Co-founder Jith Paul Leaves OCan

Hello everyone, Thank you for making our 2024 festival one of the most successful and memorable yet! Thank you to Jury President Zach, and jurors Daniel, Nicole and Fitch for reviewing the submissions to arrive at this year’s strong lineup of films, to my fellow board members Lorelei and Blair, and the volunteers, thanks to all the filmmakers, and to everyone who attended the festival.

I'm writing to let you in on a decision I shared with the board in July—that this year will be my final one serving on the OCan board. When Ed, Blair, and I founded what is now OCan a decade ago, I had a secret dream: to see Canadian films on the big screen with our festival name on the marquee at the Bytowne. It took a few years of experimenting with different venues, but we got there. This year marked our third successful festival at the Bytowne. Thank you for making my dream a reality, many times over!

While the festival has been very well received over the past ten years, there has been increasing pressure within the organization to move in a different direction. I believe in the power of fresh ideas and perspectives. In that spirit, this is the right time for me to step aside and make room for new voices as the festival enters its next decade. While I’m leaving the OCan board, I look forward to staying involved as a collaborator, and I look forward to cheering from the audience. I’m confident that the current and future board members will continue to find innovative ways to showcase exceptional Canadian films and foster connections between audiences and creatives in the years to come.

Thank you again for your support. See you at the movies!

The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (abbreviated as OCan) was co-founded by Ottawa-based filmmakers Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell in 2015. OCan celebrates Canadian film with annual screenings in November, usually held at the Bytowne Cinema in downtown Ottawa. The festival is an evolution of the Treepot Film Festival spearheaded by Treepot Media's founder, Jith Paul.

While growing OCan, Jith launched the film613 blog to support community-building efforts. As web designer and editor-in-chief, he curated and commissioned reviews and articles with a strong focus on local and Canadian content. He will take the blog with him as he leaves OCan, and plans to relaunch it next year. He will also be the curator for Treepot Spark, a collection of initiatives aimed at igniting creativity and collaboration amoung creatives.

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