For those who have maple syrup in their veins, and for those who want to see everything Canadian.

The CFF Festival Pass gives you access to all CFF film screenings and Industry Series events, except for the Masterclass which is sold separately.

CFF passes can be picked up at the CFF Box Office any time during the festival dates and box office hours. CFF Box Office is located next to the concession stand at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto (note - passes are not available at the Cineplex box office).

March 24th @ 12:30pm-5:00pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, The Clubroom
Masterclass: VOICE & VISION: A Director’s Masterclass in Craft
Instructor: Sam Coyle

Sam Coyle’s intensive half-day Masterclass is designed to help directors define and elevate their unique visual approach. Blending targeted discussion, curated film analysis, and practical demonstrations, the session dives into the core elements of cinematic storytelling – including tone, style, leadership, symbolism, visual language, camera movement, and on-set leadership.

Participants will examine how intentional creative choices shape a film’s emotional impact, while developing the tools to clearly communicate their vision to cast and crew. With equal emphasis on artistry and technical execution, this workshop bridges inspiration and implementation – equipping directors move confidently into pre-production with a cohesive, compelling creative blueprint.

This intensive is about sharpening your creative voice, strengthening your perspective, and leading with clarity and purpose.

By the End of This Intensive, You’ll: 

• Define and articulate your signature tone, theme, and stylistic touchstones.
• Use symbolism and visual motifs with intention and integrate them into a cohesive lookbook.
• Develop purposeful blocking strategies, composition choices, shot lists, and a simple floor plan.
• Practice clear, confident director-to-cast/crew communication and leadership techniques.
• Leave with a focused action plan to carry your vision in pre-production.

*Note from Instructor: Participants will benefit most if they arrive with a project idea they’d like to workshop or problem-solve. No script or written materials are necessary – just a concept you can visualize and bring into the room. 

**Spaces are limited. Masterclass registration includes a CFF Festival Pass, offered at an exclusive 40% discount.

March 25h, @ 1:00pm-2:00pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, The Clubroom
Cheers & Chats - Producers Therapy: 20 years of Holding it All Together
Bringing together leading producers from across CFF’s 20-year history, this candid conversation explores what it really takes to build films – and careers – year after year. 

From scrappy early financing and grassroots distribution to today’s complex landscape of international co-productions, streamers, shifting tax credits, distribution models, and constant disruption – how has the producer’s role changed? What hasn't?

Beyond budgets and deal structures, this group of seasoned producers will speak honestly about resilience, reinvention, burnout, risk, and the invisible labour of keeping projects – and teams – moving forward. As CFF marks two decades of Canadian filmmaking, this panel asks: what does sustainable producing look like now – and what will it take to shape the next 20 years? 

Consider this a group session for anyone who’s carried a project – and wants to keep building.

Moderator:

Lauren Grant, Clique Pictures

Featuring:

Coral Aiken, Aiken Heart Films

Karen Harnisch, Film Forge

Stephanie Sonny Hooker, Hometeam Films

Sonya Di Rienzo, Hawkeye Pictures

Paul Devonshire, Devonshire Productions

March 25h, @ 2:15pm-3:15pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, The Clubroom
Cheers & Chats - Indie Pathways: From (Slo) Pitch to Series
One of the most anticipated Canadian comedy television premieres of 2026, Crave Canada’s Slo Pitch (produced by Shaftesbury in association with Boss & Co and PAGEBOY Productions) is already generating much buzz ahead of its launch. 

Featuring CFF alumni and Slo Pitch creators Karen Knox and Gwendolyn Cumyn, alongside Bell Media Development Executive Lauren MacKinlay, this conversation explores how an indie comedy idea evolves into a television series.

Using Slo Pitch as a real-world case study, the panel traces the leap from concept to series – developing the idea, building relationships with broadcasters, navigating financing, and stepping into the responsibilities of showrunning. Through both creator and broadcaster perspectives, this conversation offers a candid, insider look on how projects move through development, what networks are looking for, and how filmmakers can position their work for long-form television.

A conversation about playing the long game – and what it really takes to go from (Slo) Pitch to series. 

Moderated by:

Aisha Evelyna, Actor/Filmmaker

Featuring:

Karen Knox, Actor/Writer/Director/Slo-Pitch Co-Creator

Gwenlyn Cumyn, Actor/Writer/Producer/Slo-Pitch Co-Creator

Paige Haight, Director of Television, Shaftesbury

Lauren MacKinlay, Development Executive, Scripted, Original Programming, Bell Media

March 25h, @ 3:30pm-4:30pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, The Clubroom
Cheers & Chats - CFF Legacy Spotlight: 20 Years in Motion
A special anniversary conversation with celebrated CFF alumni whose careers have grown from early festival screenings into influential roles across film and television. 

What did they wish they knew 20 years ago? What has the journey actually taught them?

In this candid and forward-looking discussion, our alumni reflect on the realities behind the milestones – the regrets, the reinventions, the pivots, and the breakthroughs. As CFF marks two decades of following Canadian careers in film, this conversation honours the craft, momentum, and community that carry careers forward – and looks ahead to the next 20 with clarity, resilience, and eyes up. 

Moderator:

Warren P. Sonoda

Panelists:

TBD

March 26th @ 4:30pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Cinema #14 General Seating, please arrive 15 minutes early.
Showcase Event - CFF & Firecracker Department Present:
The 2026 Comedy Igniter Showcase
A special presentation featuring the top-selected comedic shorts from The Comedy Igniter – a four-week film challenge created by Canadian Film Fest and Firecracker Department. 

Female and gender-divers filmmakers sign up, receive a creative prompt, and have just four weeks to write, shoot, and deliver an original short comedy. Each selected Igniter will screen their film live, followed by feedback and insight from a panel of comedy and filmmaking professionals. It’s bold, fast, funny – and a celebration of what can happen when creators bet on themselves. 

Host: 

Naomi Snieckus, Firecracker Department

Showcase Judges:

Robin Duke, Actress/Comedian, Saturday Night Live, SCTV

Linda Kash, Actor/Writer/Director, Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman

Nelu Handa, Writer/Actor/Producer, Baroness Von Sketch, Run the Burbs

Michelle Daly, TFS Screenwriting Program Director, Former CBC Senior Director of Comedy

Jessica Liadsky, Development Manager, Scripted Development, Lionsgate Canada

Susan Alexander, Senior Director, Creative, Shaftesbury

March 27, @ 1:00pm-2:30pm, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Cinema #14 General Seating, please arrive 15 minutes early.
Showcase - 2026 You-CAN-Pitch Competition
Sponsored by OYA Black Arts Coalition with additional sponsorship from SESLER

Step inside the excitement as Canada’s rising Black filmmakers take the stage to pitch their feature projects to a panel of top industry experts. With a $50,000+ in-kind prize package on the line, each team delivers their pitch live, getting candid, real-time feedback from the decision-makers shaping the future of film and TV.

Part masterclass, part talent showcase, You-CAN-Pitch offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the pitching process while spotlighting the next wave of Canadian cinema.

Don’t miss your chance to see the next wave of Canadian cinema take the stage. 

Showcase Judges:

R.T. Thorne, Filmmaker, 40 Acres, The Porter

Floyd Kane, Producer, Village Keeper, Across the Line, Diggstown, Freddie Films Inc.

Carolyn Mauricette, Section Director, Fantasia International Film Festival & Co-Founder of Access Threshold

Vanessa Magic, Filmmaker, Near or Far, I Am Pleased, 2025 You-CAN-Pitch Winner

Selected Pitchers:

Adrian Bobb, The Sublime

Christine Rodriguez, Fuego

Romaine Waite, Redeemer

Fitch Jean, Crescendo

Sossina Shenkute & Ambika Vas, Past Curfew

Jessyca Reeves, The Fraying

Will Niava, Gold Dust