Everything was set to run smoothly for the first International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) to take place in-person in March 2020, except for one tiny detail nobody could have predicted: the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the first IFFO was cancelled and the second was held online, Ottawans can finally venture out in-person to see more than 30 movies from 20 countries at various venues. From March 9 to 20 this year’s festival marks the first year it’s being held in-person, with only five films available for viewing online.
“We’ve tried to concentrate on making the festival live—as much of it as we could,” Tom McSorley, executive director of the IFFO, said. “We could have done virtual chats with the filmmakers who are here, but we really want to re-enter the world.”
Festival-goers have to show proof of vaccination before entering venues and adhere to physically-distanced seating. McSorley said he’s hopeful the safety procedures in place will help the public feel safe while attending the festival.
“We’re hoping that the social element of the film festival will pull people back in,” McSorley said. “Even if they’re a little reluctant they might think, ‘Well, you know what? It’s been two years since I’ve gone to one of these. I think I’m going to go.’”
McSorley said it’s hard to gauge how successful this year’s IFFO will be, as it has never operated in-person before. He said it may take a few more years before Ottawans are aware of the festival.
“We had [the IFFO] online and people found it,” McSorley said. “Hopefully, that will translate into real world experience here. We’ll also see how those five online offerings do.”
There are two goals of the IFFO, according to McSorley. The first is to provide recognition to local filmmakers on the national and international film circuit. The second is to bring the best films on the international stage to audiences in Ottawa.
“I hope the audience walks away with a renewed appetite for international cinema and a renewed appetite for publicly gathering to embrace some of the Canadian [films] that are being made,” McSorley said.
William D. MacGillivray is a Canadian director being featured at the festival. His film, Under the Weather, will play at the ByTowne Cinema on March 20. The film follows a man who travels home to die surrounded by his family after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“When we were designing the film, we were designing it completely with a cinema audience in mind,” MacGillivray said. “It’s not a laptop computer film. It’s a cinema film.”
MacGillivray has been making feature films and documentaries since 1981. He pointed out that before festivals took off, Canadian filmmakers had a hard time not only breaking into the international film scene but also being recognized within Canada.
“Canada, historically, has not been very favourable in terms of watching its own films,” MacGillivray said. “One of the few places that we get to exhibit our work is through the film festivals.”
Despite being a new festival, the IFFO is attracting new viewers by offering a wide variety of films and director question-and-answer periods. McSorley said he hopes this variety of programming will expose many Ottawans to Canadian filmmakers.
Edward Roué, a festival attendee who heard about IFFO through one of his friends, said he really values the chance to get personal with filmmakers at these festivals.
“I love that kind of opportunity that a festival can present—to go beyond just seeing the film and go a little deeper by talking with the director,” Roué said.
After two years of changing pandemic restrictions, McSorley said the IFFO is finally here to stay and ready to bring the best films from international and local filmmakers to the public. MacGillivray said he appreciates all the support his work has been getting through the festival.
“When this is your art form, this is what you spend your life doing, you’re always looking forward to the big night when the audience is there,” MacGillivray said.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
