Lovely to speak with you, Sabine. How are the preparations for the 2026 edition of your festival going?
Preparations are exciting, intense, and a little bit crazy, which I think is part of running an independent film festival!
This year is particularly special because we are celebrating the 11th edition of the Open World Toronto Film Festival, taking place September 25–27, 2026, at Kensington Studios in Toronto.
After eleven editions, I still get excited when I discover a film or filmmaker who surprises me. That feeling has never disappeared.
We’re currently putting together three days of screenings, conversations, panels, networking, red carpet moments, entertainment and celebrations. There are a lot of moving pieces, but seeing filmmakers, actors, creators and audiences come together makes all the work worthwhile.
As the Co-Founder & Festival Director, what is your mission statement for the event? And how has that evolved over the years?
Our mission has always been very simple:give independent filmmakers a real place to be seen, heard and celebrated.
When we look at a film, we don’t care whether the filmmaker had a huge budget, a famous actor or an established name behind the project. We care about what is on the screen.
Is there a story? Is there a voice? Did it make us feel something?
One of the things I strongly believe is that talent does not suddenly appear when the industry discovers someone. The talent was already there. Sometimes that person simply needed someone to pay attention.
Over the years, OWTFF has evolved from being primarily a place to showcase films into something much broader. I want it to be a place where people connect. A filmmaker might meet an actor, producer, collaborator, mentor or even their future business partner.
And I want independent filmmakers to experience being celebrated. When someone comes to OWTFF with their film, I want them to feel that their work matters.
How are filmmakers adapting to cultural and technological changes?
Filmmakers are adapting incredibly quickly because independent filmmakers have always had to be resourceful.
Technology has completely changed what is possible. Cameras became more accessible, editing became more accessible, distribution changed, social media created new audiences, and now AI is opening another enormous conversation about creativity and filmmaking.
I personally find the possibilities fascinating, but I also believe technology should be a tool for creativity rather than a replacement for creativity.
The technology can change. The camera can change. The platform can change.
But audiences still want to feel something. You can have extraordinary technology, but if there is no point of view, emotion or story behind it, people notice.
At the same time, I think filmmakers today have an incredible opportunity. Someone who would never have been given permission to enter the traditional film industry can now pick up a camera or even a phone and start telling their story. That is powerful.
What role do you think film festivals play in the film industry, and how will this change in the coming years?
I think film festivals are incredibly important because algorithms cannot replace human discovery.
There is something very different about sitting in a room with strangers and experiencing a film together.
For independent filmmakers especially, festivals can provide something extremely valuable: a first serious audience.
Of course awards are wonderful, but sometimes the most important thing that happens at a festival is a conversation after the screening. Someone walks up to the filmmaker and says, “Your film stayed with me.”
Or they meet someone who wants to collaborate with them. Or another filmmaker introduces them to someone else. Those moments can change careers.
I think festivals of the future will become even more focused on community, discovery and experiences. People can watch films anywhere now. If they physically come to a festival, we need to give them something they cannot get from watching alone at home — connection.
Your event supports indie filmmakers (something we aim to do too!). What advice would you give to a newer filmmaker?
Make the film. That sounds ridiculously simple, but I mean it. Don’t spend years waiting for permission.
Don’t wait until you have the perfect camera, the perfect budget, the perfect cast or someone from the industry telling you that you are officially a filmmaker. Start. Your first film may not be perfect. That’s okay. Your second film probably won’t be perfect either! But you learn by making things.
I would also tell filmmakers not to imitate what they think the industry wants. Your perspective is one of the few things nobody else can reproduce exactly.
And please treat the people working with you well.
Talent matters, but reputation matters too. The film industry is enormous and surprisingly small at the same time. People remember the filmmakers who were professional, generous and respectful.
Finally, network — but don’t approach every human being like an opportunity. Make actual relationships. Some of the best professional opportunities begin with genuine conversations.
What are the highlights of the 2026 edition of your festival we can look forward to?
This year we are really leaning into the idea that a film festival should be a celebration. OWTFF 2026 takes place over three days, September 25–27, at Kensington Studios in Toronto. We’ll have independent film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry conversations and panels, networking opportunities, red carpet interviews and photography, live entertainment and our awards celebration.
What I’m particularly excited about is creating an environment where filmmakers and audiences actually interact. I don’t want people to simply watch a film and disappear. Stay. Talk to the filmmaker. Meet the actor sitting beside you. Introduce yourself to someone whose work interested you.
That is where the magic of festivals happens.
How do people get involved?
Come! That is genuinely the first thing I would say.
OWTFF is designed to be welcoming not only to filmmakers and established industry professionals, but also to people who simply love movies and creativity.
Our 2026 festival takes place September 25–27 at Kensington Studios in Toronto, and admission is by donation. People can attend screenings, participate in conversations, meet filmmakers and creatives, network, support independent artists and experience the festival with us.
They can find information about the festival and our 2026 programming through our website at owtff.com and follow OWTFF on social media at @owtff.
And I would add one more thing:support independent films even when you don’t personally know the filmmaker.
Go to their screenings. Talk about their films. Share their work. Write reviews. Follow them.
Independent cinema survives because people choose to pay attention.
After eleven editions, what still surprises you about independent filmmakers?
Every year I see people make films when logically they probably shouldn’t be able to.
They don’t have enough money. They don’t have enough equipment. They don’t have enough time. Sometimes they don’t have industry connections at all.
And somehow, they make the film. Then occasionally you watch something created under incredibly difficult circumstances, and it completely stays with you. That is why I still love independent filmmaking. A large budget can buy many things. It cannot buy a point of view.
And after eleven editions, I still believe there are extraordinary filmmakers out there whose names we don’t know yet.
Part of the reason OWTFF exists is to help change that.