Asinabka Festival 2026: 15 Years of Indigenous Film & Art

Six days of contemporary Indigenous film, art, and music in downtown Ottawa

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Ottawa’s Indigenous-run film and media arts festival returns for its 15th season with 60+ films across 18 programs, a curated exhibition at Gallery 101, and a music showcase at Club SAW — all held on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation.

🎬 60+ films 🎨 Art exhibition 🎵 Music showcase 🆓 Free opening & closing nights

💡 The opening and closing night outdoor screenings at Club SAW are completely free — a great low-commitment way to sample the festival.

Why Go Schedule Tickets Venues Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Festival Matters

Asinabka takes its name from the Algonquin word for Victoria Island at Chaudière Falls — a site of deep spiritual and historical significance to the Algonquin Nation, right in the heart of downtown Ottawa. The festival itself was born from a simple observation: after attending a Bollywood film screening at Library and Archives Canada back in 2012, founders Howard Adler and Christopher Wong noticed there was no equivalent space in the capital dedicated to Indigenous-made film. They built one, and 15 years later it’s grown into one of the only arts presenters in the region focused solely on Indigenous artists and content.

The scale for 2026 is genuinely substantial: 60-plus Indigenous films spread across 18 separate programs, including 8 feature-length works, showing over six days at venues across the downtown core. This isn’t a sidebar section at a larger festival — Indigenous storytelling is the entire program, drawn from Canada and international Indigenous filmmaking communities alike.

This year’s festival theme takes a playful angle on heavy subject matter, drawing loosely on Stranger Things’ central mystery of a missing child and secret government experiments to open a conversation about the horrors of residential schools and the government conspiracies that Indigenous communities have long had reason to take seriously. It’s a good example of how Asinabka tends to operate — approachable and fun on the surface, with real depth underneath for those who want to engage with it.

🗓 Six Days at a Glance

The week opens and closes with free outdoor screenings, with ticketed film programs, an art opening, and a music showcase filling the days between.

🎟 Tickets & Passes

Pricing is genuinely flexible depending on how much of the festival you want to see. Tickets and passes are sold online through Eventbrite, or in person at the door.

💚 If cost is a barrier, the festival offers promo codes for anyone who is low-income or underemployed — reach out by email to request one before you buy.

📍 Venues

Asinabka spreads its programming across a few downtown Ottawa cultural spaces, all within a short distance of each other.

Club SAW Courtyard — 67 Nicholas Street. Hosts the free opening and closing night outdoor screenings and the Saturday night music showcase.

Gallery 101 — 280 Catherine Street. Hosts the curated Animate Energy art exhibition opening on Saturday.

📋 Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

Club SAW sits in Ottawa’s ByWard Market area, an easy walk from downtown hotels, the Rideau Centre, and OC Transpo’s core routes. Gallery 101 on Catherine Street is a short trip further southwest, near Little Italy.

Transit & parking: Downtown Ottawa is well served by OC Transpo buses and the O-Train, and both venues are within walking distance of ByWard Market parking garages if you’re driving in.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🎬 Start with a free night. The opening (Tues.) and closing (Sun.) outdoor screenings cost nothing — a low-risk way to see what the festival is about before committing to a paid day pass.

💰 Do the math on passes. If you’re planning to attend more than two or three programs across the week, the $45 All-Access Pass will likely save you money over buying single tickets.

🎫 Buy online where you can. Single film-program tickets are only available at the door for $5, but day passes and the All-Access Pass are available in advance on Eventbrite — buying ahead avoids any risk of a sold-out program.

🎨 Don’t skip the art exhibition. The Animate Energy opening at Gallery 101 on Saturday is free and easy to combine with an evening at the music showcase.

💵 Ask if cost is tight. Promo codes are available by email for anyone who finds the ticket price a barrier — there’s no need to skip the festival over cost alone.

❓ Common Questions