The Halton Arts & Film Festival (HAFF) is a multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases and celebrates emerging and established filmmakers, artists, and creatives from the Halton region, Canada, and around the world. This vibrant event brings together audiences through various forms of expression, including cinema, visual arts, music, fashion, spoken word, podcasts, comedy, and cultural storytelling.

Hosted in the Halton Region of Ontario, Canada (Greater Toronto Area), HAFF creates a vibrant platform where art meets community, encouraging collaboration, cultural exchange, creative discovery, and industry development.

The festival showcases emerging and established voices from Canada and around the world while positioning Halton Region as a growing cultural and creative destination.

Selected films and creative works will be showcased across venues in:

Milton
Oakville
Burlington
Halton Hills

Through screenings, panels, networking events, educational conversations, and live performances, HAFF aims to connect creatives with audiences, industry professionals, decision-makers, distributors, financiers, and collaborators.

The festival concludes with an Award in Oakville, Ontario.

Awards & Prizes

In addition to our official festival selections and competitive categories, the festival proudly presents special recognition awards that celebrate outstanding contributions to the creative industry, cultural storytelling, artistic innovation, and community development.

Special honors may include the following:

1. Halton Creative Excellence Award.
Celebrating exceptional talent and artistic achievement in the Halton region.

2. Industry Impact Award.
Recognizing individuals or organizations making significant contributions to film, media, fashion, music, and the creative arts.

3. Community Impact Award.
Honoring projects and creatives using storytelling and the arts to inspire positive social change and community engagement.

Additional honorary awards and recognitions may be presented at the discretion of the festival jury and organizing committee to acknowledge visionary leadership, emerging talent, cultural influence, and excellence across multidisciplinary creative fields.

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To qualify, submissions must meet the following:

1. Works-in-progress are not accepted.
2. Submission in multiple categories is permitted.
3. Films/Content must be submitted through Film Freeway.
4. No email, transfer, or physical submissions will be accepted
5. All contents in languages other than English must include English subtitles.
6. Contents must have been completed within the last 5 years.
7. Submission fees/tickets are in Canadian dollars and are non-refundable.
8. Submitters must own or hold rights to submitted content.
9. Film/content poster, trailer, and Producer/Director picture should be uploaded.
10. HAFF reserves the right to use excerpts, trailers, stills, and promotional materials
for festival marketing purposes.

Each submission must include:
• Trailer
• Synopsis
• Online screener
• Content stills/poster
• Director/Producer bio

SCREENING & RIGHTS
By submitting, submitters grant HAFF the right to:

• Screen the content during the festival.
• Use clips, stills, and trailers for promotional purposes.
• Feature the content in festival marketing and press materials.
• All copyrights remain with the rights owner/holder.

Note: The festival will make no cuts or changes.

SCREENING FORMATS
Accepted screening formats:

Digital screening files (.MP4/.MOV)
DCP (if required for theatre screenings)

Join us at HALTON ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL (HAFF) to showcase your creativity!