Jith Paul is a Canadian filmmaker, systems designer, and digital strategist whose career brings together software engineering and independent film production. He founded Treepot Media in 2010 to pursue storytelling while continuing his career in systems design and software architecture.
His directorial debut, Algebra, about a painter losing his sight, screened internationally, including at the Festival international Entr’2 marches in Cannes. His second film, A Clean Slate, an ACTRA union production about a former pop singer overcoming stage fright, premiered at Italy's Valle d'Itria Film Festival, where it won Best International Short Film.
Jith also produced Polar Bear Love, Moments, and Perfect, which were selected for CBC Television's Short Film Face Off in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He produced Karim Ayari's bilingual drama Before Me / L’homme de la maison, which won Best Film at the Festival du Court-Métrage d'Auch in France.
As an editor, Jith worked on the documentaries Partners for Peace, which screened at the Victoria Film Festival, North Boys, winner of the Founder's Award at the Yorkton Film Festival, This is My Witness, which premiered at the Paley Center in New York, and Zachary Chabot's bilingual film Bytowne, which screened at the Festival du film de l'Outaouais and the Ottawa Youth Film Festival, where it received a runner-up award.
His documentary work includes collaborations with organizations focused on community engagement, social impact, and advocacy. Through Co-Creation for the Rideau Hall Foundation and documentaries with the Nobel Women's Initiative, Jith has developed a storytelling approach rooted in listening, collaboration, and respectfully amplifying the voices of participants.
Beyond producing and editing films, Jith has played a leadership role in strengthening Canada's independent film community. Through the Treepot Film Festival, he presented more than 150 Canadian films across Ottawa between 2011 and 2014. In 2015, he co-founded the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (OCan), helping establish it as a federally incorporated charity and Canadian Screen Award-qualifying festival before completing his decade of service on its board in 2024.
Alongside his creative work, Jith has more than 20 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise digital systems. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a diploma in Television Broadcasting from Algonquin College. Jith was nominated for the Ontario Colleges Premier's Award in 2013, served on the board of SAW Video (now the Digital Arts Resource Centre), and leads film613, where he edits and publishes reviews, interviews, and features celebrating film and screen culture in the Ottawa–Outaouais region.
