IFFO

IFFO’s closing night featured one of the most eclectic, challenging and moving works of the whole festival.

Taking a brief interlude from screening brand-new international films, IFFO turned its attention to an important piece of Canadian cinema history near the end of the festival’s run – a 4K restoration of the early queer film by David Secter, Winter Kept us Warm (1965).

The Ottawa Art Gallery screened Rêver en néon and Café des cauchemars on March 21, 2025 as part of the International Film Festival of Ottawa, which ended on March 23.

Something must be in the water in Naples—the single Italian city has a long history of young filmmakers coming out of the gate with fully formed artistic sensibilities and remarkably refined work. This phenomenon can be traced from old masters like Vittorio De Sica to contemporary artists like Paolo Sorrentino and Mario Martone.

Borrowing the central conceit from the Italian classic Bicycle Thieves, Lebanese filmmaker Mira Shaib creates an eclectic and endearing tribute to her home city of Beirut in her feature debut, Arzé.

To A Land Unknown, Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel’s first narrative feature, could at first be mistaken for another of the documentaries for which he is known. The film’s grittiness and uncompromising, in-your-face realism, not to mention the story’s parallels with Fleifel’s life, could so easily be reality that it takes a moment to realize it is not.

Grand Tour is one of the highest-profile films playing at IFFO this year thanks to the notable names involved. The Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes has been a mainstay on the festival circuit since his 2012 breakout hit, Tabu.

The International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) brings the world’s best cinema to Canada’s Capital. The Festival’s fifth edition takes place in downtown Ottawa from March 12 to 23, at the theatres in the Ottawa Art Gallery and Bytowne Cinema.

The 1983 movie The Wars, featured during the International Film Festival Ottawa, is based on the Timothy Findley novel of the same name. Directed by Robin Phillips, the story follows Robert Ross, a young Canadian who enlists in the army during World War I to fight in Europe.

Directed by Amanda Nell Eu, Tiger Stripes is a “coming-of-rage” story that showcases the gritty reality of the troubles faced by teenage women.

Barbara Popel is back with her recs for films at Ottawa’s independent theatres for the next two weeks.

The International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) starts this Wednesday, March 13th, with Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils at the Ottawa Art Gallery. IFFO 2024 runs from March 13–24 and includes 25 feature films from 26 countries and 21 Canadian short films. We spoke with IFFO Executive Director Tom McSorley to learn more. 

The list of to-dos is long this weekend—starting with St. Patrick’s Day and going from there. There’s plenty of live music, March Break events, singalongs, maybe even a jig.

As part of the International Film Festival of Ottawa, the Mayfair Theatre will be screening on March 18 Cinema’s First Nasty Women, a compilation of 99 gender-non-conforming silent films produced more than a century ago.

I Like Movies, Chandler Levack’s first feature film, was first released in September 2022 and screened at festivals including TIFF. Now, it will be screened at the Ottawa Art Gallery on March 8 to open IFFO.