9 Amazing Toronto Film Festivals

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the city’s biggest and best-known celebration of cinema, but local and visiting film buffs have loads of other options, too.

Whether you’re looking for pure entertainment or intellectual enlightenment, you’re sure to find something in this roundup of the city’s best bets for movie magic.
 

Toronto Palestine Film Festival 

September 25–October 2, 2024

To mark its 17th anniversary, this volunteer-run celebration of Palestinian arts and culture showcases a selection of films, performances, discussions, and more —all of which explore the vibrant traditions and practices shared by members of the Palestinian diaspora. This year’s lineup includes Palestinian singer, composer, and flautist Nai Barghouti in her Canadian concert debut.

Rendezvous with Madness Festival

October 25–November 3, 2024

The city’s ground-breaking festival of art, performance, film, and discussions about mental health and addiction returns with a smart and engaging roster of online and in-person programming.

Rendezvous with Madness Festival is one of the cornerstones of Workman Arts, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to supporting and amplifying the voices of creators who have lived experiences with substance use and complex mental health needs.
 

Toronto After Dark Film Festival

Postponed to October 15–19, 2025

Calling all fans of things that go bump—or zap, or biff, bam, pow!—in the night: TADFF is your ticket for niche genre films, from kitschy sci-fi to quirky kung-fu to creepy horror B-movies.

This year, the fest returns to in-person screenings at the Scotiabank Theatre, where audiences can take in five days of features and shorts, Q&As with cult heroes, a much-loved zombie-themed night, and other offbeat highlights.
 

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

November 13–24, 2024

This wildly anticipated festival, which turned 25 last year, is a bonanza of movies, animation, exhibitions, and conceptual installations by Asian artists and members of the Asian diaspora.

Though the themes, formats, and content of the work can be wildly, and exhilaratingly varied, the festival is committed to showcasing contemporary Asian film and to celebrating the expansiveness of contemporary Asian culture.

Also see: Asian-Owned Businesses in Toronto That Should Be On Your Radar

Toronto Black Film Festival 

February 12–17, 2025

Now entering its second decade, this fab not-for-profit is the younger sister of Montreal’s International Black Film Festival—both of which, along with their other siblings (which include fests in New York and Halifax), was created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, Canada’s largest Black cultural organization.

Operating with a mandate that “greater knowledge leads to greater understanding,” the TBFF is ground zero for leading-edge documentaries, feature films, and even special content for kids, all grounded in the idea of showcasing diverse and visionary work for, about, and by Black creators and communities. 

Also see: Black-Owned Businesses to Discover in 2023
 

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 

Spring 2025 dates TBA

The Hot Docs tagline is, simply, “Outspoken. Outstanding.” A description on its official website is a bit more specific: “Inspiring change through storytelling.”

Together, these two phrases capture the essence—and the magic—of North America’s largest festival (and conference and deal-making destination) for all things documentary. Highly recommended for anyone who knows that truth can be stranger—or at least more compelling—than fiction.

Inside Out Film and Video Festival 

Spring 2025 dates TBA

Since 1991, this bold fest has been breaking down barriers, confronting discrimination, and facilitating advocacy by supporting filmmakers and showing film and video work from the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

As societal attitudes—and the community itself!—have evolved, the Inside Out Film and Video Festival has grown and flourished, but it has stayed true to its commitment to “challenge attitudes and change lives.”

Toronto Jewish Film Festival

Spring 2025 dates TBA

Over the past 30 years, the TJFF has cultivated a dedicated and diverse following of avid fans—its mission has always been to be a “Jewish film festival and not just a film festival for Jewish people.”

Its expansive programming can include everything from lauded arthouse features to limited-run TV series, all of which aim to explore the diversity and complexity of Jewish life and culture worldwide.

The TJFF is also committed to accessibility, offering ASL interpretation and screenings targeted toward people with sensory processing sensitivities during its in-person events.
 

ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 

June 3–8, 2025 in-person & June 9–15, 2025 online

Now gearing up for its 25th year, ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest festival showcasing film, video, audio, digital, and interactive media made by Indigenous screen-content creators.

The festival presents work by creators from a wide number of nations, reflecting the diversity of Indigenous perspectives from around the world.