The Barrie Film Festival’s 4th Annual Central Ontario Youth Short Film Festival (COYSFF) is a regional competition for students registered in high schools in the Central Ontario region (see map below). This is a qualifying festival for the Ontario Youth Film Festival (OYFF). The runners-up and winners in our categories will advance to the OYFF’s competition to win “Best in Ontario”.
July 31, 2025 – COYSFF Submission Deadline
August 22, 2025 – Notification Date
September 17, 2025 – COYSFF 2025 Screening and Awards Show, Barrie, ON
November 13, 2025 – Ontario Youth Film Festival Event Date, London, ON
You must be a high school student in Central Ontario to submit.
CENTRAL ONTARIO includes (see full School Board list below): Barrie, Bracebridge, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Collingwood, Innisfil, Midland, Muskoka, Orillia, Oshawa, Penetanguishene, and Toronto/GTA, Wasaga Beach.
DEADLINE TO ENTER is July 31, 2025
Eligible School Boards for the Central Ontario Youth Short Film Festival (COYSFF) region are:
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Csc MonAvenir) – GTA
Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV) – Toronto and Greater Golden Horseshoe
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) – Mississauga, Brampton
Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) – Durham Region (Ajax, Oshawa, Whitby)
Durham District School Board (DDSB) – Durham Region (Ajax, Oshawa, Whitby)
Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) – Milton, Oakville, Burlington
Halton District School Board (HDSB) – Milton, Oakville, Burlington
Peel District School Board (PDSB) – Mississauga, Brampton
Provincial Schools Branch – Halton – Milton
Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) – Alliston, Angus, Barrie, Bradford, Clearview, Collingwood, Elmvale, Innisfil, Midland, Orillia, Stayner, Wasaga Beach
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) – Barrie, Bracebridge, Bradford, Collingwood, Midland, Orillia, Tottenham
Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) – Toronto and Area
Toronto District School Board (TDSB) – Toronto and Area
Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) – Bracebridge, Haliburton, Lindsay
York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) – Aurora, New Market, Richmond Hill
York Region District School Board (YRDSB) – Aurora, New Market, Richmond Hill
Please note that if you are located in the following areas you will enter one of our partnering youth festival competitions:
SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO (Owen Sound, Goderich, Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Niagara, Sarnia, Chatham, Windsor) you will enter the Forest City Youth Film Festival;
NORTHERN ONTARIO (Thunder Bay, Sault St Marie, Sudbury, North Bay) you will enter Cinéfest Sudbury’s Competition;
EASTERN ONTARIO (Pembrook, Ottawa, Cornwall, Brockville, Peterborough, Kingston, Belleville) filmmakers will enter the MyView Youth Film Festival
Our Categories and Guidelines:
There is a Cash prize of $300 for the winning film in each category. You must be a high school student in Central Ontario to submit.
Narrative – A film that tells a fictional or fictionalized story, event or narrative. In this style of filmmaking, believable narratives and characters help convince the audience that the unfolding fiction is real. We accept Narrative films with run times of less than 5 minutes.
Documentary – A non-fictional or factual film intended to record and capture some aspect of reality. It is about real events and people. We accept Documentary films with run times of less than 5 minutes.
Animation – Animation is a series of images produced frame-by-frame and then played in quick succession to create the illusion of movement. We accept Animated works with run times between 1-5 minutes.
Experimental – Explorations of visual images and audio to evoke emotions and see the world through a creative lens. Entries may be abstract and/or artistic. This style of film explores the medium and is often likened to visual poetry. We accept Experimental works with run times of less than 5 minutes.
Rules & Terms
- All entries must be sent via FilmFreeway platform.
- Works in progress are not accepted.
- Films must be completed after January 1, 2024.
- To qualify for submission the Director and all team members must be registered in a high school in Central Ontario at the time of submission.
- Non-English submissions must include English subtitles.
- Your short film must be filmed in high resolution – 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
- The decision of the Judges and Selection Committee is final.
Terms and Conditions:
By submitting to the COYSFF, you agree to allow your film (hereafter known as the “Work”) to be screened during the festival duration, at no charge to the festival. If there are to be any additional screenings, we will come to a mutual agreement between the filmmaker and the festival.
All Works selected by the COYSFF will be asked to provide promotional materials, but we ask that no promotional materials be sent until selected and notified.
By submitting to the COYSFF the entrant admits and acknowledges copyright ownership of the Work. Further, the entrant admits and acknowledges that the necessary permissions have been obtained for any copyrighted material used in the Work (e.g. music).
By submitting your Work, the entrant hereby grants the COYSFF the following: non-exclusive, irrevocable rights to use and display the names, voices, photographs, likenesses and biographies of the entrant for use in advertising, publicizing and promoting the Work in any media.
The entrant understands and acknowledges that, if under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must agree to the terms of the Filmmaker/Guardian Release on your behalf.
The COYSFF reserves the right to disqualify any submission at any time if there is any question of ownership, copyright infringement, or any sign of disrespect (in any form of media) to the festival or its representatives. The COYSFF and Barrie Film Festival will not be held responsible for any inclusion of uncleared materials in your film. (e.g. copyrighted music used without permission.)
Entrants may be subscribed to the COYSFF newsletter of which they may opt out at any time.
Works that are posted publicly on YouTube or other public video sites cannot be screened in the COYSFF competition. We ask that works submitted not screen publicly in Ontario between August 15 and November 15 outside of the COYSFF, Barrie Film Festival, and OYFF, and that they not be posted publicly online during that time.
Films that are official selections are not permitted to withdraw from the festival after August 30. COYSFF and the Barrie Film Festival reserves the right to update or modify these terms and policies without prior notice.
We ask that entrants NOT USE SCHOOL EMAIL ACCOUNTS when submitting their Works. (Most communications with official selections occur during the summer period).
Content considerations – when you’re submitting your film, please also keep in mind our wide and varied audience. Although every film will be evaluated and considered individually, certain content may make it ineligible to screen:
- Underage or excessive drinking
- Illegal drug use
- Extreme violence
- Excessive coarse language
- Extreme flashing lights
* Every film will be considered on an individual basis, but ultimately the eligibility of the submitted films will be up to the discretion of the festival.
Check out the list of previous selections and award winners!
2022 Official Selections/Winners
2023 Official Selections/Winners
2024 Official Selections/Winners
The Barrie Film Festival’s Central Ontario Youth Short Film Festival is an affiliated film festival with the Ontario Youth Film Festival – working together to celebrate the work and talent of high school filmmakers in Ontario.
