CFF INDUSTRY PRESENTS

You-CAN-Pitch Competition

2026

CALLING ALL BLACK CANADIAN FILMMAKERS!

Are you ready to get your feature film off the ground? We invite you to submit to the 2026 Canadian Film Fest You-CAN-Pitch Competition!

$35,000 Prize Package

This is your chance to win:

  • Over $20,000 in equipment rentals from Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Ontario Camera, and Keslow Camera

  • $15,000 in services from Diving Horses Post Audio & Original Composition

  • More prizes to be announced soon...

This program is entirely FREE

We’re looking for narrative feature film pitches by BLACK FILMMAKERS and are open to all genres. 

Up to five finalists (individuals or teams) will be invited to participate in an in-person pitch session in front of our selected panelists of industry experts who will provide constructive feedback and their thoughts on your project. Afterwards, there will be organized meeting sessions with select panelists. There will also be mentorship sessions and one-on-one practice opportunities before the event, where participants will get a chance to hone their pitching skills and practice with a pitching mentor. Participants will receive CFF passes and industry networking opportunities. 

This is a unique chance to introduce yourself to key decision makers and industry leaders, learn career-serving pitching skills, and showcase your talents! 


The deadline for submissions is Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST.

“Winning You-CAN-Pitch is a transformative milestone in my creative journey. The experience gives me something invaluable: confidence backed by tangible support. Preparing for the competition pushed me to refine my vision, strengthen my materials, and articulate my story with clarity and conviction. The pitch I developed through the CFF process became the foundation of my successful Telfilm Talent-to-Watch application, and the mentorship, competition experience, and the in-kind prizes directly elevate that achievement.”

– Vanessa Magic (2025 You-CAN-Pitch Participant & winner)

APPLICATIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 2, 2026

“Programs like these are essential for nurturing Black voices in the film and television industry.” - Bernard Gray (2025 You-CAN-Pitch Competition Participant)

The live event will take place at the Canadian Film Fest in Toronto, from March 24-29, 2026

    1. Apply! SUBMISSIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 2, 2026

    2. Each submission will be pre-screened for eligibility purposes. A peer jury will assess and select the top ranking projects.

    3. Top Five Finalists participate in a mandatory pitch prep session with our industry expert.

    4. Top Five Finalists will pitch live on March 27th to a panel of industry experts. This panel will determine the grand prize winner, who will be announced at the CFF Closing Night Awards Ceremony. Additional meetings with industry professionals may be arranged at the discretion of CFF.

    5. All Top Five Finalists receive complimentary festival passes (one per team member to max of 3)

    • Applicant must identify as Black and be 18+

    • Applicant must be the director of the film

    • Must be a narrative feature film, with an intended length of at least 75 minutes long

    • The director must have previous experience in a key above-the-line role in at least one short, web series, feature, or narrative TV episode 

    • The director must be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident

    • Team submissions that include writer and producer are encouraged but not required. It is not required that Producer or Writer be Black-identifying (3 individuals per team maximum.)

    • Top projects selected for participation will be determined at the jury’s discretion based on the number of submissions.

    • All entries must be in English

    • Logline

    • First ten pages of a properly formatted feature film script 

    • Pitch deck (no more than 10 pages.) This should include: Genre, Theme, Synopsis, director’s vision, team bios, character descriptions, visual references, etc

    • Demo Reel (up to five minutes hosted on Vimeo or YouTube.) These could be two or three scenes from previous work that best demonstrate the applicant's creative abilities.

    • Resume (no longer than 3 pages) with a link to your IMDB (if available)

    • Headshot + Bio

      *Please use this format for labelling files: FilmTitle-FirstNameLastName-DocumentType

    • All Top Five Finalists receive laurels

    • Complimentary CFF festival passes for up to 3 key participants (valued at $400+), which gives access to 2026 Canadian Film Fest screenings and Industry Series events. 

    • Over 35K of in-kind prizes from Sunbelt Rentals, Diving Horses Post Audio Services, Ontario Camera, Keslow Camera, and more to be announced!

    • Exclusive mentorship sessions with designated Mentors TBA.

    • Projects and career building feedback from our panel of industry experts (TBA) who will select the winning pitch. 2025 Judgeing participants included:

      R.T. Thorne, Filmmaker, 40 Acres, The Porter

      Floyd Kane, Creator/Executive Producer, Diggstown, Across the Line

      Hilary Hart, Co-President, Game Theory Films

      Carolyn Mauricette, Film Writer and Director of Canadian Programming, Fantasia International Film Festival

      Alan Bacchus, Business Affairs, New Metric Media

  • Due to the volume of submissions received, applicants will be notified only if they move forward in the selection process. Filmmakers will be selected by early-March 2026. Please check our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) for updates on the selection process.

*Event details subject to change.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT CFF FILM & INDUSTRY PROGRAMMER RICHARD, richard@canfilmfest.ca

APPLICATIONS OPEN - FEBRUARY 2, 2026