About the Okotoks Film Society
Originally established in March 2016 as the Okotoks Film Festival Society, the Okotoks Film Society changed their name in July 2018 to better represent the increasing scope of their goals and community involvement.
The Society is a group of board directors with the goal of making Okotoks and the surrounding area a viable and attractive place for film creation. They work to educate and connect local filmmakers while providing opportunity for filmmakers and the public alike to take an active part in film culture.
The Okotoks Film Society is also the home of the Okotoks Film Festival and partners with the Okotoks Cinemas to create meaningful film experiences.
Pushing for innovation in both filmmaking and in film watching the Okotoks Film Society is here to answer questions and provide programing to encourage professional development.
The Society believes that individuals should not face judgment or prejudice based on their race, sexual orientation, ability, gender, religion, age, nationality, language, or identity. Our full Inclusion Policy is available through the link below.
About the Okotoks Film Festival
The Festival is an annual international film festival offering programming for all ages including a variety of film screenings, workshops, and galas. This international professional festival is a joy for audience and filmmakers alike. During the Festival we also include networking opportunities for filmmakers and a 48-hour filmmaking competition, an audience favorite.
Thanks to all our sponsors, donors, Telefilm, and the Community Initiatives Program Grant from the Government of Alberta that fund our Festival and keep us running!
Katie Fournell
Festival Director
Katie is our bouncy, fun-loving face of the festival. Katie is a filmmaker herself with a few films under her belt, such as “I Got You a Balloon” and “Be the Hero”. An avid film lover, she was really into the festival scene in Edmonton. When she moved to Okotoks and realized we didn’t already have a festival in place she knew she was going to have to do something about that.
Questions about what the festival is? Want to Sponsor or Donate? Have a film you want to know how to submit? E-mail Katie:
katie@okotoksfilmfestival.ca
Anne-Marie Cotton
General Manager
Anne-Marie the goofy, silly human that is part of the merriment behind the scenes of the festival. She is used to being on the stage as an enthusiastic actor in the local community theatre world and hopes to bring some of that energy to OFF! Although Anne-Marie doesn’t have as much film experience as some, she is excited to learn and grow along with this awesome team! Huzzah!
Board of Directors
President – Brendan Rose
Vice-President – Alysha Duke
Secretary – Claire Hoyer
Treasurer – Brian Fea
Director – Scott Lepp
Director – Cassandra Thorbjornsen
Director – Eric Ehrler
Programmers
Katie Fournell
katie@okotoksfilmfestival.ca
Ashley White
ashley@okotoksfilmfestival.ca
Tony Igeb
tony@okotoksfilmfestival.ca
Lead Volunteers
General Manager – Anne-Marie Cotton
Application Manager – Karen Brown Fournell
Tech Assistant – Callum Leblanc
Tech Assistant – Brienna Ball
Interested in volunteering? Contact us!
Filmmaker testimonials
As an international festival we got to see incredible films from around the world. There was a country highlight where we saw Egyptian films and were fed authentic Egyptian food and there was even dancers live in the theater! From food trucks and lunchtime comedy shorts, to incredibly touching animations – our creativity cups were over-flowing with inspiration.
– Aleisha Anderson, 2023 – Father of Nations
It’s an amazing festival, run by some great people. I loved that they put an emphasis on the films screening on the big screen in a real theatre with the smell of popcorn and the buzz of excitement in the air.
– Noelle Duddridge, 2023
We had a great time being part of this festival with our doc, Sensei! The organizers were enthusiastic and fun and there were lots of options for getting involved. Thank you to the OFF for putting on such a great festival!
– Jill Roberts, 2022
This festival delivers what filmmakers expect to see from a festival. The organizing committee did a great job of offering, not only screening of the selected films, but they had networking opportunities for filmmakers to connect with each other virtually. Screening fees for selected films are also a bonus. As of this year, you can even add your nominations and awards on IMDb. This is a festival you want to be a part of.
– Darrell Portz, 2021
“The team at Okotoks are so welcoming, kind, and hard working – a group of super stars for sure! They put together some valuable panel talks, and provided filmmakers with multiple networking opportunities. The Q&A’s after the screenings allowed filmmakers to connect with audiences, and Katie asked some really insightful questions. I will definitely submit to this festival again, and look forward to returning one day!”
– Julia Beney, 2019 – A Girl, A Boy, A Penny and a Very, Very, Very Long Road
“What a great festival! Very filmmaker focused, with lots of opportunities to network with other filmmakers (filmmaker brunch, podcast panel, Q&A, closing party, etc). The fest was incredibly well organized (which you can’t say about a lot of others out there). Communication was great with Katie and her team. They were on the ball every step of the way and never left us in the dark, or an email unanswered. And they do cash prizes! That’s not something you see at a lot of festivals these days, but it can really go a long way to helping out up-and-coming filmmakers. Seriously awesome little festival. We had a great time and we hope to be back again someday!”
– Aaron Kurmey, 2018 – Thousand Yard Stare
Past Festivals