography
Caribbean Spirit Award
Impact Award
Innovation Award
INTERSECT Award

Rules & Terms

FILMMAKERS
CaribbeanTales seeks works made by filmmakers from Caribbean backgrounds and/or that celebrate and explore Caribbean themes, and themes of interest and relevance to people from the Caribbean Diaspora.

FILMS
All film submissions must be completed online.
Films in foreign languages must be subtitled in English.
Please indicate whether your film will have its Canadian Premiere, Ontario Premiere or Toronto Premiere at the time it is screened at CTFF in September 2024.

MARKETING MATERIALS
When submitting your film, please provide at least:
- A Synopsis
- A trailer
- A poster
- Two Stills Shots
- A Director’s headshot
- A Director’s biography
- An EPK
All submitted files must be high resolution. A more detailed list of requested marketing materials will be submitted upon acceptance into the festival.

AWARD ELIGIBILITY
Films having their Canadian premiere at CaribbeanTales will be considered for Awards.

EXCLUSIVITY
The Filmmaker agrees that the Picture will not be screened anywhere else in Canada thirty days prior the start date of the Festival and thirty days after the end date of the Festival in order to preserve the integrity of CaribbeanTales Film Festival.
32 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Christina Katrina Smith

    Special shout out to Caribbean Tales International FF for giving Caribbean voices the platform to be seen and heard.

    February 2026
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  • Nara Garber

    This is an incredible festival that cares about both the films it programs and the filmmakers. It was an honor to have the Canadian premiere of Bankie Banx: King of the Dune at CTFF with Bankie in attendance, and the team did an amazing job of lining up press opportunities while we were in town. We wish we could have attended the entire festival in person, but the depth of and quality of the films in the online program was also impressive. This is a special festival, and I've already encouraged two friends with Caribbean-themed films in the works to submit. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

    October 2025
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  • Dilia Oviedo Luciano

    Thank you to the festival for the official selection of our film. It was an honor to be part of it.

    October 2025
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  • Damien Nembhard

    We are happy with this selection and hope the festival continues to grow year to year.

    November 2024
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  • raquel Gómez-Rosado

    This festival is one of those that are worth attending. I've only been able to enjoy it from a distance, but from what I've been able to follow on social networks, they get press coverage and generate very interesting face-to-face events linked to an industry and distribution part that can be very interesting for the participants. As I followed it, I kept saying to myself "what a shame not to be there". I would have gladly paid for the trip. They approached us with a contract that looked like a distribution company but was very open to our needs and easily adapted to us. I wish them all the best.

    October 2024
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