The Freshwater Film Festival is a Canadian not-for-profit media arts organization presenting short films and features from independent Ontario-based filmmakers, focusing on media created outside of the Greater Toronto Area.

We are interested in shorts from undiscovered filmmakers whose work is visually bombastic with a unique visual language.

Please submit if your film is whimsical, ethereal, haunting, genre oriented, challenging, experimental, dreamy, striking, captures beautiful landscapes, or shows us something we've never seen on film before.

The Freshwater Film Festival is about filmmaking in its purest form. We're looking for filmmakers who push the envelope and aren't afraid of taking risks.

The Freshwater Film Festival will take place November 14th, 2026 in Collingwood, Ontario at the Simcoe Street Theatre.

Rules & Terms

To be eligible for submission, you and your film must adhere to the following criteria:

• The filmmaker must be based in Ontario, with preference to areas outside of the Great Toronto Area

• The film's principal photography must have taken place in Ontario, with preference to filmmakers with films with principal photography taking place outside of the Greater Toronto Area

• The filmmaker must have Canadian permanent residency or citizenship

• All entries must be either in English or contain English subtitles. Non-English entries submitted without subtitles or supplementary printed translations will be automatically disqualified.

Terms and Conditions:

• All genres will be considered for inclusion in the festival. Once a work has been submitted, it may not be withdrawn.

• Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images and content in the entry.

• Entrant will allow usage of clips from the entry and all related publicity material submitted for promotional use in print, web and at live Festival events.

• If selected, full details of your work, including an image, short synopsis, short biography and website link will be included in our website and/or the festival program.

• Entrants shall inform the festival of any change to contact details.

• Entrant confirms that the work provided is a Canadian Production and, if requested, will provide any form of verification to demonstrate such a declaration is the truth

• Freshwater Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted for promotional purposes. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations. The Competition reserves the right to refuse entries. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Freshwater Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered. Entries will not be returned.

• Freshwater Film Festival relies on submission fees to operate and for the continued success of our programs. We offer a limited number of submission waivers where requested to individuals that may need them. Freshwater Film Festival reserves the right to close waiver requests once our quota has been reached.