Toronto Independent
Film Festival
Independent film. For real.
September 16–19, 2026
Paradise Cinema, Bloor St. · Toronto
Celebrating independent filmmaking since 2010
North America's home for micro-budget filmmaking
Toronto Indie is Toronto's festival for truly independent cinema.
Since 2010, we've showcased filmmakers creating ambitious work outside the studio system — from first-time directors and micro-budget features to documentaries, experimental films, animation and shorts from around the world.
Every September, filmmakers and audiences gather in Toronto for four days of screenings at the Paradise Cinema, right in the middle of one of the busiest weeks in the international film calendar.
We care less about the size of your budget than what you put on the screen.
About Toronto Indie
Watch
Independent cinema on the big screen
Features, documentaries and carefully programmed short-film blocks screened at Toronto's Paradise Cinema.
Festival 2026
Submit
Made something great without a studio-sized budget?
Toronto Indie accepts films from Canada and around the world across feature, short, documentary, animation, experimental, horror/sci-fi and music-video categories.
Submit on FilmFreeway
Connect
Meet filmmakers in Toronto
Toronto Indie brings filmmakers together during one of the most important weeks of the international film calendar. Screen your work, meet other filmmakers and become part of Toronto's independent film community.
The next edition
Toronto Indie 2026
September 16–19, 2026
Paradise Cinema, Bloor St., Toronto
Four days of independent features, documentaries and shorts from Toronto and around the world.
Small budget.
Big screen.
Toronto Indie has always championed filmmakers doing more with less.
Alongside traditional independent features, we specifically recognise Micro-Budget Features under $250,000 USD and No-Budget Features under $25,000 USD.
Great filmmaking isn't measured by the size of the production budget.
What we show
- 01Feature Film
- 02Micro-Budget Feature
- 03No-Budget Feature
- 04Documentary Feature
- 05Female Director Feature
- 06LGBT Feature
- 07Short Film
- 08Short Documentary
- 09Animated Short
- 10Experimental Short
- 11Horror / Sci-Fi Short
- 12Short Short — under 5 minutes
- 13Music Video
Screenplay awards
- Feature Screenplay
- Sci-Fi / Horror Screenplay
Toronto Indie since 2010
Sold-out screenings, filmmaker Q&As, festival interviews and audiences from past editions of the festival.
A festival by independent filmmakers
The Toronto Independent Film Festival was founded in 2010 to create a serious showcase for films made outside the traditional studio system.
Toronto has one of North America's strongest filmmaking communities, and Toronto Indie uses that energy to bring filmmakers, audiences and independent cinema together every September.
Our focus remains where it started: discovering ambitious filmmaking and giving independent filmmakers a cinema screen and an audience.
The team
Steve
Festival Director
Steve has been Festival Director since Toronto Indie's inception.
George
Artistic Director
Responsible for the festival's visual identity and poster artwork.
Penny
Festival Administration
Website and online communications.
Toronto Indie Volunteers
Festival Crew
The team helping make the annual festival happen.
See you in
Toronto.
Get programme announcements, ticket information and festival news.