iff is Ontario Creates feature film co-financing / co-production event at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Selected international and Canadian producers are brought together with international sales agents, US distributors, agents, equity financiers and executive producers for brokered meetings and exclusive networking opportunities.

Now celebrating its 18th year, Ontario Creates iff has introduced hundreds of projects to the international marketplace with over 100 successfully financed to date. Canadian and international feature film producers are invited to apply to iff. Registration is free but very competitive. Final selection is based on company track record, pitch package and suitability of projects.

iff 2023 will be an in-person event and we are looking forward to welcoming this year’s participants to the Toronto International Film Festival.

Ontario Creates values and supports diversity and gender parity at all levels and business roles within creative industries. We acknowledge that many communities continue to face systemic barriers, preventing them from participating meaningfully in these industries. Ontario Creates applies a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to the evaluation criteria for this program. Applicants proposing projects/activities that support, reflect, and strengthen diversity and gender parity in Ontario are expected to tangibly demonstrate a genuine and sustained commitment to these equity-deserving communities*. Ontario Creates encourages applications from companies that are led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour) or Francophone individuals and applicants that otherwise meet the provincial definition of diversity.**

Ontario Creates is committed to fostering respectful workplaces in all sectors and companies we support.

Ontario Creates welcomes applications from disabled people, deaf people, and people who have barriers to accessing technology. If you would like to request an alternative process or format for submitting an application please contact us in advance of the deadline.

* Equity deserving communities are those that face significant collective challenges in participating in society. This marginalization may be caused by, but not limited to, attitudinal, historic, social and environmental barriers based on age, ethnicity, disability, economic status, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation and transgender status. Equity-deserving communities identify barriers to equal access, opportunities and resources due to disadvantage and discrimination and actively seek social justice and reparation.

** The provincial definition of diversity states: the dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to: ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion (creed), sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

Eligibility

Applicants must have:

• One full producer credit on a theatrically released feature or on a feature released on a viable digital platform.

• One market-oriented project in development that requires international co-production and financing partners.

Please note:

• Applicants with a full producer credit on a non-theatrically released film should contact the iff producer directly to enquire about eligibility.

• Producers with only Executive Producer, Co-Producer and Associate Producer credits are not eligible.

• Priority will be given to projects that have not premiered at other co-financing or co-production markets.

• Two producing companies are allowed per project. If there are more than two producing companies, please consult the iff producer.

• We accept one project application per company(ies), please do not submit several projects.

• iff accepts non-English-language projects only with prior approval of the iff producer.

Application Deadline

Timelines/deadlines for Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) are as follows. All dates may be subject to change.

Applications Open: April 18, 2023

Deadline for Canadian and International producers: June 13, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET

Event Dates

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Monday, September 11, 2023

Application Process

• All new applications going forward must be submitted via the Ontario Creates Online Application Portal (OAP). Applications submitted by any other method will not be accepted.
• Prior to starting an application, you must register your organization’s corporate information through the OAP. If this has not already been done, you must register by going to: apply.ontariocreates.ca and click on “Register”.
• Applicants are encouraged to start the application process well in advance of the deadline in case technical support is required. There is flexibility for completing the application form – you may begin at any time and save information as it is entered. Once saved, you can go back to edit and/or add information until the time when the application is actually submitted.
• If you encounter problems setting up your organization’s corporate information, please email applyhelp@ontariocreates.ca for assistance. This email address can also be used for any technical questions you have about the OAP.
• If your company is registered, the iff program deadline will appear in your dashboard. To start the application, click on “Start new application” and follow the onscreen directions to access the application form.

To submit an application please click here. Please note that all applicants will be required to submit Ontario Creates' Applicant Affidavit affirming that you have both guiding principles and a process for maintaining a respectful workplace.

Representatives from the following companies attended iff 2022:

What are participants saying?

“We were happy to be given the opportunity to meet with executives that would otherwise may not have responded to a ‘cold call.” – Frances-Anne Solomon, Caribbean Tales Media Group (Ontario)

“We are still working on getting deals in place but getting invited to IFF gave us better access and more interest in our project – it helped validate our projects.” – Ava Karvoven, Reel Girls Media (British Columbia)

“All [meetings] were informative. I gained useful feedback on this new project – what they responded to and what level of cast they’d be happy with - and I’ll be staying in contact with sales agents as additional elements are added to the package.” – Caro Johnson, Carolyn Johnson Films (Australia)

“It was an amazing selection of industry professionals that elevated our prospects for the project. We were amazed by the fact that all the offered meeting met the type and nature of our project and were very targeted towards what we wanted to achieve.” – Mino Nikolakakis, Asphalt Productions (Greece)

“We got an offer from a company which we are looking to collaborate with our present project. As well as meeting other producers and executives with which I can see approaching in the future with other projects.” – Fabiola Caraza, Prowler Pictures (Ontario)

“We managed to start the conversation about the project with interested parties, as well as conclude other conversations that had started before IFF.” – Daniel Florencio, I Made It Films (U.K.)

“This is my second time participating in the program and I loved it both times.” – Alex Lalonde, AMAZE (Ontario)

“Our main goal was to find an international sales agent for the film and we are now in discussions with one of them.” – Thomas Alfandari, Bustan Films (Israel)

“The executives we met were extremely well matched, and producer contacts made were very positive as well. What an honour to be part of such a fantastic event.” – Matthew Kowalchuk, Present Moment Pictures (British Columbia)

“A number of sales companies will be reading the script to access and give us an idea of where the script stands in today’s market.” – Jessica Adams, JA Productions (Ontario)

“I was also able to discuss some of our other work and the new talent we are developing, and we are feeling positive about the relationships we established at IFF.” – Karen Smyth, La Belle Allee Productions (Scotland)

“We met execs who were well-matched with our project, we were able to successfully pitch them and get them excited about it, and we are in the middle of productive talks.” – Laurence DuMortier, Kultfilma (U.S./Latvia)

“I feel like I got a much better understanding of the Canadian market and how to move forward in it.” – Melissa Adeyamo, Ominira Studios (U.S./Nigeria)

“It was great meeting some very interested potential partners for our film project as well as getting a feel for the current state of the market.” – Jason Burrows, Jungle Entertainment (Australia)

2022 Founding Partners

Enquiries

Please direct any program enquiries to: 

iff 2023 Producer - Larisa Gutmanis
programs@ontariocreates.ca

To receive notification of upcoming deadlines and program updates, please register here with your complete contact information, including your full name, company name and telephone number, as well as the name of the program that you are interested in.