Jith Paul Leaves OCan, Plans to Relaunch film613

PRESS RELEASE
December 1, 2024

Jith Paul has stepped down from the board of directors of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (OCan), which he co-founded in 2015.

Inspired by audience enthusiasm at public events for its predecessor, the Treepot Film Festival, OCan has grown significantly over the past decade. During Jith’s tenure it has become an IMDB-qualifying festival and is recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for Canadian Screen Awards eligibility. The festival, now a registered charity, presents a diverse slate of jury-selected Canadian feature films and shorts across all genres through its annual festival screenings and year-round programming.

Jith Paul kicks off OCan24 at the Bytowne Cinemain November 2024
Photo creds: @kkc.ottawa, @jithpaul

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.

Link: Jith Paul’s complete message – November 19, 2024

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.