TORONTO JUNE 3-8, 2025
The Canada Media Fund is here to support bold, courageous voices across the audiovisual industry—from television and web series to documentaries, video games, IDM and immersive projects. Wherever there’s a vision and a desire to shine a light, we’re there to light the spark.
cmf-fmc.ca
We, the Indigenous screen storytellers
United in this northern corner of our mother, the earth In a great assembly of wisdom declare to all nations:
We glory in our past
When our earth was nurturing our oral traditions of our dreams. When night sky evoked the visions of our dreams.
When the sun and the moon were our parents in our stories told.
When storytelling made us all brothers and sisters.
When our stories brought forth great chiefs and leaders.
When justice was upheld in the stories told.
We will
Hold and manage Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.
Ensure our continued recognition as primary guardians and interpreters of our culture.
Respect Indigenous individuals and communities.
Faithfully preserve our traditional knowledge with sound and image.
Use our skills to communicate with nature and all living things.
Through screen storytelling heal our wounds.
Preserve and pass on our stories to those not yet born.
We vow to manage our own destiny and maintain our pride and identity through story.
Written by Asa Simma (Sámi), with support from Darlene Johnson (Dunghutti), and accepted and recognized by the participants of the Indigenous Film Conference in Kautokeino, Sápmi, October 2011.
Nia:wen, miigwetch, thank you to the International Sámi Film
Tēnei mātou ngā kaikawe pūrākau taketake
Kua kotahi nei i te pito whakaterunga o Papatūānuku
I takea mai i te mātauranga hohonu, e mea nei ki ngā iwi katoa:
E noho kura ana te ao o uki
i te wā i poipoia te ao kōrero e te whenua.
i te wā nā te kāhui whetū i riro ai ngā whakakitenga ō maruāpō.
i te wā ka tū ko te rā ko te mārama tonu hei mātua i roto i ngā kōrero.
i te wā nā ngā kōrero i noho tungāne tuāhine katoa tātou.
i te wā nā ngā kōrero i puta ai te kura rangatira.
i houhoutia ai te rongo.
Kāti, ko tā tātou
He pupuri ki te mana ahurea ake ō ā tātou taonga taketake.
He whakaū anō i a tātou tonu hei kaitiaki matua, hei kai whakamārama hoki i tō tātou ahurea.
He manaaki i ngā hapori me ngā tāngata ao taketake nei.
He tā i te moko taketake ki ngā pakiata o te wā.
He whakamahi i ō tātou pūmanawa kia tuwhera ai ki te taiao, otirā ki ngā mea ora katoa.
He tuku mā te pakiata e hauora anō ai te tangata.
He kawe i ā tātou pakiata ki tua ki ngā reanga e haere mai nei mā roto i ngā ara kōrero ō te ao hōu.
Ararā ia he ao kīhai i kitea, kua kitea, nā te pakiata i tāea ai.
E kī taurangi nei mātou ka whāia tonutia e mātou tō mātou ake mana motuhake mā roto i te waihanga pakiata taketake.
Nā Tainui Stephens rāua ko Te Kiwa Goddard te whakamāoritanga.
Translated by Tainui Stephens and Te Kiwa Goddard, provided by Māoriland Film Festival.
This year’s Festival theme is centred around the garden: recognizing the care and effort required to tend it and honouring the knowledge passed down through generations which continues to nourish us. This is reflective of our hope that the work we are doing now will continue to nourish those who come after us.
As I reflect on Grandmother Pauline, imagineNATIVE’s dear friend and Cultural Advisor, I find myself thinking of a sunny June day in one of the pandemic years. I was on one of many regular phone calls with her, complaining about a chipmunk eating from my vegetable garden. With her warm chuckle, she simply said, “Well, they need to eat too. That’s okay.” That was Pauline: generous, wise, and full of mirth. She had a fantastic way of getting you to see another perspective and change your mindset for the better.
The last edition of the Festival was inspired by the idea of “Grandma’s house,” creating spaces of warmth and welcome. Often, the power of what a woman — a grandmother — can create is overlooked. Pauline embodied that power for all of us on the imagineNATIVE team. As we approach this year’s Festival, I am deeply mindful of how much she is missed.
There are too many words to fit on any page to describe the impact she had on me personally and on our team, both past and present. So instead, I’ll leave you with just one of her many pieces of wisdom, one I hope you can carry with you moving forward.
There is a confidence in knowing that [the people] have the tools, guidance, and wisdom from their family to spread their wings further than they have ever done before. May your wings spread far and wide, wishing you many blessings as you carry your Bundle firmly and with confidence into the future.
– Pauline Shirt
The 25th Anniversary Edition of this Festival is dedicated to Grandmother Pauline Shirt. We will hold her chair with a beautiful star blanket seat cover, made lovingly by Rosary Spence, in each of our cinemas throughout this year’s Festival.
Nia:wen,
Naomi Johnson Executive Director Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk)
Hello,
I am excited to welcome you all to the 25th annual edition of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival! This one feels really special. Not only is it the first time the Festival is taking place during June — Indigenous Peoples Month — but it also marks a quarter of a century of celebrating Indigenous film from around the globe.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank our community and partners who support the Festival. We are grateful for your belief in the vision of the world’s largest Indigenous film and media arts festival.
We are especially grateful to the imagineNATIVE staff who go above and beyond, working tirelessly to pull off these six days in-person and seven days online. Your work and dedication are hugely appreciated. We also extend a thank you in advance to the volunteers who make the Festival experience what it is.
Here’s to great film watching, discovering your new favourites, and revisiting some classics. Thanks for being with us!
Ó:nen ki’ wáhi,
Kelly Boutsalis Chair, Board of Directors Mohawk
Wa’tkwanonhwerá:ton,
Here we are. imagineNATIVE’s 25th year of Indigenous artists and arts workers fighting for space, breaking down walls, and opening doors for each other, connecting, collaborating, and inspiring fearlessness in our storytelling.
Like seedkeepers from generations past, we are planting, growing, harvesting, and collecting the abundance of stories and teachings, visually embodying who we are and passing it on to future generations of Indigenous creatives adapting to their changing environments. Like our Three Sisters — Corn, Beans, and Squash — we are caring for these seeds, whose roots grow into the earth, creating a foundation that strengthens our ability to rise up, splitting off in different directions, connecting, supporting, and uplifting each other in solidarity with each other’s growth. Indigenous artists are a manifestation of generations of storytellers putting in the work to carry on our traditions, adapting to new forms and new climates to nourish and sustain our communities.
In our 25th year, we look back and acknowledge all of you who have cared for these seeds and have been such an integral part of our Festival’s journey. You have contributed to the future of Indigenous cinema and you are celebrated and loved. This year, we look to our emerging artists, who are gifted these seeds. Where will they plant them? Who will they plant them with? We can’t wait to see what our future storytellers will harvest. We celebrate you for taking on this role.
Nya:wen to our programming team and jury members who put in many hours of screening works and who have deliberated on this year’s Official Selection. They have shared their expertise and experience with us to bring you a strong program, uplifting some of the best works of Indigenous cinema and media arts. Enjoy the presentations they have curated and, as always, don’t forget to stick around for Q&As with the artists. I look forward to connecting with you all.
Happy Birthday, imagineNATIVE!
Lindsay Monture Artistic Director
Kanyen′kehá:ka
Welcome to the 25th imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!
I am so excited to be celebrating such a remarkable milestone. Thank you for your unwavering support over the years. We are incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm from our community, including our board of directors, artists, partners, funders, donors, members, and of course, our audiences who make this Festival special.
This year feels especially meaningful as we reflect on 25 years of showcasing Indigenous excellence in film and media arts. Our team has poured their hearts into curating an unforgettable Festival experience, and we can’t wait for you to see everything we have to offer. From VR in our iNdigital Space + Arcade to screenings of films from powerful new voices, and from exhibitions in partner galleries to immersive audio works, there’s something for everyone.
Let’s make this Festival one to remember. I hope you will take the time to explore, connect, and celebrate with us in this shared space of creativity and community.
Enjoy the week ahead!
Mahsi Cho,
David Morrison Associate Director Dene
The Canada Media Fund is delighted to return as Lead Partner of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Year after year, this extraordinary gathering reminds us of the power of Indigenous storytelling — and the critical importance of supporting it.
The CMF’s commitment to Indigenous cultural sovereignty is unwavering. Indigenous creators must have the resources, recognition, and respect to tell their own stories, on their own terms, in every corner of this country — and we are proud to contribute to that goal through our programs, our sector development initiatives, and our partnerships.
To the organizers, artists, staff, volunteers, and audiences who bring this Festival to life — thank you. We are honoured to stand with you.
Enjoy the Festival!
Valerie Creighton President + CEO Canada Media Fund
It is my pleasure to extend greetings to everyone attending the annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year.
Best wishes to everyone taking part in this year’s Festival, which is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content. The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for excellence and innovation in programming and as the global centre for Indigenous media arts. It is a wonderful way to showcase contemporary Indigenous-made media arts including film, video, audio, and digital content. I am pleased that this Festival, celebrating arts and culture, is taking place in our city.
I would like to thank imagineNATIVE for its commitment to creating a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples, cultures, and issues through the presentation of contemporary Indigenous made media arts for the last 25 years. Thank you also for supporting talented Indigenous directors, producers, and screenwriters in making a lasting impact on the screen industry.
The City of Toronto is committed to working with Indigenous communities across Toronto and doing the hard work needed to contribute to the visibility and overall well-being of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Toronto.
On behalf of the Toronto City Council, please accept my best wishes for an enjoyable event and continued success.
Yours truly,
Olivia Chow Mayor of Toronto
imagineNATIVE is a registered charity committed to inspiring and connecting communities through original Indigenous film and media arts. We are located on the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat Nations. We acknowledge the Dish With One Spoon covenant, a treaty whose spirit is based in collective stewardship and the sharing of land and resources and which extends to all Nations living in present-day Toronto.
Since our first Festival in 2000, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has programmed film, video, audio, and digital media works made by Indigenous media artists from across the world in key creative roles, such as producers, directors, and writers. imagineNATIVE has embraced works from Indigenous creators which push artistic boundaries to represent a diversity of ideas, themes, and genres in our programming, seeking representations of subjects that are not necessarily available through mainstream forms of media. In keeping with our Artistic Policy, the Festival prioritizes works that balance and present unique perspectives; cultural, community, and social relevance; a creative approach to form characterized by innovative expression; a distinctive style; personal vision; and a practice of crossing aesthetic borders in terms of genre, medium, and emerging content platforms.
imagineNATIVE supports the diverse artistic visions and perspectives of Indigenous artists working in media arts; works selected for programming do not need to have overt Indigenous content or themes. As identified in our mission statement, imagineNATIVE is committed to dispelling stereotypical notions of Indigenous Peoples through diverse media presentations from within our communities, contributing to a greater understanding by all audiences of Indigenous artistic expression.
Founded by Cynthia Lickers-Sage and Vtape with the help of other community partners, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is now the largest festival of its kind and an international hub for creative excellence and innovation in media arts. In addition to the Festival, the Centre for Aboriginal Media (imagineNATIVE’s legal name) also presents the annual imagineNATIVE Tour and numerous co-presentation screenings of Indigenous works year-round, both nationally and internationally. In 2017, we launched the imagineNATIVE Institute, which provides professional development opportunities for Indigenous creatives in the screen industry.
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
401 Richmond St W, Suite 446 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
info@imagineNATIVE.org imagineNATIVE.org
@imagineNATIVE #imagineNATIVE
imagineNATIVE is a registered charity (legal entity: The Centre for Aboriginal Media).
Charitable Number: 89893 8717 RR0001
To donate, please visit: imagineNATIVE.org/support/donate
At imagineNATIVE, we strive to create a Festival atmosphere that brings people together in a good way to celebrate our stories, cultures, and art. All attendees of imagineNATIVE events — including Elders, invited delegates, and members of the public — have the right to be free from harassment, discrimination, and threatening or disrespectful behaviour, both in-person and online.
Unacceptable behaviour includes but is not limited to:
• Offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, harassment, disability, physical appearance, size, race, ethnicity, or religion
• Deliberate intimidation
• Harassing photography
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events
Inappropriate physical contact
imagineNATIVE reserves the right to refuse entry to Festival events and venues or revoke accreditation from those who engage in such conduct without notice.
If you experience a violation of the Code of Conduct at the Festival please contact a staff member. All violations of the law should be reported to local law enforcement. For emergencies, immediately dial 911.
We strive to work responsibly, professionally, and with care at all times and ask that you share this commitment to fostering a supportive, loving, and safe Festival environment.
Cailin Ball Lead Production Coordinator
Perry Phalla Website Coordinator
Amaliya Louis Volunteer Manager
Skylar Wesley Communications Assistant
Maisha Baddoo Programming Administrative Assistant
Jesse King iNdigital Space Fabricator Luana Harper-Shirt Cultural Advisor
Elena Romanova HR Consultant Red Door HR
Carol Wang Bookkeeper
Emily Reviczky Volunteer Coordinator
Kathleen Walsh Communications Manager
Anthony Grosbeck Communications Coordinator
Wall Publications + Archives Coordinator
Route 504 PR Public Relations
Innovate By Day Digital Ad Management
raisin digital Website Development
Lindsay Duncan Festival Photography Peppercorn Imagine Festival Videography
Colour Code Printing Catalogue Printer
Joel Martin Graphic Design (JMGD) Catalogue Design
James Monkman Trailer Designer + Animator
Nigel Irwin Trailer Sound Designer
Streamland
Media Trailer Versioning
Aanii | Hello,
It is an honour to be here with you all to celebrate imagineNATIVE’s 25th birthday.
This Festival has been a place of inspiration, connection, and celebration, and I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to grow alongside all of you.
I am excited for the community to come out this year and experience NDN Christmas in all its glory — and with warmer weather! We have tons of presents for you including 20 feature-length films, over 79 short films, 14 digital + interactive works, 17 audio works, 2 retrospective short film programs, and
plenty more special programming. The gifts keep on coming!
A million miigwetches to each and every one of the talented artists that we get to celebrate at this milestone Festival. On behalf of the programming team, we are excited, inspired, and proud to welcome you!
I look forward to catching up with you all!
Miigwetch | Thank you, Kaitlynn Tomaselli Program Manager
Anishinaabe/Odowa/Potawatomi
Our Programming Selection Committee is made up of filmmakers, artists, and curators. They provide additional perspectives on individual titles, overarching themes, and the programming structure of the Festival. This year, imagineNATIVE’s Artistic Director, Lindsay Monture, is joined by four industry professionals to oversee the selection of the films, with two more advising on the selection of Digital + Interactive and Audio works.
Kelly Boutsalis (Mohawk from Six Nations) is the International Programmer of Canadian Features for the Toronto International Film Festival. She is also a freelance writer and has written about film and television for the New York Times, NOW Magazine, Elle Canada, Flare, POV Magazine, and more. She has written about lifestyle, design, and culture for publications including Vogue, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, VICE, and Toronto Life. Originally from the Six Nations reserve, Kelly now lives in Toronto. She is on the board of imagineNATIVE, and she is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association.
Adam Piron (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and Mohawk) is a Southern California–based filmmaker, writer, and curator. He is the Director of the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program, where he oversees the organization’s support of Indigenous filmmakers globally, and a co-founder of COUSIN, a film collective dedicated to supporting Indigenous artists experimenting with, and pushing the boundaries of, the moving image. As a film programmer, he has served as a member of the Programming Team at the Sundance Film Festival since 2013 and was previously the Film Curator for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Adam has guest-curated film programs for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the TIFF Lightbox, the Autry Museum of the American West, and Metrograph. His films have screened at the New York Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, MoMA Doc Fortnight, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles, and various other festivals and programs. His writings have appeared in the Criterion Collection’s Current, MUBI’s Notebook, Cinema Scope, the Metrograph Journal, and CNN.
Pauline Clague is an Associate Professor, Manager of Cultural Resilience Hub, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research at the University of Technology Sydney and a producer for her company, Core Original Films. A Yaegl woman from North Coast, New South Wales, she has been a driving force in the creation and sustainability of the Indigenous voice in Australian screen and television for over 30 years. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Winda Film Festival in Sydney and the co-creator of NativeSLAM, a 72-hour Indigenous film challenge held at the Māoriland Film Festival in Ōtaki.
Pauline also shares her wisdom, industry experience, and integrity with emerging creative entrepreneurs through Creative Plus Business and helps independent filmmakers and other creative people to strengthen their financial sustainability so they can continue to make extraordinary art and stories with empowered, and viable, creative models. She was awarded the Stanley Hawes Award in 2015 for her contribution to Australian documentaries and the Natalie Miller Fellowship in 2020.
Maize Longboat is Kanien’kehá:ka, with family in Six Nations of the Grand River, and was raised on the unceded territory of the Skwx̱wú7mesh Nation near Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a manager on the partner relations team at Unity Technologies. He holds an MA in Media Studies from Concordia University. His Master’s research examined Indigenous video game development through the production of his own game, Terra Nova, an award-winning cooperative platformer with an interactive narrative.
Alexandra Lazarowich is a Cree filmmaker from northern Alberta, Canada. In all of her work as a writer, director, and producer she is passionate about telling Indigenous stories. Her short documentary Fast Horse won the Special Jury Prize for Directing at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. In 2022, she was a Native Lab Screenwriting fellow at the Sundance Institute for her script Two Funerals, a Wedding and a Round Dance. Alexandra’s latest project, Winding Path, which she co-directed with Oscar-winning director Ross Kauffman, had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in Nonfiction Short Films. Her prior credits include being a writer on SYFY’s Resident Alien, director for Hulu’s Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal, director for CBC’s Stuff the British Stole, and series producer for CBC’s Still Standing. She is also a co-founder of the Indigenous experimental non-profit COUSIN Collective which provides funding for Indigenous artists from around the world.
Taylor McArthur, Nakoda of Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation, was raised in Southwestern Manitoba and currently resides in Montréal, Québec. She is a Computation Arts Specialist undergraduate in Concordia’s Fine Arts faculty. McArthur is a digital artist whose work spans 3D animation, interactive art, and video. Her practice is informed by Indigenous futurisms and she seeks to situate her Indigenous culture within a vision of both the modern and the potential future.
Guest Services Team
Kiana
Tyra
Festival Pass Pickup
During the in-person week of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, a Guest Services team member will be available on-site at the following dates and times for delegates to pick up their Festival Passes and to answer any questions.
Guest Services Information Desk Schedule
TIFF Lightbox
350 King St W
Tuesday, June 3 | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday, June 4 | 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday, June 5 | 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday, June 6 | 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday, June 7 | 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Nia:wen | Miigwetch | Maarsii | Thank You imagineNATIVE Volunteers
imagineNATIVE’s volunteers are at the heart of our community. Their commitment, support, and unique contributions have made the 2025 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival possible!
From all of us at imagineNATIVE, nia:wen, miigwetch, maarsii, thank you for your support, time, and positive impact.
Thank you to Miziwe Biik for supporting the imagineNATIVE volunteer program.
401 Commons + Rooftop Patio 401 Richmond St W, 4th floor
The Artist Hub, located at the 401 Commons and Rooftop Patio, will be available to Festival pass holders during the following dates and times. This is your space to network, visit, or simply take a break between screenings and events.
June 4-7 | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) provides subways, streetcars, and buses around Toronto extending throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A single fare ($3.35) can be purchased at all subway stations and on streetcars. You can also tap your debit or credit card, or digital wallet at all entry points of subway stations, buses, and streetcars for contactless payment at a discounted rate ($3.30). Alternatively, you can purchase a Presto card to pre-load for use on all TTC-operated vehicles at a discounted rate ($3.30).
A day pass can be purchased for $13.50, allowing unlimited trips for the day. All tapped fares (paid using a debit or credit card, digital wallet, or Presto card) include a two-hour transfer allowing unlimited entry and exit to the system within the two-hour window. Presto cards can be purchased at all subway stations and Shoppers Drug Mart locations.
More information can be found on the Presto website at prestocard.ca.
TTC Fare: $3.35/trip, $13.50 day pass
For accessibility, schedules, routes, and additional information please visit ttc.ca.
Information about accessible taxis can be found on the City of Toronto website, toronto.ca. Information regarding wheelchair accessible TTC stations can be found at ttc.ca/accessibility.
Please use caution when travelling and avoid getting into unmarked cabs.
Celebrate the world's largest Indigenous film festival! GO Transit gets you there.
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival strives to provide an accessible environment and positive Festival experience for all patrons. We are committed to developing and maintaining the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards. All staff and volunteers have completed AODA training online to increase their awareness and attentiveness to the needs of our patrons.
All of our venues are wheelchair accessible. Service animals, guide dogs, and support persons are welcome at all venues.
Tickets to most film screenings have assigned seating, so guests can book the seat that is most comfortable for them without worrying about arriving early and waiting in line.
The imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation will have general seating with accessible seating held until the show begins. Please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org if you need assistance or have any questions.
For more detailed information on accessibility at the Festival, visit imagineNATIVE.org/accessibility.
While we strive to offer Open Captions on all films in cinema and Closed Captions on all films online, some films may be presented with English Subtitles only. Please refer to our online listings at imagineNATIVE.org for the most up-to-date information on which screenings offer which type(s) of readable text.
These screenings allow guests with various accessibility needs to have a positive sensory friendly and inclusive environment.
This means:
Theatre lights are dimmed (not completely off)
Theatre sound levels are slightly lower than typical
No trailers or advertisements will play before the screening
Minimal introductions and no Q&As
Guests can enter and exit the theatre freely during the screening
• Silence is not expected
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Wednesday, June 4 | 11:00 AM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
The Lost Tiger Saturday, June 7 | 11:00 AM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Select introductions and post screening Q&As will be presented with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. Please refer to our online listings at imagineNATIVE.org for the most up-todate information. If you are attending a screening and have accessibility needs please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org.
If you have a Festival pass and you have accessibility needs, please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org for accessibility information about Industry Days panels, workshops, Micro Meetings, networking receptions, and other events.
imagineNATIVE recognizes the importance of healing and cultural safety. We understand that some content during the Festival may be upsetting or triggering for both direct and intergenerational survivors of trauma. For this reason, support workers will be available on-site.
These services are for anyone, including nonIndigenous people, requiring emotional support.
We strive to provide verbal disclaimers during introductions for in-person programs containing scenes of graphic violence, sexual violence, or content relating to residential schools. Please check our film listings online for up-to-date content warnings and ratings.
Support workers will be on-site at the TIFF Lightbox, Green Room, on select dates and times.
TIFF Lightbox, Green Room 350 King St W, 2nd Floor
Wednesday, June 4 | 4:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Thursday, June 5 | 11:30 AM - 6:45 PM
Friday, June 6 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Saturday, June 7 | 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Sunday, June 8 | 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
For the most up-to-date information, please check our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/health-and-wellness.
Support services provided by Ganǫhkwásra.
Ganǫhkwásra meaning “Love Among Us.”
We are excited to once again present our Festival in a hybrid format!
From June 9-15 we will move online to our screening platform at watch.imagineNATIVE.org to ensure that we connect with those who are unable to attend in-person screenings. You will be able to visit (or revisit) select films programmed during the previous week. Film availability is subject to geoblocking and distribution rights. Please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org if you need assistance or have any questions.
Please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org for the most up-to-date information on all our offerings for both versions of the Festival.
Tickets for all in-person screenings and special events will be available for purchase online at imagineNATIVE.org or at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office inside the TIFF Lightbox.
The on-site Box Office will be open one hour prior to the first screening of the day. Please visit imagineNATIVE.org for the most up-to-date Box Office hours and information.
Single Tickets Regular Admission
Screenings
$10
Seniors + Students with ID
$8
Screenings on TD Free Friday FREE, ticketed FREE, ticketed
Opening Night Regular Admission
Screening
Party
$10
$20
Opening Night Screening + Party $25
Packages
5 Ticket Package
Price
$45
10 Ticket Package $80
There are no restrictions on the number of tickets you can book for a single screening with a ticket package. Ticket packages are not valid for the Opening Night Screening + Party combo ticket, any Special Events, Industry Days, or Industry Events.
All screenings on Friday, June 6 are FREE. Tickets for screenings on Friday, June 6 cannot be purchased or booked in advance and will only be available to book on Friday, June 6 at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office. There is a limit of two tickets per person.
Miigwetch, nia:wen, thank you to TD Bank for supporting TD Free Fridays!
Seniors + Students with ID
$8
$20
$25
What You Get
5 tickets to any in-person film screenings
10 tickets to any in-person film screenings
Rush tickets will be available for select screenings. Please visit imagineNATIVE.org or the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office for the most up-to-date information on rush tickets.
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
iNdigital Days events are FREE. Except where otherwise stated, tickets are not required for most iNdigital Days events and admission is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Special Events Regular Admission Location
Welcome Gathering FREE
Opening Night Screening + Party
Art Crawl
TD Free Friday
$25
FREE, ticketed
FREE, ticketed
The Birthday Beat $25
Awards Presentation
Packages
Online Festival Pass
Single Online Ticket
FREE, ticketed
Spadina Museum
TIFF Lightbox + Malaparte
Meeting Point: Collision Gallery
TIFF Lightbox
Steam Whistle Brewery
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
$50
$6
What You Get
Access to all the films offered on watch.imagineNATIVE.org*
Access to one feature film or one short film program on watch.imagineNATIVE.org*
*Subject to location geo-blocking and distribution rights. All tickets are subject to HST. Please see below for information on HST rebates.
Tickets for both the in-person and online Festival are available for purchase through imagineNATIVE.org.
During the in-person Festival, in-person tickets can also be purchased at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office.
Visit imagineNATIVE.org for more information on purchasing, redeeming, and accessing films during the Festival’s online portion. Access to online screenings starts on Monday, June 9 at 10:00 AM ET and ends Sunday, June 15 at 11:59 PM ET. Please note that not all films screened during the in-person Festival will be available online.
Status card holders are eligible to claim a rebate of the 8% Ontario portion of HST paid on qualifying goods and services. Please contact boxoffice@imagineNATIVE.org if you wish to use your Status card to purchase packages or tickets online. You can also visit the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office and present your Status card when purchasing in-person tickets.
Every year imagineNATIVE commissions an Indigenous artist to create an image for our Festival Tote Bag. The Tote Bag is offered to all programmed artists attending the Festival and is also available to purchase as part of our official Festival merchandise. The production of the bag is supported by Miziwe Biik.
Thank you, Alanah Astehtsi̲’ Otsistóhkwaˀ (Morningstar) Jewell for your beautiful artwork!
Hazy figuratively represents the feeling of midsummer, when we are long past planting our seeds and now watch them grow in abundance, patiently anticipating the season of harvest to come. It represents the short moment of relief when we can finally see the benefits of our work, knowing this moment won’t last long. It represents the inebriating feeling of gratitude, of reflection and pause for our life in between the chaos. Hazy pushes our Indigenous relatives — who are all seedkeepers in their own way — and encourages them to keep going, to stay grounded, and to find those moments of gratitude amongst the difficult work they are faced with.
Alanah Astehtsi̲’ Otsistóhkwaˀ (Morningstar) Jewell (she/her) is a passionate, proud, and self-taught Indigenous artist. She is Bear Clan from Oneida Nation of the Thames, grew up off-reserve, and currently lives in Kitchener, Ontario. She specializes in digital illustration, acrylic and oil paintings, and murals, but also loves practicing beadwork, stained glass, and 2D sculpture. She finds inspiration in the natural world, in cultural teachings and Indigenous ways of being, and in the small moments that make us human.
TUE JUNE 3
WED JUNE 4
■ Feature Film ■ Short Film Program ■ Special Screening
■ Retrospective Screening ■ Sensory Friendly Screening
■ Special Event ■ Special Presentation
Welcome Gathering Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd p. 116
Kōkā (Matriarch) TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 34
FAMILY MATTERS
Sensory Friendly Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 29
Mann’s Sparks TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 33
THU JUNE 5
KIN TIES TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 45
Ninan Auassat: We, The Children TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 44
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 39
iN Retrospect: Embargo Collective I Retrospective Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 35
La Raya TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 38
We Were Dangerous TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 54
LIVING IN TWO WORLDS TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 52
RISE UP TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 48
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM 10:00 PM 11:00 PM 12:00 AM
Endless Cookie
Opening Night Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 28
Opening Night Party TIFF Lightbox, Malaparte p. 116
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 41
CBC Live Podcast TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 108
FRI JUNE 6
The Lost Tiger TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 58
imagineNATIVE's Journey: A Leadership Conversation TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 113
SAT JUNE 7
■ Feature Film ■ Short Film Program ■ Special Screening
■ Retrospective Screening ■ Sensory Friendly Screening
■ Special Event ■ Special Presentation
KNEE SLAPPERS TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 60
APTN Presents: The Feather News TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 59
iN Retrospect: Embargo Collective II Retrospective Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 73
The Lost Tiger Sensory Friendly Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 72
imagineNATIVE Originals TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 64
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 63
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 79
NEXT GEN TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 80
TIED TO THE LAND TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 76
SUN JUNE 8 Awards Presentation TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 126
ELDER STORIES TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 89
One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 88
NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 96
FAMILY MATTERS TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 92
Art Crawl
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
401 Richmond St. W p. # 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM 10:00 PM 11:00 PM 12:00 AM
Ka Whawhai TonuStruggle Without End TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 67
The Legends of Eternal Snow TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 68
Lucky Strikes TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 66
RAINBOW SHORTS TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 83
Remaining Native TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 p. 87
Guts & Glitz TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 86
WITCHING HOUR TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 69
Birthday Beat
124
TUESDAY 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Directors/Writers: Pete Scriver (Cree), Seth Scriver
Producers: Jason Ryle (Anishinaabe), Alex Ordanis, Chris Yurkovich, Daniel Bekerman, Seth Scriver
Canada | 2025 | 97 min
English, Cree | Animated Documentary Feature Content Warning: Adult Themes
Pete and Seth Scriver’s Endless Cookie is a refreshingly unique animated documentary, a testament to their singular vision and handcrafted charm. It’s a film that deftly navigates complex themes of race and identity through the lens of a deeply personal journey, tracing the bond between two half-brothers — one Indigenous, one white — as they traverse the stark contrasts between isolated Shamattawa and 1980s Toronto. The Scrivers’ animation style, imbued with a raw, unpolished energy, perfectly complements their candid storytelling. The film’s humour is both sharp and endearing, weaving together anecdotes about documentary filmmaking amidst a chaotic household, grocery store escapades, and encounters with caribou. Beyond the laughter, Endless Cookie is rooted in a quiet yet powerful resistance to colonialism, offering a nuanced exploration of Indigenous life. It’s a film that finds beauty in the everyday, weaving together oral histories and cosmic musings into a bittersweet tapestry of life.
Pete and Seth Scriver are half-brothers. Seth, a Toronto-based director, writer, and artist, co-created the award-winning animated feature Asphalt Watches and works in various mediums. Pete, a storyteller, carver, and former Shamattawa Chief, now serves as a Canadian Ranger and is the father of nine.
Directors: Konwanahktotha Alvera Sargent (Mohawk), Jess Lowe Chaverri Producer: Akwesasne Freedom School
USA | 2024 | 10 min Mohawk | Documentary Short Canadian Premiere
Presented by The Akwesasne Freedom School, this film honours The Opening Address, a Haudenosaunee prayer of gratitude, unity, and respect for nature, fostering connection, conservation, and appreciation for all life.
Konwanahktotha Alvera Sargent, a Mohawk leader, advocates for Indigenous language preservation and serves as Executive Director of Friends of Akwesasne Freedom School.
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Sensory Friendly Screenings are screenings where the environment is adjusted to accommodate people who would appreciate a positive, inclusive space, such as a relaxed attitude towards noise and movement, slightly lowered volume and lights, and a minimal introduction with no Q&A. Guests are also more than welcome to leave their seats and roam around.
Regular Screening
Sunday, June 8
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Strengthening our family makes our culture strong. These films celebrate birth, children, mothers, fathers, and our Elders to show us we are all journeying together and that no one is left behind because our voices matter and because family matters.
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Directors/Writers/Producers: Allison Anderson (Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin), Georgette McLoed (Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin)
Canada | 2024 | 5 min
Hän, English | Documentary Short Ontario Premiere
Allison and Bear find the treasures of nature.
Allison Anderson (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in) is Crow clan and a Hän language learner and teacher. She uses a variety of methods to promote the use of her language.
Georgette McLeod (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in), Lëjìt, wife, mother of two, Hän language educator, and Elderin-training. She uses a multidisciplinary approach to promote the use of her language.
Director/Writer: Doug Winnipeg (Blackfoot)
Producer: Sinakson Trevor Solway (Blackfoot)
Canada | 2024 | 11 min
Blackfoot, English | Dramatic Short
Toronto Premiere
Three cousins are left home alone while their grandma is at bingo. As the evening progresses, a thunderstorm causes a power outage and the children’s imaginations run wild.
Doug Winnipeg is from the Siksika Nation. He spent his formative years in Stobart townsite and later attended the University of Calgary.
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Director/Writer: Paul O’Bomsawin (Abénaki)
Canada | 2024 | 5 min
English | Documentary Short Toronto Premiere
The Lemonade Stand explores the relationship between Paul and his daughter Lyric in the context of their learning about plants and remedies.
Paul O’Bomsawin is an Abénaki from Odanak. Having moved around a lot, he developed a taste for hip hop culture, dance music, and graffiti arts.
Director/Writer/Producer: Lia Fabre-Dimsdale (Liidlii Kue First Nation)
Canada | 2024 | 4 min
English | Dramatic Short
Little Lake is a short 2D animated student film about a young lily-pad boy learning about his world and the lake he lives in.
Lia Fabre-Dimsdale is a 2D animator and visual artist originally from the Northwest Territories.
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Directors/Writers/Producers: Darcy Tara McDiarmid (Hän/Northern Tutchone), Chantal Rousseau
Canada | 2024 | 4 min
No Dialogue | Experimental Short Ontario Premiere
An adventurous rabbit undertakes an enchanted evening escapade through a mysterious forest trail. The rabbit encounters dreaming wolves and other mischievous animals as he navigates a midnight mushroom garden.
Darcy Tara McDiarmid is a Hän and Northern Tutchone artist from the Crow clan. She is a carver, painter, illustrator, storyteller, and filmmaker.
Directors: Alexander Moruo (Sakha), Markel
Martynov (Sakha)
Writer: Tatiana Ushnitskaia (Sakha)
Producers: Anna Borisova (Sakha), Roman Okoneshnikov (Sakha)
Russian Federation | 2024 | 11 min
Sakha | Dramatic Short
Toronto Premiere
Nyukku excitedly joins her first Munkha, making a bet with her brother about her success. Chaos ensues, but with their father’s wisdom, they learn that true magic lies in family and teamwork.
Tundra is an Indigenous animation studio dedicated to crafting world-class animated films while celebrating and preserving Indigenous culture.
Director/Writer/Producer: Ciara Leina‘ala Lacy (Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli))
Co-Producer: Concepcion Saucedo-Trejo
USA | 2024 | 12 min
Native Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
An animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawaiʻi, Queen Lili’uokalani.
Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy is an Emmy nominated filmmaker whose Native Hawaiian identity drives the intimacy and authenticity in her work.
Director: Barry Bilinsky (Cree/Métis)
Producer: Grace Hardy (Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 21 min
Cree, English | Dramatic Short
Toronto Premiere
Content Warning: Sexual References
When Ellie learns Sam is leaving for art school tomorrow, their summer feels ruined. With the help of friends, they find the courage within their hearts to make their last night count.
Barry Bilinksy is Cree, Métis, and Ukrainian. He has worked on projects centred around the proliferation of Indigenous arts, artists, and collaborations.
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Director/Writer/Producer: Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Canada | 2024 | 11 min English | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
In her vivid dream life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found her best childhood friend: the Green Horse, who embodied the spirit of kindness and celebration of life.
One of Canada’s most distinguished filmmakers, Alanis Obomsawin is a director and producer at the National Film Board of Canada, where she has worked since 1967.
WEDNESDAY 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Mann’s Sparks
Director: Ryland Walker Knight (Cherokee)
USA | 2024 | 52 min
English | Experimental Feature
World Premiere
Content Warning: Violence, Adult Themes
Ryland Walker Knight’s Mann’s Sparks is a hypnotic essay film that stitches together footage from Michael Mann’s iconic filmography with Beach House’s 2015 album Depression Cherry into an editorial masterstroke. As much as the film stands as a testament to Knight’s craft as editor, it also acts as a thematic dialogue between the dream pop band’s music and the images by one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, spanning Mann’s work from Thief (1981) to Blackhat (2015). It’s a mesmeric work, both visually and sonically, acting also as a document of Knight’s own development as an editor after suffering an injury and using Mann’s footage and the band’s album to relearn how to edit. Mann’s Sparks is a spellbinding celebration of cinematic language and how it can be reused, relearned, and reimagined into new possibilities.
Ryland Walker Knight is a filmmaker and photographer, and once upon a time he was called a film critic. He is a partner at Capsaicinco and, in 2024, he was selected as a Sundance Institute Native Lab Fellow to develop his feature film The Lip of the World. An avid basketball and audiobook enthusiast, Ryland lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
by
Director/Producer: Nanobah Becker (Diné)
Writer/Producer: Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache)
Producers: Jock Soto (Navajo/Puerto Rican), Luis Fuentes
USA | 2024 | 15 min
English | Music Video
World Premiere
Solo musician Laura Ortman takes us on a journey through three songs with legendary dancer Jock Soto as the two convene on a wintry mountaintop.
Nanobah Becker (Diné) is an award-winning writer/ director whose independent films and videos span the past 20 years.
WEDNESDAY 12:15 PM - 2:30 PM
Director/Writer: Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou)
Producer: Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Kapumanawawhiti/ Ngāti Raukawa/Ngāti Toa Rangatira/Te Āti Awa), Verity Mackintosh
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 107 min
Te Reo Māori, English | Dramatic Feature
Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Coarse Language; Illegal Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Vapour Products or Cannabis
Worlds collide when Māori Elder Hamo accidentally hits Jo, a rough-around-the-edges wahine, with her car. Feeling responsible for her care, Hamo tries to help Jo back on her feet, only to find herself entangled in Jo’s antics after Jo lost her only home and family — a group of misfits who outlived their stay in an encampment. Hamo reluctantly agrees to take Jo under her wing, bringing her along on the trip back home. While on the road, the women form an unlikely bond that leads them to face the past and lean on each other on the path to healing.
Kath Akuhata-Brown is an award-winning filmmaker known for her culturally poetic and meaningful storytelling. Her acclaimed works include the short films Washday and Purea. A graduate of the Binger Film School in Amsterdam, Kath has also shaped the industry as a screenwriting lecturer, script assessor, and advocate for Indigenous storytelling.
iN Retrospect: Embargo Collective I
WEDNESDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
In March 2008, imagineNATIVE formed the Embargo Collective, an international group of seven Indigenous artists who collaborated and challenged one another to create seven new films.
Each of the artists has an impressive body of work, demonstrating exceptional talent and vision with a different focus in media arts — documentary, fictional narrative, and experimental work — and representing a diversity of Indigenous Nations. These artists were chosen for their enthusiasm for collaboration and their willingness to be open to a challenge.
Inspired by filmmaker Lars Von Trier’s documentary The Five Obstructions, imagineNATIVE encouraged the members of the Embargo Collective to push their creative boundaries by asking them to construct a set of limitations for one another.
While the initial goal was to demonstrate how essential the collaborative process is to film, a far more profound and intimate result materialized over 20 months: As the filmmakers shared their experiences, inspired one another, and created work together, a collective spirit was born. What you are about to see are the fruits of the collaboration, a true testament to what film can be when artists come together to create.
Most of the descriptions for this program are republished from the 2009 imagineNATIVE Catalogue.
WEDNESDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Director: Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Canada | 2009 | 12 min
Mohawk | Dramatic Short
A mystical gardener harvests fruits from the earth that defy everyone’s expectations.
Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Mohawk/Heiltsuk) is a writer and director, mother, and language speaker. She is a Canadian Screen Award winner, the maker of Run Woman Run, and of delicious cookies.
Director: Helen Haig-Brown (Tsilhqot’in)
Canada | 2009 | 10 min
Tsilhqot’in | Dramatic Short
A hunter on horseback accidentally discovers a portal to the afterlife in this fantastical version of a true Tsilhqot’in story.
Helen has showcased films at festivals around the world, including Sundance, Berlinale, TIFF, and Rotterdam. Her films ?E?Anx (The Cave) and SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna (Edge of the Knife) were named to TIFF's Canada's Top Ten.
Director: Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2009 | 6 min
Cree | Dramatic Short
On a beautiful summer day in the 1950s, a young girl watches the countryside go by from the backseat of a car. She arrives to find that the end of her journey is simply the beginning...
Lisa Jackson (Aamjiwnaang First Nation) is a crossgenre media artist whose award-winning work has screened at Berlinale, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, CPH:DOX, and Hot Docs.
Director: Taika Waititi (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2009 | 8 min
Māori | Dramatic Short
An urban warrior returns to his tribal homeland on a quest to discover his cultural identity.
Taika Waititi is a New Zealand-born film director, writer, producer, comedian, and actor of Māori Te Whanau-a-Apanui descent. His films Two Cars, One Night; Boy; and What We Do in the Shadows screened at imagineNATIVE. In 2020 he won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his feature film Jojo Rabbit
iN Retrospect:
Embargo Collective I
WEDNESDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director: Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee)
USA | 2009 | 8 min
Mvskoke | Dramatic Short
Three young boys accompany their uncle to church and find out just how difficult it is to channel divine behaviour.
Sterlin Harjo is an award-winning filmmaker from Holdenville, Oklahoma. Now based in Tulsa, Harjo is the co-creator and showrunner of the hit television series Reservation Dogs (FX Productions) which won multiple awards including the 2022 Peabody Award and the 2022 Television Academy Honors Award.
Director: Rima Tamou (Bulgunnwarra/Nga Ruahine
Rangi)
Australia | 2009 | 8 min
Girrimae | Dramatic Short
The lives of two brothers are drastically changed after they discover strange tracks while hunting.
Rima Tamou, Aboriginal and Māori, is a filmmaker and a television producer. Rima has worked in the film industry for almost thirty years.
Director: Blackhorse Lowe (Navajo)
USA | 2009 | 10 min
Navajo | Dramatic Short
Romance and comedy come together to paint a contemporary portrait of love on a Navajo reservation.
Blackhorse Lowe is a filmmaker from the Navajo Nation. He is a writer, director, producer, and editor known for 5th World, Shimásáni, Chasing the Light, Fukry, and Metal Belt
3:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Director/Writer/Producer: Yolanda Cruz (Chatino)
Co-Writer: Joe Sieder
Co-Producers: Christine Dávila, Isael Gutierrez
Mexico | 2024 | 80 min
Spanish, Chatino | Dramatic Feature
Canadian Premiere
A tight-knit village on the outskirts of Oaxaca called La Raya is a place where everyone leaves for work in the North. It’s also home to Sotera Santos, a young girl whose parents have promised to return for her. Sotera and her friend Eric discover a mysterious fridge and, after trying to sell it around the village, they discover it has magical properties. This bright dramedy combines the realities of migration for those left behind, found families, and a dash of magic realism to depict a charming community that has plenty of heart.
Yolanda Cruz is an independent filmmaker from a Chatino community in San Juan Quiahije, Oaxaca, Mexico. Her latest film, La Raya, is a dramedy produced by the Mexican Film Institute in collaboration with her community of Cieneguilla, San Juan Quiahije. She holds an MFA from UCLA and a BA from The Evergreen State College. She is also a Sundance Institute Fellow.
Director/Writer: Tajim Mohammed-Kapa (Māori)
Producer: Angela Cudd (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 17 min Māori, English | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
When a boy from a broken home steals a peach from his neighbour’s tree, he sets off events that will change him forever.
Tajim Mohammed-Kapa (Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāpuhi) is a Te Tai Tokerau filmmaker dedicated to Indigenous storytelling.
#skoden
WEDNESDAY 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
#skoden
Director/Writer: Damien Eagle Bear (Blackfoot (Kainai))
Canada | 2025 | 76 min
English, Blackfoot | Documentary Feature
Content Warning: Triggering Historical Trauma (Residential Schools, Indian Act, Sixties Scoop), Flashing/Strobing Lights
#skoden tells the story of Pernell Bad Arm, the Blackfoot man behind the infamous “Skoden” meme. What started out as a social media post to bond Indigenous people across Turtle Island over rez slang and relatable uncle material opened our eyes to something much more: a man whose life on the streets became a mockery to some and a figure of Indigenous empowerment to others but was most beloved by those who knew him personally.
Damien Eagle Bear’s heartfelt and compassionate documentary humanizes the man behind the image, sharing stories from Pernell’s family and friends about his life and struggles, and serves as an anecdote to a bigger issue — the harsh reality of street life for many Indigenous people living in urban centres across so-called Canada.
Niitsitapi, amateur physicist, and frybread-eating machine, Damien Eagle Bear is a multifaceted filmmaker from the Kainai First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Damien’s films have premiered at the American Indian Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival. He has returned with feature documentary #skoden, which delves into the origins of NDN country’s most iconic meme to redefine the man at the centre of it all.
WEDNESDAY 5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Bila Burba
Director/Writer: Duiren Wagua (Gunadule)
Co-Writer: Orgun Wagua (Gunadule)
Panama | 2023 | 70 min
Dulegaya, Spanish | Documentary Feature Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Violence
Each year the Gunadule people come together to honour their sovereignty by reenacting the 1925 Dule Revolution, their resistance to the Panamanian government’s suppression of their people through racist laws set to erase their identities. In an effort to keep the resistance alive for generations to come, this history is instilled in vivid detail so their people never lose sight of the sacrifices that were made to preserve their lands and cultural heritage.
Duiren Wagua’s documentary comes together with personal stories, recollections, family histories, and present-day footage of the men, women, and children who carry forth a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Duiren Wagua is a filmmaker from Panama’s Gunadule Nation, specializing in cinematography, direction, and production. With a decade of experience, he co-founded Wagua Films to support filmmakers in Indigenous territories. His notable works include short films Djaba Wera and Ibegwa Bila Burba is his first feature film.
Preceded by Indai Apai Darah
Director/Writer/Producer: Kynan Tegar (Iban)
Co-Producer: Nils Cowan
Indonesia | 2024 | 15 min Iban | Documentary Short Ontario Premiere
A young girl growing up in the forests of central Borneo follows ancient connections to earn the gift of a story: how her community united to preserve their lands amid rampant deforestation.
Kynan Tegar is a photographer and filmmaker from the Dayak Iban tribe. He is currently studying Social Anthropology at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.
WEDNESDAY 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
Directors/Writers: Eva Thomas (Ojibwe/Tohono O’odham/Cherokee), Ryan Cooper (Ojibway)
Producers: Ryan Cooper (Ojibway), Kathleen Easton
Executive Producers: Eva Thomas (Ojibwe/Tohono O’odham/Cherokee), Kyle Bornais
Canada | 2024 | 83 min
English, Ojibway | Dramatic Feature
Content Warning: Violence; Adult Themes; Attempted Suicide; Coarse Language; Slurs; Use of Illegal Substances; Triggering Historical Trauma; Illegal or Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Vapour Products, or Cannabis
This drama sees Gail Maurice in a layered performance as Aberdeen, who is navigating through the barriers stacked up against her to find home for herself and her grandchildren. With supporting roles by Billy Merasty, Jennifer Podemski, and Ryan Black, Aberdeen is an emotional, but hopeful, portrait of a complicated woman who must make life-altering choices.
Aberdeen navigates the streets of Winnipeg as an adult through a cycle of intergenerational trauma, with glimpses of an idyllic, but short-lived childhood with her grandparents on reserve giving a hint of what she has lost. With pockets of humour and lightness, Maurice skillfully portrays the title character in her best role yet.
Ryan is an Ojibway, Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+ creator from Treaty 1 territory, Peguis First Nation. He graduated from the NSI/CBC New Indigenous Voices program where he produced an award-winning short documentary that went on to be programmed in festivals around the world. Aberdeen is his first directorial feature.
Eva Thomas is a writer, director, and producer. Eva’s writing credits include Acting Good, Don’t Even, and Shelved. Her directorial short film debut, Redlights, premiered at TIFF 2023 and Aberdeen premiered at TIFF 2024.
Preceded by
Director/Writer/Producer: Robyn Adams (Red River Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 3 min
English | Experimental Short
A short film highlighting Indigenous beadwork, prairie landscapes, and relationship to the land.
Robyn Adams is a Red River Métis artist of the Manitoba Métis Federation. Her Métis family is from La Rochelle and St-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba.
4
WEDNESDAY 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Short Film Program: LOVE LASTING
Films that reflect the ways in which love transcends the physical body to manifest itself anew, changing us forever. It lives on through our memories, keeps watch, keeps us company, and waits to return to us again one day.
WEDNESDAY 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer/Producer: Clément Lagouarde (Natchitoches)
France | 2024 | 4 min
Caddo | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
A brother and his neurodivergent sister reconnect with their roots.
Clément Lagouarde is a French and Native American actor from the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana. Our Father is his second film.
Director/Writer: Brit Hensel (Cherokee Nation)
Producers: Blake Brown (Cherokee Nation/ Chickasaw), Taylor Hensel (Cherokee Nation), Tiffany Bruner (Muscogee Creek Nation/Seminole)
USA | 2024 | 17 min
English | Dramatic Short World Premiere
After her sister Tama’s untimely passing, Birdie learns that the bond between them is stronger than life and death.
Brit Hensel is an award-winning Oklahoma-based director and writer. Her films explore environment, language, and the experiences of Indigenous women.
Director/Writer/Producer: Montana Cypress (Miccosukee)
USA | 2024 | 22 min
English | Dramatic Short International Premiere
Told through the eyes of an ailing man comes a story of heartbreak when the man discovers why his best friend has brought him to the doctor.
Montana Cypress is a Los Angeles–based filmmaker, playwright, and actor. When not working, he is watching films and plays.
Director/Writer/Producer: Angela Cudd (Māori)
Producer: Orlando Stewart
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2023 | 24 min
English, Māori | Dramatic Short North American Premiere
Ahi, a young Māori boy, searches for answers after his mother’s mysterious disappearance. As Matariki approaches, celestial and spiritual elements intertwine, leading Ahi to uncover truths about his mother’s fate.
Angela Cudd (Ngāti Porou, Te-Whānau-ā-Apanui) is a New Zealand director known for I Am Waru, the award-winning docu-series When Bob Came, and Kupu X.
THURSDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Lightbox, Cinema 3
Ninan Auassat: We,
Director/Writer: Kim O’Bomsawin (Abenaki)
Producers: Mélanie Brière (Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation), Colette Loumède, Nathalie Cloutier
Canada | 2024 | 93 min English, French, Innu Aimun, Atikamekw | Documentary Feature
Over six years, Ninan Auassat: We, The Children embeds itself among three groups of youth that live on the Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree, and Innu Nations. Told entirely from the point of view of the children and teens, the level of trust and caring that filmmaker Kim O’Bomsawin has put into these relationships is evident by the candidness of what the youth share. In between sweeping cinematography, they talk about what life is like in a fly-in community, the complications of being in school with Innu being their first language, and how their lives are different from non-Indigenous kids their age. Apart from the differences, this film also shows how similar children are, no matter where they’re from.
Kim O’Bomsawin is an award-winning Abenaki documentary filmmaker and sociologist who’s deeply passionate about sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples. She’s worked on and directed many different documentary series and web documentaries that have been broadcast on various channels.
Preceded by
Director/Writer/Producer: ‘Wáats’asdíyei Joe Yates (Haida)
USA | 2024 | 2 min Haida | Documentary Short Canadian Premiere
With less than a handful of fluent Haida speakers, Nayak’aq Yaahl (age six) shares a message in the Haida language: even though we may be going through difficult times, be still and listen to our ancestors.
‘Wáats’asdíyei is an Emmy Award winner as a writer for Molly of Denali. He was a Field Producer and Story Work Producer for National Geographic
Short Film Program: KIN TIES
THURSDAY 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Woven together by language, whispers, hair, and sacrifice, KIN TIES explores our relationships to the ancestors and to the land.
THURSDAY 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Director/Writer/Producer: Larissa Wrightman (Ojibwe/Potawatomi/Tohono O’odham)
Canada | 2025 | 2 min
Ojibwe, English | Documentary Short World Premiere
My Braid Is Beautiful - Gnaajwan Nkaadengan tells the story of the beauty and connection of a braid in the Native community while also acknowledging the importance of language revitalization.
Larissa Wrightman is a youth from Walpole Island First Nation (Bkejwanong) of Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Tohono O’odham descent.
Director/Writer/Producer: Shaelyn Johnston (Ojibwe)
Producers: Jessie Anthony (Onondaga), Kaitlyn Redcrow (Nêhiyaw)
Canada | 2024 | 13 min
English, Ojibwe | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
A young Ojibwe girl learns how to say goodbye in her traditional language when her grandmother falls ill.
Shaelyn Johnston is an award-winning Ojibwe and Irish Canadian writer and filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Short Film Program: KIN TIES
Director/Writer: Taylor Uchytil (Agai Dicutta Walker River Paiute)
USA | 2025 | 4 min
English | Documentary Short World Premiere
Answering the question "Do you speak Paiute?" with a glimpse into the filmmaker's family life, this film shows how communication can transcend spoken language and preserve cultural knowledge.
Taylor Uchytil of the Walker River Paiute Tribe is a multidisciplinary artist dedicated to preserving cultural knowledge for future generations.
Director/Writer: Emma Barrow (Cherokee)
Producers: Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa), Dylan Brodie
USA | 2024 | 13 min
Cherokee, English | Dramatic Short World Premiere
Content Warning: Triggering Historical Trauma (Residential Schools, Indian Act, Sixties Scoop)
A Cherokee woman fights to protect her niece from an unlawful adoption by her white grandparents as she reckons with feeling distant from her own culture.
Emma Barrow is an award-winning Cherokee writer and filmmaker whose work centres complex, intergenerational family dynamics and strong Indigenous women.
Short Film Program: KIN TIES
THURSDAY 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director: Kahu Kaiha (Te Henua Ènana)
Writer/Producer: Carrisse Uta’i (Samoa)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 11 min
Samoan, Èo Ènana, English | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Illegal or Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Vapour Products, or Cannabis
In the face of her mother’s absence and her father’s alcoholism, 12-year-old Küī rises above her age, caring for her brothers and confronting life’s harsh realities. Inspired by a true story.
Kahu Kaiha is a Marquesan (Ua Pou) multihyphenate and award-winning actor, director, producer, screenwriter, Marquesan Haka choreographer, and Marquesan Haka music composer.
Director/Writer/Producer: Loren Waters (Kiowa/ Cherokee)
Producer: Dana Tiger (Muskogee Creek Nation)
USA | 2024 | 12 min
English | Documentary Short Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Violence
Tiger highlights Dana Tiger — an Indigenous, awardwinning, internationally acclaimed artist and Elder — her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger T-Shirt Company.
Loren Waters, an award-winning filmmaker and 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, won Sundance’s Directing Award for her film Tiger.
Director/Writer: Nicole Hutton-Lewis (Garawa)
Australia | 2024 | 15 min
English | Dramatic Short North American Premiere
Content Warning: Violence
Harry is torn from tending to his bedridden mother by his erratic and sticky-fingered father who takes him on a wild goose chase to kill a cow for Christmas supper.
Nicole Hutton-Lewis is a Garawa woman, screenwriter, and award-winning director working in narrative and hybrid documentaries.
JUN 5
THURSDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Short Film Program: RISE UP
Stories of climate change, Indigenous solidarity, post-apocalyptic survival, and ancestral messages to empower generations of colonial resistance. RISE UP is your call to action.
Short Film Program: RISE UP
THURSDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Director/Writer/Producer: Inuk Jørgensen (Inuit - Greenland)
Greenland | 2024 | 9 min
Kalaallisut/Greenlandic, English | Documentary Short
Toronto Premiere
From the land moulded by ice, Entropy celebrates Greenlandic mythology while lamenting the nature we are losing.
Inuk Jørgensen is an award-winning short film writer/director currently based in Sweden. Inuk holds a Master’s Degree in Film Studies from the University of Aarhus.
Director/Writer/Producer: Suni Sonqo Vizcarra Wood (Quechua)
Peru | 2024 | 17 min
Spanish, Quechua | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Violence, Triggering Historical Trauma
After being injured in a protest, a Quechua youth has a supernatural encounter that unveils his true identity, forcing him to confront his past and decolonize his inner self.
Suni Sonqo Vizcarra Wood is a Quechua artist from Peru. His practice uplifts the importance of Indigenous knowledge for a sustainable future.
Directors/Writers/Producers: Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe), Zoe Gordon
Canada | 2025 | 19 min
English, Ojibwe | Dramatic Short World Premiere
It’s 2039 in Omagakii First Nation. The land has been consumed by lithium mines and 100,000 tonnes of buried nuclear waste. An Ogichidaa-Kwe survives in isolation, loving and resisting as the world sickens around her.
Michelle Derosier is Anishinaabe from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation in Treaty 3 territory in Northern Ontario, Canada.
Director/Writer/Producer: Johannes Vang (Northern Sámi)
Norway | 2025 | 28 min
Northern Sámi, Southern Sámi | Documentary Short
North American Premiere
The court ruled that wind plants located in a reindeer grazing area violated Sámi human rights. In response, young Sámi protest to compel the government to protect Sámi rights and identity.
Johannes Vang is a Sámi Kven director and producer from Norway along the coast of Sápmi.
THURSDAY 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Directors: Liselotte Wajstedt (Northern Sámi), Marja Helander (Northern Sámi)
Writer: Liselotte Wajstedt (Northern Sámi)
Producer: Linn Henriksen (Northern Sámi)
Norway | 2025 | 23 min
Northern Sámi | Documentary Short
In my hand is the story of the Indigenous activist Niillas Somby, which explores the personal and historical struggles of the Sámi people. The film navigates between imprisonment, protests, and surreal encounters.
Liselotte Wajstedt (b. 1973) is a Sámi artist and filmmaker whose work spans from film and video to collage, painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, and installation.
Marja Helander (b. 1965) is an award-winning Sámi artist and filmmaker from Finland.
Short Film Program: LIVING IN TWO WORLDS
THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Coming of age, marriage, commitment to family and to love. A pastiche of themes, LIVING IN TWO WORLDS creates an intersection that allows audiences to better understand the duality of humanity vs nature, identity vs blood quantum, authenticity vs celebrity — a self discovery through film.
THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cinema 2
Director/Writer/Producer: Bruce Thomas Miller (Anishinaabe)
Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Agathe Bachellier, Marie Hammje, Matthew Ingraham
Canada | 2023 | 3 min
English | Experimental Short Toronto Premiere
A man is beckoned by the spirit of the earth in a plea to reconnect with his own spirit.
Bruce Thomas Miller is an Anishinaabe writer, director, and producer who is based in Calgary, Alberta. He is passionate about storytelling and uplifting underrepresented communities.
Director/Writer/Producer: Farrah Murdock (Anishinaabe/Cree)
Canada | 2024 | 8 min
English | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
A male Chicken Dancer leaves a powwow and goes into the city, where he doesn’t quite fit in.
Farrah Murdock is an Anishinaabe/Cree writer and director from Peguis First Nation and Fisher River Cree Nation.
Director/Writer/Producer: January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora)
Canada | 2025 | 7 min
English | Experimental Short World Premiere
Wind Rabbit is a collage of visual and sonic hyper sensory expressions set against original poetry inspired by train travel and the intersection of the railroad and Indigenous existence.
January Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer and media producer from Six Nations of the Grand River where she operates Ojistoh Publishing and Productions.
Director/Writer: Hector Jenkins (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2024 | 13 min
Anishinaabemowin, English | Dramatic Short World Premiere
On the day of her wedding, a young Ojibwe woman contemplates the consequences of her decision to marry a non-Indigenous man as she prepares for their impending nuptials.
Hector Jenkins is an Anishinaabe filmmaker and off-reserve band member of Beausoleil First Nation, who currently lives in Tkaronto.
Short Film Program: LIVING IN TWO WORLDS
THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Evelyn Pakinewatik (Anishinaabe)
Producer: Melanie Nepinak Hadley (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2024 | 19 min
Anishinaabemowin, English | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
Content Warning: Photosensitivity, Anti-Indigenous Misogyny, Ableism
While the pandemic rages on and regulations are abandoned, immunocompromised lovers George and Eileen struggle to navigate their long-distance relationship. Dreams and stories lead George to seek answers through medicine.
Evelyn Pakinewatik is a queer, disabled artist and filmmaker. Their work explores the societal distortions of interiority, relationality, and animacy.
Director: Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw)
Producers: Eva Thomas (Anishinaabe), Jennifer Podemski (Anishinaabe), Tamara Podemski (Anishinaabe), André Czernohorsky, Jamie Thomas King
Canada | 2024 | 33 min
English | Dramatic Mid-Length Toronto Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes; Coarse Language; Sexual References; Use of Illegal Substances; Illegal or Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Vapour Products, or Cannabis
Director/Writer: Dina Naser (Jordanian/Palestinian)
Producer: Batoul Ibrahim (Jordanian/Palestinian)
Jordan | 2024 | 18 min
Arabic | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
Hind, a charming young karate athlete with a hearing disability, faces a violating incident that distorts her world. Through her eyes and ears, we navigate experiences of tenderness and pain, silence and noise, and the hidden and the manifest.
Dina Naser is a Jordanian/Palestinian director and producer. Her debut feature Tiny Souls premiered in 2019 at CPH:Dox and screened at major festivals worldwide.
After a book tour, self-help guru Daniel Wolf battles loneliness and anxiety. Reconnecting with an estranged friend, he spirals into a drug-fueled journey, confronting his mental health and addiction. Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw) is a multi-hyphenate talent — actor, writer, choreographer, and director — from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada.
THURSDAY 4:15 PM - 6:45 PM
Director/Writer: Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa)
Writer: Maddie Dai
Producer: Morgan Waru (Ngāti Porou), Polly Fryer
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 83 min
English, Māori | Dramatic Feature
Content Warning: Adult Themes
Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s We Were Dangerous is a simmering, potent drama set against the stark backdrop of a 1954 New Zealand reform school. It’s a story of rebellion, told through the intertwined fates of Nellie and Daisy, two young women seeking escape from a system that seeks to break them. The arrival of Lou adds a complex layer to their dynamic, as the girls navigate the oppressive regime of a devout matron and the unsettling experimental punishments meted out under the cover of night. Director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu doesn’t shy away from the darkness, but rather leans into moments of joy and absurdity in what the trio of young women face. The film pulses with a quiet rage, a testament to the enduring power of friendship in the face of systemic injustice. It’s a challenging, yet deeply human story.
Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu — last name pronounced Stewart Teh Few — (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa) is a New Zealand-based writer and director of Māori and Pākehā descent. In 2016, Josephine was one of the nine Māori women filmmakers involved in Waru, which premiered at TIFF 2017.
Director/Writer: Jonathan Elliott (Mohawk)
Producer: Jessie Anthony (Onondaga)
Canada | 2023 | 32 min
English | Dramatic Mid-Length Toronto Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes, Triggering Historical Trauma (Residential Schools)
On Christmas Eve, 1967, two young Indigenous girls battle the elements, confront their darkest secrets, and work together to return home after escaping the Mohawk Institute Residential School.
Jonathan Elliott is a Mohawk filmmaker from the Six Nations Reserve.
THURSDAY 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Producers: Jason Ryle (Anishinaabe), George Hupka
Canada | 2024 | 98 min
English | Documentary Feature
From the opening shot of a buffalo hide illustrating the texture and movement of the hair, the beauty of the buffalo’s exterior welcomes us into this stunning documentary about personal connection fueling a desire to return the animal back to their ancestral homelands. In addition to providing the historical background on the hows and whys buffalo populations were decimated, the film also follows the present-day quest to right the relationship between humans, buffalo, and the land. Filmed on many tribal lands across Turtle Island, filmmaker Tasha Hubbard, founding director of the International Buffalo Relations Institute, tracks the efforts of buffalo activists to return free-ranging buffalo back to their lands.
Dr. Tasha Hubbard is a filmmaker and an associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies/ Department of English and Film at the University of Alberta. She is from Peepeekisis First Nation in Treaty 4 territory and has ties to several First Nations in Treaty 6 territory through her father.
THURSDAY 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Cinema 1
The Haka Party Incident
Director/Writer: Katie Wolfe (Māori)
Producer: Tim Balme
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 88 min Māori, English | Documentary Feature Canadian Premiere
This impressively candid documentary revisits the three-minute long “incident” at the University of Auckland which triggered a turning point in race relations between Māori and non-Māori people in 1970s New Zealand. Current interviews with the engineering students who participated in the mocking haka party and members of the activist group that disrupted it, now adults, reveal reflections on their versions of what happened. Directed by Katie Wolfe (one of the directors of 2017’s Waru), this doc, originally a theatre piece, is the ultimate telling of this true story. With archival footage and insights from those who were there, The Haka Party Incident brings forgotten history to life.
Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) is a writer/director. Her previous short film, Redemption, won Best Short Drama and the Emerging Talent Award at imagineNATIVE in 2011. She was a director of the portmanteau film Waru, which opened the Festival in 2017. The Haka Party Incident is her first feature-length documentary.
Free Friday
imagineNATIVE is pleased to welcome back TD Bank in support of TD Free Friday at the 25th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!
Thanks to the generosity of TD Bank, tickets to all screenings on Friday, June 6 will be FREE.
TD Free Friday is intended to provide more opportunities for individuals to experience imagineNATIVE’s unique programming.
Marsii, miigwetch, nia:wen, mahsi’choo, thank you, TD Bank.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Director/Writer/Producer: Chantelle Murray (Bardi/ Bunial)
Co-Writer: Phillip Tarl Denson
Co-Producers: Kristen Souvlis, Nadine Bates
Australia | 2024 | 81 min
English | Animated Dramatic Feature North American Premiere
Teo, a Tasmanian tiger found and raised by a family of wrestling kangaroos, feels out of place more than ever when his differences become apparent after his attempt to fit into the family’s travelling wrestling show. Recurring visions of his origins spark a journey of self-discovery and a mission to save his homelands from coloniz— “conservation.”
Chantelle Murray’s animated feature debut cleverly contextualizes the concepts of colonization and exploitation of land for a young audience, while also highlighting a deep love and connection to land and the need for preservation. The Lost Tiger is an adorable film that is fun for the whole family.
Director Chantelle Murray has a passion for storytelling and a unique perspective that has gained her accolades and credits on a range of projects. She is thrilled to be making her directorial debut on the animated feature The Lost Tiger with Like a Photon Creative.
Preceded by Ornmol
Director/Writer/Producer: Marlikka Perdrisat (Nyikina)
Australia | 2024 | 10 min Ngarinyin, English | Documentary Short North American Premiere
Kupungarri, a remote community in the Northwest of Australia, is one of the most natural places left in the world. This small community fosters confidence in young people through their relationship with Country. Watch the excitement grow as they prepare for the annual Mowanjum Festival.
Filmmaker Marlikka Perdrisat grew up with a strong relationship to Land, which is felt in each of her projects.
APTN Presents: The Feather News
FRIDAY 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
APTN Presents: The Feather News
Director: Danny Knight (Cree)
Writer: Ryan Moccasin (Anishinaabe)
Danny chases a journalism award, Shawn tends to his social agenda, and Gary scrambles for funds as The Feather News returns with a bigger staff and a
FRIDAY 1:00 PM - 2:45 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Short Film Program: KNEE SLAPPERS
Healing through laughter is often a way our communities use play to engage with serious issues. These filmmakers will make you look at things with a smirk, a chuckle, or even a downright knee slap, rejoicing in the resilience of our people.
Short Film Program: KNEE SLAPPERS
Director/Writer: Sonny Smith (Blackfoot)
Producer: Jenna Spink (Métis)
Canada | 2025 | 9 min
English | Dramatic Short World Premiere
Uncle Lyle is an Indigenous-based comedy that revolves around the misadventures of Lyle, a 35-yearold Indigenous man, and his teenage nephew, Billy.
Sonny Smith is an emerging Blackfoot filmmaker from the Piikani Nation.
Director/Writer/Producer: Tainui Tukiwaho (Māori)
Co-Writers: Brady Peeti (Māori), Tuakoi Ohia (Māori)
Co-Producer: Acacia O’Conner (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 14 min
English, Māori | Dramatic Short North American Premiere
Content Warning: Coarse Language, Sexual References, Slurs, Sexual Activity
A woman struggles with her relationship with her body. It’s not that she hates it, she just wishes her vagina would stop calling her a bitch.
Tainui Tukiwaho is a Māori storyteller who is dedicated to sharing the unique Māori voice with the world.
FRIDAY 1:00 PM - 2:45 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Te Waiarangi Ratana (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2023 | 19 min
English | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Coarse Language
The low-budget adventures of streetwise fisheries officer Honey Kaha are brought to life by star Dr. Julia Love and her dastardly former husband, Kent Barry.
Te Waiarangi Ratana, a 26-year-old Māori filmmaker, has directed for TVNZ, music videos, and award-winning short films.
Director/Writer: ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians)
USA | 2024 | 8 min
English | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
An Anishinaabe man takes a Happy Thanksgiving wish very, very personally.
ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby is an Anishinaabe filmmaker currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
FRIDAY 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians)
Producers: Génesis Mancheren Ab'äj (Kaqchikel), Savannah Romero (Eastern Shoshone), Fran Zayas, Frisly Soberanis
USA | 2024 | 15 min
English | Dramatic Short
Content Warning: Coarse Language
What seems to be a burgeoning romance between two Indigenous people takes a sinister turn as one grows suspicious of the other. When confronted, deceit turns their romantic evening into a darkly comedic nightmare.
ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby is an Anishinaabe filmmaker currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Short Film Program: KNEE SLAPPERS
Director/Writer: Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Co-Writer: Chris Thompson (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Producer: Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa)
USA | 2024 | 9 min
English, Cherokee | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
A pleasant date between a man of Cherokee heritage and a Caucasian woman goes downhill when the woman flagrantly fixates on the very bane of Cherokee people’s existence: The Cherokee Grandmother phenomenon.
Anthony Sneed is an award-winning Cherokee (EBCI) filmmaker who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, and Cherokee, North Carolina.
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices
Directors/Writers/Producers: Ashley Qilavaq-Savard (Inuk), Carmen Kuptana (Inuvialuit), Eriel Lugt (Inuvialuit), Jennifer Kilabuk (Inuk), Johannes Vang (Sámi), Marc Fussing Rosbach (Greenlandic Inuk), Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Gwich’in) Canada, USA, Greenland, Norway | 2024 | 21 min Kalaallisut, South Sámi, English | Documentary Short Toronto Premiere
FRIDAY 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Arctic Indigenous filmmakers share powerful first-person stories on climate change’s impact, highlighting their struggles to protect their lands, cultures, and futures in a rapidly changing world.
Arctic Indigenous Voices is a dynamic collective of emerging Indigenous directors from across the circumpolar Arctic, representing regions as diverse as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada, Sápmi (northern Norway), Alaska, and Greenland. Together, these filmmakers celebrate the diversity of Arctic Indigenous voices while confronting the collective challenge of climate change through their distinct voices.
FRIDAY 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
imagineNATIVE Originals are imagineNATIVE’s year-round film commissions from emerging to midlevel filmmakers across Canada, sharing a world premiere during the Festival! Thank you to the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), Charles Street Video (CSV), Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF), TELUS STORYHIVE, and Capilano University for your partnership!
FRIDAY 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Directors/Writers: Stevie-Ray Strangling Wolf (Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) – Blackfoot Confederacy), Shelby Strangling Wolf (Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) – Blackfoot Confederacy)
Canada | 2024 | 10 min
English | Crime Drama
World Premiere
Content Warning: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Violence
Raised in isolation by murderous, loving criminals, Evie Savage rebels against her parents by running away in search of something better. She’d kill to have a “normal” life.
Blood Tribe visionaries. The Strangling Wolf Brothers tell stories that won’t be ignored.
Director/Writer: Alex Manitopyes (Plains Cree/ Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2025 | 13 min
English, Plains Cree | Documentary, Fashion Film, Experimental
World Premiere
Content Warning: Residential Schools, Genocide, State Violence, Child Death, Intergenerational Trauma, Emotional Distress
Through fashion, testimony, and memory this short documentary honours children lost to Indian Residential “Schools.” Amber Alert blends beauty and grief into an urgent call for truth and healing.
Alex Manitopyes is a Two-Spirit, Trans Masc fashion designer and filmmaker from Muskowekwan and Peepeekisis First Nation exploring truth through ancestral artistry.
Director/Writer: Eva Grant (Interior Salish)
Canada | 2025 | 10 min
English | Historical Drama
World Premiere
Content Warning: Period-Typical Racist Language
In 1911, 18-year-old Nancy Columbia Eneutseak, now known as the first Indigenous screenwriter, sees her film for the very first time.
Eva Grant is a St’at’imc Eurasian artist from British Columbia. She is a graduate of Stanford University and a Sundance Native Lab alumna.
Director/Writer: Kira Doxtator (Oneida of the Thames)
Canada | 2024 | 7 min
English | Drama, Indigenous Futurism
World Premiere
On a cold Toronto night, a tight-knit collective of friends embark on an unusual mission — tapping maple trees in their neighbourhood. This simple act becomes a reflection on belonging and tradition.
Kira Doxtator is an Anishinaabe, Oneida, and Dakota filmmaker exploring Indigiqueer identities, land relationships, and Indigenous futurisms through impactful storytelling and industry advocacy.
FRIDAY 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Lightbox, Cinema 3
imagineNATIVE Institute Presents: Lucky Strikes
imagineNATIVE Institute Presents: Lucky Strikes
Director/Writer: Darcy Waite (Cree)
Producers: Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteux), Tyson Caron
Canada | 2024 | 83 min
English | Dramatic Feature
Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes
Washed-up bowler Adam Cardinal Jr. fights to buy his late father’s bowling alley but faces sabotage from Sarah, his father’s rival’s daughter. With his best friend Benny, he schemes, hustles, and trains for a high-stakes tournament — his last shot at redemption, legacy, and proving he still has what it takes.
Darcy Waite is a filmmaker and writer known for sharp comedy and heartfelt drama, blending humour with depth in character-driven stories. Darcy is an alumnus of the 2022 Institute Features Screenwriting Lab where he developed his first draft of Lucky Strikes
Ka Whawhai TonuStruggle Without End
FRIDAY 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End
Director: Michael Jonathan (Māori)
Writer: Tim Worrall (Māori)
Producer: Piripi Curtis (Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 104 min
Māori, English | Dramatic Feature
Content Warning: Adult Themes, Violence
It’s 1864 and against impossible odds, the Māori in the Waikato region valiantly face an army of colonial settlers to fight for their lands and people. Haki is a half-Māori and half-European teenager fighting on the side of the New Zealand military and taken prisoner by the Māori resistance. He befriends Kopu, a Māori girl who is imprisoned in her own right as she is believed to be the vessel for manifesting a Māori god of war, used for guidance as a resistance tactic in her people’s battle for sovereignty. Haki and Kopu find themselves caught between many concurrent battles of identity politics, physical and spiritual warfare, and friends and enemies, as they both discover there is no escape without a fight.
Mike Jonathan’s feature debut is a historical war epic that awakens the spirit of resistance and the fight for survival.
Michael Jonathan is an award-winning Māori filmmaker from Aotearoa (New Zealand) known for his commitment to telling Indigenous stories with authenticity and heart. With a career spanning directing, producing, cinematography, and editing, Mike has crafted compelling narratives that honour the voices and histories of Māori communities.
FRIDAY 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro)
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro)
Director/Writer: Aleksei Romanov (Sakha)
Writer: Liubov Borisova (Sakha)
Producer: Sardana Savvina (Sakha)
Russia | 2024 | 80 min
Sakha, Even | Dramatic Feature
Canadian Premiere
When Khabyy is tasked with exchanging riches for the hand of a beautiful young bride for his old Chief, he does not anticipate the mission leading him back to a dark and haunted past. Accompanied by two other men, one bent on challenging Khabyy’s authority and the other softening to the bride’s strong will to escape, the group find themselves battling the harsh Yakutia climate and barely surviving. Tensions rise throughout the long and arduous journey and when they seek shelter in an old abandoned hut, they discover it holds a subject of lore with which Khabyy is all too familiar.
Alexei Romanov’s fairytale feature crosses genres of romance, drama, and horror, each element elevated by its setting in the unrelenting isolated landscapes of Yakutia.
Aleksei Romanov, the first professional Sakha film director, founded Sakhafilm and has directed award-winning films. He chaired Yakutia’s Cinematographers Union from 1996 to 2021.
Short Film Program: WITCHING HOUR
FRIDAY 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Haunting, unsettling, and supernatural, WITCHING HOUR reveals to us what grows in places devoid of light. Come prepared to hold your breath in terror of who, or what, you might meet in the dark.
FRIDAY 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Director/Writer: Dallas R Soonias (Chippewa)
Canada | 2024 | 6 min
English | Dramatic Short
Content Warning: Violence, Adult Themes
Rita sits alone on a park bench waiting for something, or someone, when she is unexpectedly approached by a Maskwa who sits with her. Why this bench? Why right now?
Dallas R Soonias writes, directs, and produces. His first short film, Frank Gets the Job Done, was commissioned by imagineNATIVE.
Director/Writer: Normand Junior Thirnish-Pilot (Innu)
Canada | 2024 | 9 min
Innu | Dramatic Short
A father tries to save the soul of his daughter, lost in darkness.
Normand Junior Thirnish-Pilot is an Indigenous screenwriter and director from the community of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam in Côte-Nord, Québec, Canada.
Director/Writer: Faith Sparrow-Crawford (Musqueam)
Canada | 2024 | 20 min
English | Dramatic Short
Ontario Premiere
Set in the Coast Salish region of the Pacific Northwest, 150 years in the future, the history of North America has been swept under the rug, Indigenous stories silenced, and religion and culture criminalized.
Faith Sparrow-Crawford is a director, writer, and producer from the Musqueam Nation in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Director/Writer: Sinakson Trevor Solway (Blackfoot)
Canada | 2024 | 11 min
English, Blackfoot | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Violence
This allegorical horror film follows an 1800s settler family on the frontier, hoping to build a prosperous homestead when their land claim is challenged by the Blackfoot Trickster, Napi, who offers more than just goods.
Sinakson Trevor Solway is a Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation. He is the founder and leader of The Napi Collective, a grassroots filmmaking society based out of Siksika Nation.
Short Film Program: WITCHING HOUR
FRIDAY 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Director/Writer: Seyed Ali Ghasemi (Mazandarani/ Tabari)
Co-Writer: Milad Sheikheslami (Mazandarani/Tabari)
Producer: Nima Eghlima (Astarabadi/Sistani)
Iran | 2025 | 19 min
Persian | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Violence
Musa, takes Vahid, his cousin, on pretext of wood smuggling, to a forest path, where a car accident with a doe opens up past wounds...
Seyed Ali Ghasemi (b. 1983) is an Iranian filmmaker, the first assistant director of over 12 movies, and the director of two short films.
Director: Amanda Strong (Michif/Métis)
Writer: Richard Van Camp (Tłı̨chǫ Dene)
Canada | 2024 | 18 min
English, Dene | Dramatic Short
Dove, a gender-shifting warrior, uses their Indigenous medicine (Inkwo) to protect their community from an unburied swarm of terrifying creatures.
Amanda Strong is a Michif/Métis artist, writer, producer, director, filmmaker, and mother. As the owner of Spotted Fawn Productions Inc., she amplifies Indigenous storytelling.
SATURDAY 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Sensory Friendly Screenings are screenings where the environment is adjusted to accommodate people who would appreciate a positive, inclusive space, such as a relaxed attitude towards noise and movement, slightly lowered volume and lights, and a minimal introduction with no Q&A. Guests are also more than welcome to leave their seats and roam around.
Friday, June 6
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer/Producer: Chantelle Murray (Bardi/ Bunial)
Co-Writer: Phillip Tarl Denson
Co-Producers: Kristen Souvlis, Nadine Bates
Australia | 2024 | 81 min
English | Animated Dramatic Feature North American Premiere
Teo, a Tasmanian tiger found and raised by a family of wrestling kangaroos, feels out of place more than ever when his differences become apparent after his attempt to fit into the family’s travelling wrestling show. Recurring visions of his origins spark a journey of self-discovery and a mission to save his homelands from coloniz— “conservation.”
Chantelle Murray’s animated feature debut cleverly contextualizes the concepts of colonization and exploitation of land for a young audience, while also highlighting a deep love and connection to land and the need for preservation. The Lost Tiger is an adorable film that is fun for the whole family.
Director Chantelle Murray has a passion for storytelling and a unique perspective that has gained her accolades and credits on a range of projects. She is thrilled to be making her directorial debut on the animated feature The Lost Tiger with Like a Photon Creative.
iN Retrospect: Embargo Collective II
SATURDAY 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Commissioned in celebration of imagineNATIVE’s 15th anniversary, the Festival is thrilled to present the Embargo Collective II, five short films created by five distinguished artists. Executive produced by Danis Goulet, these shorts push the creative boundaries of the participating filmmakers and invite viewers into new Indigenous cinematic landscapes. Based on Lars von Trier’s The Five Obstructions, the first Embargo Collective — presented in celebration of imagineNATIVE’s 10th anniversary in 2009 — was a
landmark project in Indigenous Cinema and was celebrated and screened internationally. The 2014 Embargo Collective II works, each created by a female Indigenous Canadian filmmaker, cross genres and themes as they collectively explore the spirit of filmmaking.
Most of the descriptions for this program are republished from the 2014 imagineNATIVE Catalogue.
SATURDAY 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2 iN Retrospect: Embargo Collective II
Director: Caroline Monnet (Anishinaabe)
Producer: Catherine Chagnon
Canada | 2014 | 12 min
French | Dramatic Short
Housewife and grandmother Roberta struggles to fit the conformist society she lives in and turns to amphetamines to cure her boredom.
Caroline Monnet is an award-winning filmmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and a member of the ITWÉ Collective. She works in film/video, printmaking, and installation, and has been exhibited in galleries and film festivals around the world.
Director: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)
Producers: Ann-Marie Stuart, Miriam Levin-Gold
Canada | 2014 | 15 min Inuktitut, French | Dramatic Short
Set in a 1950s Inuit community, Aviliaq (Entwined) tells the story of two Inuit lesbians struggling to stay together in a new world run by outsiders.
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning filmmaker who works in documentary and animation.
SATURDAY 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Director: Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk)
Producers: Jennifer Milligton, Lyvia Cohen
Canada | 2014 | 8 min
Mohawk | Dramatic Short
A broken-hearted woman moves home to rebuild her life and give her young son roots through language and family.
Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Mohawk/Heiltsuk) is a writer and director, mother, and language speaker. She is a Canadian Screen Award winner, the maker of Run Woman Run, and of delicious cookies.
Director: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Producer: Laura Good
Canada | 2014 | 12 min
Sámi | Experimental Documentary Short
Bihttoš (Rebel) is an unconventional documentary that explores the complex relationship between a father and daughter. Through animation, reenactments, and archival photos, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers delves into the dissolution of her parents’ somewhat mythic love story and how it relates to the dissolution of her relationship with her father. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is a Kainai First Nation and Sámi filmmaker and actor. She has received numerous accolades, including Canadian Screen Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Director.
Director: Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)
Producers: Erica Landrock, Lori Lozinski
Canada | 2014 | 15 min
Anishinaabemowin, English | Dramatic Short
In 1850, George Copway was the first Indian to publish a history of his Nation, the Objibway. Intemperance is a satire that brings to life a morally complex story of his people living in changing times.
Lisa Jackson (Aamjiwnaang First Nation) is a crossgenre media artist whose award-winning work has screened at Berlinale, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, CPH:DOX, and Hot Docs.
SATURDAY 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Short Film Program: TIED TO THE LAND
Through experimenting with the form of film we see the line between living in two worlds, the changing world, the dreams of the world as it was, and trying to find a way to connect to the land again, reminding us that we are always tied to the land.
SATURDAY 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3 Short Film Program:
Director/Writer/Producer: Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre (Inuk)
Canada | 2025 | 5 min
English | Experimental Short World Premiere
Content Warning: Bloodletting
A poetic exploration of the close and enduring connections between Inuit, caribou, lichens, and land use. Filmed on the tundra in Nunavut, this film is a meditation on place and personal histories through memories embedded in the land.
Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre is a film artist of Inuit descent exploring place-based knowledge, material practices, and personal histories in her experimental/ documentary shorts.
Directors/Writers: Henna Taylor (Nauyavak), NoelLeigh Cockney (Inuvialuit)
Producer: Tamara Voudrach (Inuvialuit)
USA | 2024 | 36 min
English, Inuvialuktun | Documentary Short Canadian Premiere
This film centres Noel-Leigh Cockney’s family and history, reflecting a reality faced by many in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Amid rapid changes across Inuit Nunangat, the path forward lies in returning to cultural roots.
Henna Taylor is a documentary filmmaker specializing in extreme adventure storytelling and the subtle human experience.
Noel-Leigh Cockney is a teacher who holds the story of his Nation.
Director/Writer/Producer: James Dixon (Cree)
Canada | 2024 | 9 min
English | Experimental Short
Wînipêk explores Indigeneity on the prairies, emphasizing disconnection and longing for kinship with the Land. Through contrasting landscapes, it examines cultural dispossession, coexistence, and the enduring journey of returning home.
James Dixon is an Indigiqueer filmmaker and artist who blends abstract collaging and documentary aesthetics, exploring decolonization through regional, autobiographical, and experimental works.
Director/Producer: Diego Sarmiento (Quechua)
Peru | 2024 | 5 min
Spanish | Experimental Short Canadian Premiere
An Amazon night’s dream speaks of the past, the present, and the possible future of the Amazon, its beauty, its danger, and its unlimited potential, reflected by a young Indigenous girl in dialogue with her grandmother.
Diego Sarmiento is the producer of Through Rocks and Clouds. He co-directed and produced the feature documentaries Green River, The Time of the Yakurunas, Mothers of the Land, and Veins of the Amazon.
SATURDAY 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Director/Writer/Producer: Nina Gualinga (Kichwa)
Co-Directors: Eli Virkina (Kichwa), Boloh Miranda
Ecuador | 2025 | 15 min English, Spanish, Kichwa | Documentary Short Canadian Premiere
Nina Gualinga speaks to her grandfather’s legacy, calling out the commodification and extractivism of Indigenous lands in the Amazon Rainforest and how this consumption extends to the ancestral medicine, hayakwaska.
Nina Gualinga, from the Sarayaku Peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is a leading advocate for Indigenous rights and climate justice.
Short Film Program: TIED TO THE LAND
Director/Writer/Producer: Aina Vinokurova (Sakha)
Russian | 2024 | 40 min Sakha, Even | Documentary Short World Premiere
NIMER explores a nomadic family’s resilience and tradition as they balance ancestral heritage and modern challenges, highlighting the importance of cultural preservation in a changing world.
Aina Vinokurova, a Sakha filmmaker based in Vancouver, brings Indigenous stories to life, challenging stereotypes and exploring identity through cinema.
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man
SATURDAY 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man
Sinakson Trevor Solway (Blackfoot) Coty Savard (Cree/Métis)
Blackfoot, English | Documentary Feature
Trevor Solway’s Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man is a deeply resonant and necessary film, a corrective to the often simplistic portrayals of Indigenous masculinity. Solway, returning to his home nation of Siksika, crafts a portrait of Blackfoot men that is both intimate and expansive. He moves beyond reductive stereotypes, offering unfiltered glimpses into the lives of fathers, sons, artists, athletes, and DJs, each grappling with the complexities of manhood. The film’s strength lies in its quiet power, its willingness to explore vulnerability alongside strength. Solway, having experienced the pressure to conform to rigid masculine ideals, uses his lens to gently dissect and challenge these notions, fostering a space for honest reflection. The vastness of the Prairies serves as a poignant backdrop, amplifying the film’s exploration of generational bonds and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. Siksikakowan is a testament to the nuanced realities of Indigenous men, a film that speaks to the universal experience of navigating identity and love.
Sinakson Trevor Solway is a Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation. His award-winning documentary Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode was shown at imagineNATIVE and DOXA. The showrunner of anthology series Tales from the Rez, Trevor is also the founder and leader of the grassroots filmmaking society The Napi Film Collective.
SATURDAY 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Short Film Program: NEXT GEN
This next generation of storytellers have something to say when it comes to grounding oneself in homeland and community. These stories of return and reconnection, fulfilling our gifts to the community, healing through a crisis and picking up traditional knowledge of the land will leave you hopeful for the future.
Short Film Program: NEXT GEN
SATURDAY 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Adam Solway (Blackfoot)
Canada | 2025 | 10 min
No Dialogue | Experimental Short
A young woman returns home.
Adam Solway is a Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation. His passion for storytelling is rooted in his upbringing and community.
Director/Writer: Eva Grant (St’at’imc)
Canada | 2024 | 20 min
English | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Violence, Coarse Language, MMIWG2S
Set against the backdrop of the climate crisis and opioid epidemic, Forest Echoes follows Echo and Wild, urban Indigenous land defenders. On the anniversary of their arrest, a community death reopens wounds but also offers healing.
Eva Grant is an Indigenous Eurasian filmmaker, curator, and artist. She is a Stanford University alumna and a former Sundance Institute Fellow.
Director/Writer: Morningstar Derosier (Anishinaabe)
Co-Director: Victoria Anderson-Gardner (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2024 | 15 min Anishinaabemowin, English | Dramatic Short North American Premiere
My Friend Saabe follows a young Rez girl who, with the help of Saabe, embarks on a journey to bring spiritual reawakening to her community.
Morningstar Derosier is an Anishinaabe filmmaker from Migisi Sahgaigan dedicated to telling Indigenous stories with heart, community, and spirit.
Directors/Writers: Heriata Erana Rurehe (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Nauru), Kura-Kakerangi Turuwhenua (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe)
Writers: Bai Buliruarua (Fiji), Rhoen Hemara (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi), Tira-Kahurangi Leaf (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino, Te Hikutu)
Producers: Jessica-Lee Berghan (Te Rarawa), Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga), Madeleine Hakaraia De Young (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga), Matilda Poasa (Sāmoa), Oriwa Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga), Te Tomairangi o Matariki Black (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Ngāi Tūhoe)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2023 | 12 min
Māori, English | Dramatic Short Canadian Premiere
When a young boy fears for his grandfather’s health he looks to the land to seek a cure.
Heriata Rurehe is a passionate storyteller from Ōtaki. Kura Turuwhenua is a multifaceted wāhine Māori.
SATURDAY 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller (Tall al-Batteikh/Palestine)
Co-Writer: Monique Mojica (Gunayala, Yandub Nargana/Panama/Rappahannock, Westmoreland County Virginia)
Canada | 2023 | 19 min
English, Arabic | Dramatic Short
Content Warning: Triggering Historical Trauma
A young Palestinian woman and an Indigenous Elder start a guerilla garden on the lawn of their shared apartment building and battle middle management to make it to harvest.
Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller is a Palestinian filmmaker based in Tkaronto. Her work explores fragmented identity and grief with a lighthearted touch.
Short Film Program: NEXT GEN
Short Film Program: RAINBOW SHORTS
SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
Stories of queer joy and beauty, self-love and healing, curiosity, exploration, discovery, transitioning into strange times, and… post-apocalyptic love and intergalactic break-ups? A celebration of the many colourful facets of our resilient 2SLGBTQIA+ kin who have always been and will continue to be.
SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Director/Writer/Producer: Mary Galloway (Cowichan)
Canada | 2025 | 4 min
English | Experimental Short World Premiere
Shot on 35mm, Embers of Queer Joy captures vignettes of authentic queer joy.
Three-time Canadian Screen Award nominee Mary Galloway is a celebrated filmmaker, director, and TIFF Rising Star who creates heartfelt, entertaining stories centring Indigenous and queer communities.
Director/Producer: Jaimee Poipoi (Māori)
Writer: Aroha Awarau (Māori)
Co-Producers: Aichi Ha (Māori), Matasila Freshwater (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2025 | 9 min
English | Dramatic Short
International Premiere
Content Warning: Sexual Activity
When two single ladies attend an orgy for the first time, they end up exposing more than they ever could have imagined.
Jaimee Poipoi (Māori) is a director/producer whose aim is to tell unique and diverse stories through a comedic lens.
Director/Writer: Ramon Te Wake (Māori)
Producer: Nicola Anne Smith (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 13 min
English | Dramatic Short
When best friends are left home alone, they do what all teenage boys do: raid Mum’s wardrobe and create a fantasy world where they feel safe. But their parents are onto them. Is their safe bubble about to burst?
Ramon Te Wake is a dynamic force in film and storytelling known for her bold, unapologetic approach to exploring complex narratives centred around identity, culture, and queerness.
Director/Writer/Producer: Olivia Marie Golosky (Métis)
Canada | 2023 | 4 min
English | Dramatic Short
Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes
In the quiet, haunting landscapes where memory and reality intertwine, pîķîwî follows a TwoSpirit Métis person on a deeply personal and transformative journey of healing.
Olivia Marie Golosky is a Two-Spirit Michif writer, director, and producer whose focus is to empower Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer voices through radical self-love.
Short Film Program: RAINBOW SHORTS
SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
Director/Writer/Producer: Theo Jean Cuthand (nêhiyaw/Plains Cree)
Canada | 2024 | 16 min
English | Documentary Short
Content Warning: Nudity, Adult Themes, Sexual Reference, Coarse Language
A middle-aged trans man starts taking hormones and observes his physical and mental changes over a year and nine months amid an ongoing news cycle of anti-trans legislation.
Theo Jean Cuthand directs short, experimental films, writes screenplays, and makes video games about issues affecting Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit communities.
Director/Writer: Walter Scott (Mohawk)
Canada | 2024 | 20 min
English | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes, Sexual References, Use of Illegal Substances, Coarse
Language
The galaxy’s favourite broke artist travels across the stars to seek revenge on her ex-lover in an attempt to cure her mysterious illness.
Walter Scott is an artist and filmmaker from Kahnawake, Quebec, working across comics, drawing, video, performance, and sculpture.
Directors/Writers: Caeleigh Lightning (Cree), Keara Lightning (Cree)
Co-Director: Sean Janisse
Canada | 2023 | 6 min
English | Dramatic Short
To steal back a flower that is special to her lover, Tiska embarks on a dangerous journey across an overgrown landscape, fighting demons in a postapocalyptic city.
Caeleigh Lightning and Keara Lightning are the Nehiyaw sisters behind Studio Ekosi, an indie studio crafting immersive storytelling experiences.
SATURDAY 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Director/Writer/Producer: Fox Maxy (Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians and Payómkawichum)
USA | 2024 | 70 min
Payómkawichum Chaamteela, English | Experimental Feature
Canadian Premiere
Content Warning: Flashing/Strobing Lights, Coarse
Language
Fox Maxy’s Guts & Glitz is a vibrant, experimental exploration of trauma and healing, a film that defies easy categorization. It’s a deeply personal work, yet one that resonates with universal themes of resilience and connection. Guts & Glitz, grappling with the aftermath of abuse, navigates a world where the lines between the physical and spiritual blur. The film’s visual poetry is striking, weaving together intimate portraits of human relationships with the raw beauty of the natural world, all drawn from over a decade of Maxy’s personal archive. The film pulsates with a raw energy, capturing the messy, often contradictory nature of the human experience. It’s a bold, uncompromising debut, marking Maxy as a vital new voice in Indigenous Cinema.
Fox Maxy is an artist and director who melds fantasy and internet culture. Playful and cheeky, her films wield an affinity for rich colours and collage to foreground pleasure and irreverence, as well as Indigenous perspectives on land and water.
Director/Writer/Producer: Caroline Monnet (Anishinaabe)
Co-Producers: Hany Ouichou, Karine Bélanger
Canada | 2024 | 10 min
No Dialogue | Experimental Short Ontario Premiere
Featuring Indigenous women of various generations, Pidikwe (Rumble) integrates traditional and contemporary dance in an audiovisual whirlwind that straddles the border between film and performance, somewhere between the past and the future.
Caroline Monnet is an award-winning, multidisciplinary artist based in Montréal.
Remaining Native SATURDAY 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer: Paige Bethmann (Mohawk/Oneida)
USA | 2025 | 88 min
English | Documentary Feature
International Premiere
Content Warning: Triggering Historical Trauma, Violence
Paige Bethmann’s debut Remaining Native is a vital, unflinching documentary that follows runner Kutoven Stevens, who goes by Ku, on his journey from small-town Nevada to an out-of-state university. Through a masterful use of voiceover and interview, Bethmann explores the meaning behind Ku’s choice to honour his ancestors’ survival of boarding school through his dedication to running and the path that it sets him on. It’s not a film that offers easy answers, but rather a deeply human portrait of Indigenous individuals navigating the complexities of their heritage in a world that often seeks to erase them. It’s a powerful testament to the enduring strength of community and the ongoing fight to preserve cultural identity and to find healing. Most recently awarded SXSW’s Audience Award and Special Jury Award for Best Documentary, Remaining Native is a necessary film and offers a crucial perspective on the lived realities of Indigenous people today.
Paige Bethmann is a Haudenosaunee woman and first-time feature filmmaker based in Reno, Nevada. For 10 years, she’s worked in nonfiction TV for ESPN, PBS, Vox, YouTube Originals, USA, and NBC. She graduated from Ithaca College with a BA in Film, Television, and Radio from the Park School of Communications.
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SUNDAY 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand
Co-presented by CERC Migration and Bridging Divides at Toronto Metropolitan University. One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand Toronto Premiere
Eight short films exploring identity and belonging by a cohort of Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous newcomers from across Turtle Island. Their collaborative, creative stories acknowledge differences while finding common ground and hope.
Short Film Program: ELDER STORIES
SUNDAY 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Celebrating the voices of our Elders we see the footprints they leave behind for us to follow, the wisdom of their teachings, and how their teachings echo through our lives.
SUNDAY 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
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Director/Writer: Charlene Moore (Cree)
Co-Director/Co-Producer: Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Co-Producers: George Hupka, Jon Montes
Canada | 2025 | 12 min
English | Documentary Short World Premiere
Connie, a grandmother, and Sage, her grandson, celebrate a shared milestone in their Cree community in this heartfelt journey of love, showcasing resilience and the power of intergenerational dreams.
Winnipeg filmmaker and member of York Factory First Nation, Charlene Raven Moore is an awardwinning writer, director, and producer living in Treaty 1 territory.
Tasha Hubbard is a multi-award-winning Cree writer, director, and producer, as well as an associate professor at the University of Alberta.
Director/Writer/Producer: Douglas Joe (White River First Nation)
Co-Writer: Annie Bernard (Gwich’in)
Co-Writer/Co-Producer: Brendan Preston
Canada | 2024 | 7 min
Gwitch’in | Dramatic Short Ontario Premiere
A Gwich’in Elder in Canada’s far North recounts a dream of the last remaining Datrin (Raven). Who would you talk to if you were the last speaker of your language?
Douglas Joe is a White River First Nations member from Beaver Creek and is amongst the Yukon’s most promising emerging filmmakers.
Director/Writer/Producer: Evelyn Pakinewatik (Nbisiing Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2024 | 10 min
Mi’kmaw, English | Documentary Short
Based on a final conversation with beloved Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Ward, this film is apocalyptic in nature and intended to encourage practical conversations about impending paradigm shifts.
Evelyn Pakinewatik is a queer, disabled artist and filmmaker. Their work explores the societal distortions of interiority, relationality, and animacy.
Director/Writer: Richard J Curtis (Māori)
Co-Writer/Producer: Lea Mclean (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2024 | 13 min
Māori, English | Dramatic Short North American Premiere
Content Warning: Adult Themes
A young Māori boy’s fascination with war comics comes closer to home than he could ever imagine.
Richard J Curtis is a filmmaker with over 35 years of experience. Notable works include Ahi Kā, We Are Still Here, and Rapido
Short Film Program: ELDER STORIES
SUNDAY 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Houle (Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 4 min Cree, English | Experimental Short Circles explores matriarchal relationships and the overlapping stories that shape us. Grounded in the Cree teaching of closing circles after opening them, the film reflects on where we come from and where we will go after this life.
Sarah Houle is an artist and performer from Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in Northern Alberta.
Directors/Writers: Guhtur Niillas Rita Duomis/ Tuomas Kumpulainen (Sámi), Radio-JusSunná/ Sunná Nousuniemi (Sámi)
Producers: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee Nation), Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay
Finland | 2024 | 20 min North Sámi | Documentary Short Ontario Premiere
Content Warning: Triggering Historical Trauma
This transcendent and playful documentary journey follows three generations of a Sámi family united across time via the grandmother’s joik.
Guhtur Niillas Rita Duomis/Tuomas Kumpulainen is a Sámi artist and storyteller based in Guhtur, Sápmi.
Radio-JusSunná/Sunná Nousuniemi is a queer Sámi and Finnish audiovisual artist and storyteller based in Anár, Sápmi.
SUNDAY 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Strengthening our family makes our culture strong. These films celebrate birth, children, mothers, fathers, and our Elders to show us we are all journeying together and that no one is left behind because our voices matter and because family matters.
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Directors/Writers/Producers: Allison Anderson (Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin), Georgette McLoed (Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin)
Canada | 2024 | 5 min
Hän, English | Documentary Short
Ontario Premiere
Allison and Bear find the treasures of nature.
Allison Anderson (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in) is Crow clan and a Hän language learner and teacher. She uses a variety of methods to promote the use of her language.
Georgette McLeod (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in), Lëjìt, wife, mother of two, Hän language educator, and Elderin-training. She uses a multidisciplinary approach to promote the use of her language.
Director/Writer: Doug Winnipeg (Blackfoot)
Producer: Sinakson Trevor Solway (Blackfoot)
Canada | 2024 | 11 min Blackfoot, English | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
Three cousins are left home alone while their grandma is at bingo. As the evening progresses, a thunderstorm causes a power outage and the children’s imaginations run wild.
Doug Winnipeg is from the Siksika Nation. He spent his formative years in Stobart townsite and later attended the University of Calgary.
SUNDAY 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Director/Writer: Paul O’Bomsawin (Abénaki)
Canada | 2024 | 5 min
English | Documentary Short
Toronto Premiere
The Lemonade Stand explores the relationship between Paul and his daughter Lyric in the context of their learning about plants and remedies.
Paul O’Bomsawin is an Abénaki from Odanak. Having moved around a lot, he developed a taste for hip hop culture, dance music, and graffiti arts.
Director/Writer/Producer: Lia Fabre-Dimsdale (Liidlii Kue First Nation)
Canada | 2024 | 4 min
English | Dramatic Short
Little Lake is a short 2D animated student film about a young lily-pad boy learning about his world and the lake he lives in.
Lia Fabre-Dimsdale is a 2D animator and visual artist originally from the Northwest Territories.
SUNDAY 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Directors/Writers/Producers: Darcy Tara McDiarmid (Hän/Northern Tutchone), Chantal Rousseau
Canada | 2024 | 4 min
No Dialogue | Experimental Short
Ontario Premiere
An adventurous rabbit undertakes an enchanted evening escapade through a mysterious forest trail. The rabbit encounters dreaming wolves and other mischievous animals as he navigates a midnight mushroom garden.
Darcy Tara McDiarmid is a Hän and Northern Tutchone artist from the Crow clan. She is a carver, painter, illustrator, storyteller, and filmmaker.
Directors: Alexander Moruo (Sakha), Markel
Martynov (Sakha)
Writer: Tatiana Ushnitskaia (Sakha)
Producers: Anna Borisova (Sakha), Roman Okoneshnikov (Sakha)
Russian Federation | 2024 | 11 min
Sakha | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
Nyukku excitedly joins her first Munkha, making a bet with her brother about her success. Chaos ensues, but with their father’s wisdom, they learn that true magic lies in family and teamwork.
Tundra is an Indigenous animation studio dedicated to crafting world-class animated films while celebrating and preserving Indigenous culture.
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Director/Writer/Producer: Ciara Leina‘ala Lacy (Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli))
Co-Producer: Concepcion Saucedo-Trejo
USA | 2024 | 12 min
Native Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) | Dramatic Short
Toronto Premiere
An animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawaiʻi, Queen Lili’uokalani.
Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy is an Emmy nominated filmmaker whose Native Hawaiian identity drives the intimacy and authenticity in her work.
Director: Barry Bilinsky (Cree/Métis)
Producer: Grace Hardy (Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 21 min Cree, English | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
Content Warning: Sexual References
When Ellie learns Sam is leaving for art school tomorrow, their summer feels ruined. With the help of friends, they find the courage within their hearts to make their last night count.
Barry Bilinksy is Cree, Métis, and Ukrainian. He has worked on projects centred around the proliferation of Indigenous arts, artists, and collaborations.
Short Film Program: FAMILY MATTERS
Director/Writer/Producer: Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)
Canada | 2024 | 11 min
English | Dramatic Short Toronto Premiere
In her vivid dream life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found her best childhood friend: the Green Horse, who embodied the spirit of kindness and celebration of life.
One of Canada’s most distinguished filmmakers, Alanis Obomsawin is a director and producer at the National Film Board of Canada, where she has worked since 1967.
SUNDAY 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
SUNDAY 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
NiiMisSak: Sisters in
Director/Writer/Producer: Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (Cree)
Co-Producer: Patti Poskitt
Canada | 2024 | 70 min
English | Documentary Feature
Ontario Premiere
Indigenous women’s contributions to the growth of Indigenous Cinema were never easy. From the early days of Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin’s career to today’s emerging Iskwewak storytellers, Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin meets with Indigenous female filmmakers to share their stories and struggles of breaking into the industry and what it takes to uplift the next generation.
In this famously competitive industry, Indigenous people have been historically undervalued and underrepresented. NiiMisSak emphasizes the importance of continued mentorship, empowerment, sisterhood, and community building among Indigenous female filmmakers as they trailblaze new pathways and systems to build success around them.
Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (Attawapiskat) is an award-winning filmmaker, mother, writer, performance artist, and academic. With her background in community work, social justice themes emerge in her films alongside bravery, healing, connection, and humour.
Director/Writer/Producer: Charlene Moore (Cree) Director/Writer: ODMK (Cree)
Canada | 2025 | 11 min English | Experimental Short World Premiere
Content Warning: Flashing/Strobing Lights, Triggering Historical Trauma, MMIWG2S
This “Winnipeg” fever dream on Treaty 1 territory weaves together a constellation of lived experiences of creation and imaginations of prophecies come true in this unconventional 16mm film.
Charlene Moore is a queer, Cree, award-winning filmmaker based in Winnipeg, as a writer, director, producer, and actor focused on narrative sovereignty.
ODMK is a Two-Spirit Cree filmmaker from James Smith Cree Nation working in Winnipeg. ODMK is a writer, director, producer, editor, and animator.
Closing Night Screening
SUNDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Fort York National Historic Site
Director/Writer/Executive Producer: Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Co-Producers: Leonard Farlinger, Jennifer Jonas
Executive Producer: Eva Thomas (Tohono O'odham, Cherokee)
Canada | 2024 | 82 min
Mohawk, English | Dramatic Feature
Content Warning: Bloodletting, Violence, Torture, Coarse Language
Please note: This screening takes place outdoors at Fort York National Historic Site. In the case of inclement weather, the alternative venue for this screening is the TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1.
Kaniehtiio Horn’s Seeds is a sharp, unsettling thriller and black comedy that digs deep into Indigenous anxieties. Horn, pulling triple duty as writer, director, and star, crafts a taut narrative around Ziggy, a Toronto bike courier and emerging influencer drawn back to her community and into the orbit of a suspicious seed company, Nature’s Oath. The film’s strength lies in its ability to blend the familiar tropes of a thriller with the specific, often overlooked, suspicions of Indigenous communities, exploring the fraught relationship between land, reproduction, and corporate exploitation. The creeping dread is palpable, amplified by the remote setting and the growing sense of unease surrounding the increasingly strange happenings circling Ziggy’s aunt’s house and the cache of seeds she’s been entrusted to protect. Horn skillfully weaves Kanienʼkehá:ka perspectives into the narrative, creating a film that is both thrilling and deeply resonant. It’s a work that lingers, built on dark humour and subversion of genre, all with a very Mohawk twist.
Kaniehtiio Horn’s feature debut Seeds, an Indigenous genre-bending horror film which she wrote, directed, and starred in, had its world premiere at TIFF. Horn’s acting credits include Lionsgate’s thriller, Alice, Darling alongside Anna Kendrick, Peacock’s hit comedy series Rutherford Falls, and FX’s Emmy-nominated series Reservation Dogs.
JUN 4-8
iNdigital Space + Arcade
iNdigital Space + Arcade
Supported by the Indigenous Screen Office, Ontario Creates, and EQ Bank
June 4-7 | 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
June 8 | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
350 King St W, Main Floor
FREE, open to the public
Introducing the iNdigital Space + Arcade, now bigger and better than ever! We’re proud to present an amazing curated collection of Digital + Interactive and Audio Works at the TIFF Lightbox, Gallery! Experience an immersive journey where you can see, listen, and engage with our diverse Official Selection, encompassing VR, 360 media, AR, video games, interactive web projects, and digital media.
The iNdigital Space is open to all to explore and enjoy for free. We have diligently worked to ensure it is accessible and inclusive, with trained volunteers and staff available to support your enjoyment of these unique creations.
Thank you to the Indigenous Screen Office, Ontario Creates, and EQ Bank for supporting the iNdigital Space + Arcade!
Join us at our online iNdigital Space at imagineNATIVE.org/iNdigitalSpace where you can enjoy a selection of Digital + Interactive works which are free to experience during our online Festival from June 9-15.
Artists: Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe), The Macronauts
Canada | 2025
English | Extended Reality, 360° Video Dome
Guided by the wisdom of Ininew astronomer Wilfred Buck, this immersive experience shares four Cree star stories exploring the cosmos to teach us how to live a good life with future generations in mind.
Lisa Jackson (Aamjiwnaang First Nation) is a crossgenre media artist whose award-winning work has screened at Berlinale, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, CPH:DOX, and Hot Docs.
Artist: Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway (Nakota/Cree/ Saulteaux)
Canada | 2024
English | Augmented Reality
Buffalo Futurism is an Indigenous futuristic AR experience. As you walk among digital 3D tatanga (buffalo), tipis, crocuses, and zombies, you’ll listen to stories about the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional significance of tatanga.
Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway (Nakota/Cree/ Saulteaux from White Bear First Nations) is an interdisciplinary land-based buffalo artist. She is a fashion and textile designer, visual artist, beader, storyteller, and co-founder of the Buffalo People Arts Institute.
Artist: Quinn Hopkins (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2024 Anishinaabemowin, English | Augmented Reality
An Anishinaabe XR artwork that pays homage to each of the 13 Moons, sharing the teachings on the turtle’s back.
Quinn Hopkins is a mixed Anishinaabe settler artist from Toronto with living relations from Batchewana First Nation. His work spans New Media, experimenting with the endless possibilities that technology brings to the arts.
Artist: Bree Island (Cree)
Canada | 2024 No Dialogue | Projection Installation
An ethereal 2D animation of the dream spirit flowing in an astral plane. While the bold outlines of the spirit shimmer and the energy lines glow within the spirit, we feel calm and healing when we connect with our spirits and allow our cosmic ancestral energy to move through and transform us.
Bree Island is an Indigenous filmmaker, visual artist, and a tribal member of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 8.
Artist: Theo Jean Cuthand (Cree)
Canada | 2023
English | Video Game
Carmilla the Lonely is a Lesbian vampire with ethics. She’s got complicated needs for blood, love, and avoiding the sun. In this small urban community, she meets the late night crowds on the street, in a diner, and at a local BDSM club. Through interactions you will learn to ethically behave as a vampire. Honestly, you could drain people of their blood, but is that a good idea?
Theo Jean Cuthand directs short experimental films, writes, and makes video games about issues affecting Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit communities.
Artists: Kahentawaks Tiewishaw (Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk)), Wennekerakon Tiewishaw (Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk))
Canada | 2025
Kanien’kéha, English | Video Game
Katsi’noniowá:nen - The Flying Head is the first in a series of games that will focus on the Kahnawá:ke dialect of Kanien’kéha (Mohawk). Each game will be a modern adaptation of a Haudenosaunee legend.
Kahentawaks Tiewishaw and Wennekerakon Tiewishaw are sisters from Kanehsatake. Together they founded Revital Software, a studio creating video games to revitalize Indigenous languages.
Artist: Pōhaikealoha Panoke (Kānaka Maoli)
USA | 2023
English | Video Game
Journey across star systems and listen to the wisdom of relatives to discover a path home, for it is the only way to discover a path forward.
Pōhaikealoha Panoke is a Kānaka Maoli media artist bridging ancestral knowledge and cosmic futurisms to perpetuate stories of Indigenous abundance.
Artist: Caeleigh Lightning (Cree)
Canada | 2024
English | Video Game
wawêsîwin is a game born from nostalgia and a combined love of dress-up and nêhiyaw culture. Customize your avatar and create an outfit inspired by modern nêhiyaw fashion!
Caeleigh Lightning is a mixed Irish/Cree artist. She explores themes of queerness and interconnectivity through digital art and illustration.
Artist: Wiremu Grace (Māori)
Aotearoa (New Zealand) | 2023
English, Māori | Virtual Reality
In the year 3011, Papatūānuku (Earthmother) and Ranginui (Skyfather) have been decimated by mankind. To save humanity, you must restore the sacred balance and reconnect to the Atua (Gods).
Wiremu Grace is a multidisciplinary artist whose works are grounded in the stories and culture of his tupuna (ancestors).
Artist: Melissa Johns (Kanien’keha:ka/Mohawk)
Canada | 2025
Video Installation
Landmarks explores the interplay between memory and place by digitally reconstructing human-made landmarks and activating them with archival family video. Highlighting some of the memories that have been created within the shadows of these structures, this multi-channel installation honours generational continuance and the deep, unseen connections that exist at the convergence of land and those living on it.
Melissa Johns is a new media artist and educator who uses interdisciplinary methods to collect, preserve, and transform the stories around her.
Artists: Casey Koyczan (Dene), Feather Miigwans (Odawa), Jason Baerg (Cree, Métis), Quinn Hopkins (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2025
English | Augmented Reality
La Leun Waashisho consists of four projects: Casey Koyczan’s adzęzah ; moon, Feather Miigwans’ Obiskaatebidoon ezhi-dibendang/ She Bends the Light to Her Will, Jason Baerg’s Ni mamoowitoonaan/We Are United, and Quinn Hopkins’ 13 Moon Calendar
Casey Koyczan, Feather Miigwans, Jason Baerg, and Quinn Hopkins were curated by the Harbour Collective to explore their connections to the moon via augmented reality. Through this project, not only are they sharing their stories, they are also inviting you to experience them within your own world.
Artist: Casey Koyczan (Dene)
Canada | 2025
English | Virtual Reality
gokò ; home is an immersive audiovisual experience that guides viewers through surreal and imagined landscapes of Denendeh (the Northwest Territories) and Saskatchewan.
Casey Koyczan is a Dene interdisciplinary artist from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, who uses various mediums to communicate how culture and technology can grow together. He creates with whatever tools necessary to bring an idea to fruition and works mostly with 3D, VR, AR, 360, audio and video, and earth materials for his installations.
Artist: Táhila Moss (Yaqui)
USA | 2025
Onöndowa’ga:’Gawë:no׳(Seneca), English | Virtual Reality
Ancestral Gratitude Bridge was created in response to the high suicide rate of Indigenous youth. The immersive experience is rooted in the original teachings of the Haudenosanuee, teachings of gratitude and community held within the Thanksgiving Address.
Táhila Moss is an artist, filmmaker, and community weaver, amplifying global Indigenous voices through art, media, education, and collaborative cultural storytelling.
Artist: Vanessa Racine (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2023
English | Video Game
The year is 2173, and after a long ride home you still need to fetch some tea for an Elder…
Vanessa Racine is a French Anishinaabe artist with a multidisciplinary focus on games, linguistics, and beadwork.
Artist: Joshua Emerson (Diné)
USA | 2025 | 28 min
English | Podcast
To sonder is to realize that every one of the people around you is living a life full of complexity just like you.
Joshua Emerson is a Diné (Navajo) comedian based in Denver. Named one of the Five Artists to Watch in 2025 by Westword magazine, Joshua was also selected for a Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture in 2023.
Artist: January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora)
Canada | 2023 | 18 min
English | Narrative Drama
Anette Spencer is a nosey Elder who has no particular crime or mystery to solve; she just really likes to know what’s going on. This satirical monologue was written for radio. All dialogue, sound effects, soundscapes, and musical additions were produced by the author and narrator, January Rogers.
January Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer and media producer. She lives on her home territory of Six Nations of the Grand River where she operates Ojistoh Publishing and Productions.
Artist: Josh Carriere McKenna (Métis)
Canada | 2025 | 78 min
Michif, English | Podcast
Sickle & Sash is a Métis podcast made for, and by, Métis people. The series seeks to reunify radical Métis politics and culture, combatting cultural imperialism and empowering the Nation.
Josh Carriere McKenna is a Red River Métis, new media creator, and artist based based on the traditional territory in so-called Vancouver.
Artist: January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora)
Canada | 2024 | 6 min
English | Experimental Soundscape
Wind Rabbit is based on an original poem written by January Rogers while taking a long train trip. Original soundscape by January Rogers.
January Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer and media producer. She lives on her home territory of Six Nations of the Grand River where she operates Ojistoh Publishing and Productions.
Filmmaker Loren Waters Visits with Actor/Artist Dana Tiger
Artists: Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore (Mohawk), Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa)
Canada | 2024 | 45 min
English | Podcast
Aunties Emergent Podcasting Program offers training, feedback, resources, and our platform to rising Indigenous media makers as they amplify their voices and stories of their communities.
Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore is a Kanyen’kehà:ka podcaster/filmmaker from Six Nations and founder of The Aunties Dandelion Media Organization.
Loren Waters is a Cherokee/Kiowa filmmaker who was recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and has won Special Jury prizes at Sundance and SXSW.
Artist: Ramon Kataquapit (Cree)
Canada | 2025 | 3 min
English | Song
“Stars Rise” by Aroma (Ramon Kataquapit) is a song about his first musical inspiration and how it seemed he would only ever reach her when the stars rose.
Canadian-born Indigenous artist, Ramon Kataquapit is rooted in Mushkegowuk Cree, from Attawapiskat, and Taino, from Puerto Rico.
Artist: Ramon Kataquapit (Cree)
Canada | 2025 | 3 min
English | Song
“Red” by Aroma (Ramon Kataquapit) is a song showing appreciation for Indigenous women.
Canadian-born Indigenous artist, Ramon Kataquapit is rooted in Mushkegowuk Cree, from Attawapiskat, and Taino, from Puerto Rico.
Artist: Cheyenne McNenly (Dene)
Canada | 2025 | 2 min
English | Experimental Soundscape
Heartbeat of Grief is an experimental, spectral soundscape written to capture the raw pulse of grief and the quiet surrender to its full emotional experience.
Cheyenne is a Queer, Indigenous artist who focuses on mixed media and music to explore identity, healing, and creative expression.
Artists: Angela P Startz (Inupiaq), Sunrise Tippeconnie (Comanche), tvli jacob (Choctaw)
USA | 2023 | 66 min
English | Podcast
Opinions are like elbows, almost everyone has them. We just happen to say them on a podcast and hope that people listen. But what does film criticism actually mean? The gang’s all here — even our two New Mexico peeps! — while we talk shop.
Angela P Startz is a reconnecting Inupiaq living in the Lower 48 (mainland USA). She is the producer of the podcast Reel Indigenous
Tshishe Manikuan
Artist: Jean Luc Kanapé (Innu)
Canada | 2024 | 222 min Innu-aimun, French | Podcast
The Innu families of Pessamit led a nomadic life between the coast and their ancestral territories. The hydroelectric dams built since 1950 have submerged their legacy. Jean Luc Kanapé meets the last nomads whose memories of the land persist.
Jean Luc Kanapé is Innu from Pessamit where his ancestors walked the land. He works full-time as a Land Guardian, while offering educational workshops to young people from his community.
Sous les barrages (Under the Dams): Tshishe Manikuan is his first work as a director.
Artists: Angela P Startz (Inupiaq), Sunrise Tippeconnie (Comanche), tvli jacob (Choctaw)
USA | 2024 | 75 min
English | Podcast
We’ve been telling tales on film for over 100 years, and this week, we discuss early silent films starring Native actors James Young Deer and Princess Red Wing, who were tapped by Pathe films to make more silent films about NDNs. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by watching some films with us on YouTube!
Angela P Startz is a reconnecting Inupiaq living in the Lower 48 (mainland USA). She is the producer of the podcast Reel Indigenous.
Artist: Tammy G Wolfe (Cree)
Canada | 2025 | 45 min
Ininimowin, Anishinaabemowin, English | Podcast
Truth before Reconciliation, hosted by Tammy G Wolfe, provides listeners with a variety of knowledgeable perspectives on both the current and historical content of Indigenous truths throughout Canada, in order to educate, inform, and encourage reconciliation through community awareness and taking action.
Tammy G Wolfe is an award-winning Indigenous consultant, activist, and academic researcher committed to addressing the 94 Calls to Action.
Artists: Kairyn Potts (Nakota Sioux), Scott Wabano (Cree)
Canada | 2025 | 98 min
English | Podcast
Welcome to The Real Rank Podcast, the unfiltered, unapologetic, and undeniably Indigenous podcast hosted by content creator and advocate Kairyn Potts and Two-Spirit fashion trailblazer Scott Wabano.
Kairyn Potts is a proud Two-Spirit Nakota Sioux from Treaty 6 territory (Paul Band First Nation and the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation).
Scott Wabano is a Two-Spirit Cree from the Mushkegowuk and Eeyou Istchee territories on the James Bay coast.
Blockade At Akwesasne
Artist: Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk)
Canada | 2024 | 56 min
English | Podcast
Ma tells us about the time she got arrested protesting the Canada/USA border that intersects the Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) community of Akwesasne in 1968 and lets us in on all the crazy shit that happened after that.
Kaniehtiio Horn is a Mohawk from Kahnawake known for her roles as Tanis on Letterkenny and the Deer Lady on Reservation Dogs. She created the podcast Coffee With My Ma in 2017 and wrote, directed, and starred in the critically acclaimed indie feature Seeds
Artist: Robbie Wing (Cherokee)
Canada | 2024 | 26 min
English | Soundscape, Audio Installation
This composition explores the relationship between the artist and the Roeliff Jansen Kill in Ancram, New York. It questions how a place can be known over time and if the listener can hear what the waters might be saying. The composition was created to better understand this section of the creek and to attempt to have a relationship with it.
Robbie Wing is an artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, his practice encompasses composition, sonic sculpture, and performance. His installation Cross Ties Song (2024) is currently on view at Tinworks Art in Bozeman, Montana.
Artist: Kyle McKearney (Métis)
Canada | 2025 | 4 min
English | Song
“To The River” is a song about redemption.
Kyle McKearney is redefining Americana, weaving soulful storytelling with gritty, roots-inspired instrumentation into a genre-defying sound that makes him one of Canada’s most captivating voices. JUN 4-8 INDIGITAL
Artist: Shayla Oulette Stonechild (Cree/Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 42 min
English | Podcast
What happens when Indigenous creatives are recognized in the mainstream?
Cynthia Lickers-Sage, community building powerhouse and co-founder of the renowned imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, joins Matriarch Movement to share how a long-standing relationship to storytelling has helped create so many internationally recognized gatherings of Indigenous creators.
Shayla Oulette Stonechild is a proud Red River Métis and Nehiyaw iskwew (Plains Cree woman) from Muscowpetung First Nation. She has dedicated her life to empowering Indigenous youth and women to unlock their true potential. By sharing her personal
We welcome all developers, digital artists, and visionaries to iNdigital Days!
This extraordinary two-day event is finally here, offering a unique chance to expand your skills and forge connections with fellow digital creatives. Join us at the TIFF Lightbox Gallery for an immersive experience dedicated to artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of new media. The iNdigital Days journey starts with an opportunity to share a meal with each other followed by a captivating keynote on navigating digital landscapes. After lunch, we are hosting back-to-back sessions focused on attending iNdigital Space artists as they present and discuss their programmed works. Then we move into a hands-on workshop on 3D modelling in Blender. The evening will end with a live recording of a podcast in Cinema 3 presented by CBC. These thought-provoking talks will set the stage for what’s to come.
Please note: The schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Opening Remarks
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Keynote: Navigating Digital Landscapes
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch Break
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
iNdigital Space Showcase
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Hands-On Activity: Blender Workshop
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
CBC Live Podcast*
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
*This event is open to everyone and has FREE, ticketed admission.
Welcome to the final part of iNdigital Days! Join us as we dive even deeper into the intersection of art, technology, and culture. This event promises to captivate your imagination and showcase innovative concepts that make these experiences accessible to all. Today’s program is filled with just as many exciting activities as yesterday! First, we will fill our stomachs with breakfast before jumping into a case study on exploring XR productions. After lunch, we dive into learning more about Abundant Intelligences, a new, Indigenous-led research program that seeks to conceptualize, design, develop, and deploy artificial intelligence based on Indigenous knowledge systems. We end the day with back-to-back activities: First a workshop on grant writing, and then we move into a hands-on activity on Interactive Controller Circuit Programming.
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Opening Breakfast
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Case Study: Sunalimat Prototype | XR Production Process
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch Break
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Panel: Artificial Intelligence Based on Indigenous Knowledge Systems*
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Workshop: iNdigital Grant Writing
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Hands-On Activity: Interactive Controller Circuit Programming
TIFF Lightbox, Gallery
*For information about the accompanying Artificial Intelligence Workshop hosted by OCADU, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org.
Industry Days is imagineNATIVE’s annual professional development conference which takes place during the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, presenting panels, workshops, masterclasses, networking events, and more. Industry Days is an international hub for Indigenous filmmakers and industry professionals to come together to share, learn, and meaningfully connect with each other. Industry Days is made possible by Institute Lead Partner, Netflix.
Aanii.
The imagineNATIVE Institute welcomes you to the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and Industry Days!
Industry Days will host a number of offerings designed for Indigenous creatives in the film and television industry. This year, the event spaces for Industry Days are The Well – Wellington Event Venue, the TIFF Lightbox, Artscape Sandbox, and the 401 Commons.
The Institute will present the imagineNATIVE Originals Program, which will include the world premieres of Indigenous-made short films. The projects screened in this program were created through the Institute’s year-round mentorships, commissions, and collaborations.
This year, Industry Days will host the first-ever imagineNATIVE Features Lab Film Market. This is an opportunity to connect feature film projects with a curated group of producers, streamers, broadcasters, and funders, showcasing the scripts and films developed in the imagineNATIVE Institute’s Features Lab.
Industry Days will also host a full day of Micro Meetings networking sessions aimed at providing a space for Indigenous on-screen creatives and industry decision-makers to build meaningful connections and work toward future collaborations. This year’s Micro Meetings are open to Industry Days attendees, programmed Festival artists, and industry decision-makers.
Baamaapii, Bliss Bondy Institute Manager Ojibwe
Wednesday, June 4 | 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
The Well, Wellington Event Venue
486 Front St W
imagineNATIVE’s first ever Features Lab Film Market is an Institute initiative providing a platform for past Features Lab screenwriters to meet with industry professionals.
The Features Lab Film Market is made possible by the Toronto Arts Council and is presented by BMO.
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
The Institute welcomes industry professionals of all career levels to join our hospitable Industry Days conference which offers professional development, networking, and trailblazing talks to benefit our artists and communities!
Industry Days kicks off on Wednesday, June 4 at the TIFF Lightbox Learning Studios with Luana HarperShirt leading the Opening Ceremony followed by our highly anticipated Micro Meetings event and imagineNATIVE's first ever Features Lab Film Market, made possible by the Toronto Arts Council and presented by BMO. Participate in a full day of networking, building meaningful connections and collaborations, while we celebrate our Features Screenwriting Lab Alumni during our market highlighting the writers and their projects! We will wrap up the day at our annual Micro Meetings Networking Reception at The Well with snacks and beverages.
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Opening Ceremony
TIFF Lightbox, Learning Studios A + B
10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Micro Meetings
TIFF Lightbox, Learning Studios A + B
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Features Lab Film Market
The Well
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Micro Meetings Networking Reception
The Well
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Festival Programmers + Curators
12:10 PM - 2:10 PM
Distribution, Sales, + Acquisitions
2:20 PM - 5:20 PM
Production + Development
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Agents + Representation
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
On Thursday, June 5, we welcome Industry Days guests to join us for a day of well-informed panels and a Co-Production Masterclass. Then, immerse yourself in the Institute’s year-round offerings with panels giving the inside scoop on our renowned Features Screenwriting Lab and how to navigate international film markets!
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Masterclass: Co-Production Bootcamp Artscape Sandbox
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Panel: Utilizing International Film Markets Artscape Sandbox
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Panel: Scoring for Production Artscape Sandbox
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Panel: Features Screenwriting Lab Retrospective Artscape Sandbox
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
Friday, June 6, join us for a day of panels, a round table live recording, an industry screening, and a meet and greet with APTN lumi that will lead into intimate and unique information sessions with imagineNATIVE’s partners for a special industry inside scoop!
Be sure to join us on Friday evening for the imagineNATIVE Originals program, showcasing the projects developed in the Institute’s year-round commissions mentorships in partnership with the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), Charles Street Video (CSV), Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF), TELUS STORYHIVE, and Capilano University, followed by an Industry Screening and Q&A.
Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
*This event has FREE, ticketed admission. It is open to everyone and does not require a Festival Pass.
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Panel: imagineNATIVE’s Journey – A Leadership Conversation*
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
APTN lumi Panel + Screening TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
APTN lumi Meet + Greet TIFF Lightbox, Founders Lounge
2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Panel: Grassroots Distribution The Well
3:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Institute Partners Meet + Greet 401 Richmond, 4th Floor Meeting Room
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Screening: imagineNATIVE Originals TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 2
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Round Table: Women in Film The Well
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Screening: Lucky Strikes*
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 3
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
Industry Days rounds off on Saturday, June 6 with a case study as we jump into an in-depth analysis on impact producing, analyzing Tasha Hubbard's Singing Back the Buffalo, followed by panels on envisioning films in Indigenous languages and productions in community. We will end on a relaxing note with a panel on the importance of rest. Industry Days will wrap up with a Closing Ceremony and Closing Reception.
Please note: For the most up-to-date schedule information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule.
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Case Study: Impact Producing The Well
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Panel: Envisioning Indigenous Language in Film The Well
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Panel: Productions in Community The Well
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Panel: The Importance of Rest The Well
5:15 PM - 5:45PM
Closing Ceremony The Well
6:30 PM - 8:00PM Closing Reception
401 Richmond, Rooftop Patio
Except where otherwise stated, Industry Days events are only available to Festival Pass holders. Tickets are not required for most Industry Days events and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make sure you have your Festival Pass with you when attending.
Tuesday, June 3 | 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Spadina Museum
285 Spadina Rd
FREE, open to the public
Welcome to our first June Festival! Enjoy traditional singing, dance performances, and a delicious community feast prepared by Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People). Guests will also be able to support and celebrate local Indigenous artisans by shopping at the Three Sisters Indigenous Craft Market.
Opening Night Party
Supported by the Indigenous Screen Office
Tuesday, June 3 | 9:00 PM Malaparte
TIFF Lightbox, 6th Floor
350 King St W
$25 | Opening Night Screening + Party
$20 | Opening Night Party only (no screening)
Celebrate the Opening Night of imagineNATIVE’s 25th year! After the Opening Night Screening, head upstairs to Malaparte to celebrate with an Indigenous DJ dance party featuring Thomas Hernan and enjoy stunning views of downtown Toronto!
Tickets can be purchased at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office or online at imagineNATIVE.org. Tickets for all special events will be available at the door, subject to availability.
Thursday, June 5 | 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
FREE, ticketed
The Art Crawl began unofficially in the early 2000s and has been a staple of the Festival since 2012. Every year, imagineNATIVE collaborates with established and local artist-run galleries in downtown Toronto to present national and international exhibitions featuring Indigenous artists who push the boundaries and expectations of what Indigenous storytelling is.
We are proud to partner with Vtape, Onsite Gallery, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Gallery 44, Collision Gallery, and Kent Monkman Studio for the 2025 Art Crawl.
At each gallery, you will have the opportunity to hear from the exhibition curators and attending artists. The talks are timed, and we keep a tight schedule, but you are welcome to return to the galleries after the talks are complete.
Please note: For the most up-to-date schedule information, please visit our website at imagineNATIVE.org.
5:00 PM - 5:40 PM
Collision Gallery
30 Wellington St W, Suite G114
6:00 PM - 6:20 PM
Onsite Gallery
199 Richmond St W
6:45 PM - 7:05 PM
Gallery 44
401 Richmond St W, Suite 120
7:10 PM - 7:20 PM
YYZ Artists’ Outlet
401 Richmond St W, Suite 140
7:30 PM - 7:50 PM
Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space
401 Richmond St W, Suite 452
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Closing Reception:
A Celebration with Miss Chief Eagle Testickle!
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Join co-hosts imagineNATIVE and Miss Chief Eagle Testickle — the genderfluid alter-ego of artist Kent Monkman — for a celebration of Indigiqueer/Two-Spirit pride. Wear your best look!
JULY 8 - AUGUST 22
Collision Gallery
30 Wellington St W, Suite G114
Primary Artist: James Monkman (Cree)
Technical Artist: Brian T Moore
Writer/Producer: Renée Kwan Monkman
Producer: Claudia Skunk (Anishinaabe)
Animator: Brian Vowles
Composer: Nigel Irwin (Cree)
Mekwâc is a Cree word meaning “now is good.” The project is a pertinent reminder to walk in a good way and in so doing confronts the participant, asking them to explore an awareness that is rooted in Indigenous teachings. The project is a stunning, experiential, 360-degree, immersive art installation, which leads the participant through breathtaking environments to create a heightened understanding of the connection between humanity and the rest of the universe. This experience is guided by the animals of the Seven Grandfather Teachings, revealing the wisdom of creation and humanity’s place within it. It is the hope of the project to inspire an inclusive, collective approach to address current societal challenges related to truth and reconciliation and the environment.
James Monkman is an award-winning Cree visual artist and art director from Treaty 5 territory, who resides in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife, Renée Kwan Monkman — BIPOC writer and creative producer of their studio — and their two boys. James’ work spans multiple mediums and requires a unique ability to interplay between artistic vision and technical understanding. The artist collective that worked on this project includes technical director, Brian T. Moore; Anishinaabe producer, Claudia Skunk; Cree composer, Nigel Irwin; and animation expert, Brian Vowles.
JUNE 18 - DECEMBER 6
Onsite Gallery
199 Richmond St W
Curator: Ryan Rice (Kanien'kehá:ka)
Artist: Rosalie Favell (Métis)
Belonging is the first retrospective of renowned Red River Métis artist Rosalie Favell, showcasing a powerful, curated selection of her lens-based works from 1982 to 2024. This exhibition celebrates Favell’s groundbreaking photographic practice — from seminal series like Living Evidence to her expansive archive Facing the Camera — which invites us to bear witness and explore themes of identity, samesex desire, community, and the nuanced search for belonging through a lens that is both deeply personal and subtly subversive.
Favell’s work draws inspiration from diverse, affluent sources — including her family archives, popular culture, and her heritage — which lead the journey as she bravely searches for autonomy and acceptance. Her work embodies a deep sense of desire, not just for recognition, but for a space where one’s multifaceted identity is seen, valued, and received. Through layered imagery, digital collage, and portraiture, Favell reclaims narratives that have historically excluded or misrepresented Indigenous and queer identities.
Rosalie Favell is a celebrated artist whose 40-year career has earned national and international recognition. Working with photography, video, portraiture, and painting, she is a leading figure in Indigenous contemporary art and photography. Based in Ottawa, Favell continues to challenge boundaries, affirming Métis history and fostering dialogue on belonging and representation.
Ryan Rice, Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawake, is the Executive Director + Curator, Indigenous Art at Onsite Gallery.
Emma Martin, Future Is Now from the series Artificial Future, layered ambrotype, 2023
Artist: Emma Martin (Anishinaabe)
Artificial Future investigates the rift between nature and technology in the wake of accelerated modernization and development. Through alternative processes and materials, this series explores the impact of technology on the natural world as global warming becomes increasingly apparent. Martin seeks to draw attention to the paradoxical reality wherein society continuously turns to technology in the face of environmental degradation, exasperating the issue further. Artificial Future presents alternative methods for sustainable living amid ongoing climate crises. This exhibition was named as the 2025 Verant Richards Award recipient.
Emma Martin is an Anishinaabe kwe from Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation. She is a recent photography graduate from OCAD University in Toronto, Ontario. Martin currently resides in London, Ontario, and her art practice is based on social and environmental injustices. By engaging in a decolonial process through intersectional environmentalism, her aim is to bring awareness to the iniquities found in contemporary society. As an Ojibwe person, she believes in governing oneself through the path of the Grandfather Teachings, wherein our role is to continue to make a difference until difference does not matter anymore. Martin has exhibited her work locally and internationally including in London, Toronto, the Bahamas, Berlin, Bratislava, and China. Her work has been featured in articles with the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network.
MAY 3 - JULY 26
YYZ Artists’ Outlet
401 Richmond St W, Suite 140
Artist: Jake Kimble (Dënesųłıné)
Thinking through ideas of transference, Jake Kimble’s latest exhibition Pick It Up, Quick is an exploration of knowledge absorption and the multiple ways the artist attempts to hold onto memory. Kimble, a Dënesųłiné multidisciplinary artist from Treaty 8 territory, brings together video, traditional photography, and experimental prints on paper towel to make up a show that posits the question “How do we store memory within our bodies, minds, and spirits?” Featured in the exhibition are the artist’s Setsuné (Grandmother in the artist’s Chipewyan language), landscapes from the land where the artist was raised, and humorous idioms and adages that speak to the existential nature of what it means to be alive. Through a clever subversion of everyday aesthetics, Kimble plays with language and ambiguity — something that comes naturally with them being a Two-Spirit artist. Using a funny bone as a tool, Kimble excavates themes of existentialism, narcissism, and the strange, offering an invitation to the audience to examine the absurdities that exist within the everyday so that they too may exhale, unclench, and even chuckle in the spaces where laughter is often lost.
Jake Kimble is a multidisciplinary Chipewyan (Dënesųłıné) artist and curator from Treaty 8 territory in the Northwest Territories. Kimble belongs to the Deninu K’ue First Nation and currently lives, works, and shoots on the stolen territory of xʷməθkʷəy əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səl ilw ətaʔɬ (TsleilWaututh) Nations. They hold a degree in Acting from the Vancouver Film School as well as a BFA in Photography from the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. They completed residencies at the Burrard Art Foundation in Vancouver and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, and were the co-curator of the 2024 Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA). Kimble’s work has been exhibited in various group and solo exhibitions across Canada and can be found in notable collections such as the TD Collection, the Scotiabank Collection, and in the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space
401 Richmond St W, Suite 452
Curator: Emily Laurent Henderson (Inuit)
For 25 years, imagineNATIVE and Vtape have illuminated screens with profound, evocative, humorous, and trailblazing Indigenous stories and cinema. This long-standing partnership has given way to the flagship program, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, celebrated annually in downtown Toronto with a host of screenings, panels, and events. Throughout this time, countless connections have been made, careers nurtured, and spaces carved out for Indigenous filmmakers and creatives in previously unprecedented capacities, spurring subsequent partnerships, incubators, and massive contributions to Indigenous media now celebrated the world over. In Reel Kinship, the stories that have flourished out of the partnership between imagineNATIVE and Vtape are explored through this multimedia installation that pays homage to the earliest beginnings of the collaboration to the continued creativity in present day. Told through photographs, ephemera, and the scores of writing that have been produced throughout the last two and a half decades, Reel Kinship dives deeper into the worlds that live beyond the screens and the people and partnerships that have remained an enduring presence in the ever-growing field of Indigenous film and media arts.
Currently based in Guelph, Ontario, Emily Laurent Henderson is a Kalaaleq (Greenlandic Inuk) and settler curator and writer. A 2020 University of British Columbia graduate in Anthropology, Emily’s work and writing centres Inuit and Indigenous self-determination in the arts. Her writing has appeared in titles such as the Inuit Art Quarterly, AZURE Magazine, Studio Magazine, and more. Her debut collection of poetry, Hold Steady My Vision, was published in 2024 by Publication Studio Guelph. Growing up surrounded by the Inuit art world, Emily is the Associate Curator of Indigenous Art at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and was previously a member of the Indigenous and Canadian Curatorial team at the Art Gallery of Ontario. She is currently working closely with the 90,000 piece Kinngait Drawings Archive.
Founded in 1983, Vtape is one of Canada’s leading media arts distributors. It represents a large collection, including over 675 titles by Indigenous artists. In 1998, Vtape co-founded the Centre for Aboriginal Media, which launched the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in 1999. This creative alliance has supported cultural sovereignty through 25 years of highlighting Indigenous stories.
The Artist Spotlight Directory was conceived out of the desire to create a more accessible, engaging, and meaningful way to showcase imagineNATIVE’s archives, as well as highlight Indigenous artists and industry professionals who have been a part of imagineNATIVE’s history and inspire emerging creatives.
The first phase of the Directory spotlights 25 artists who have been integral to the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the imagineNATIVE Institute, and other initiatives over the past 25 years, and who have helped shape the organization into what it is today.
This is the starting point of a larger goal: creating a living archive of inspiring Indigenous voices for future creators, programmers, and organizations. Going forward, we plan to spotlight more international Indigenous artists, while continuing to uplift local artists.
To learn more, visit the Artist Spotlight Directory at imagineNATIVE.org/artist-spotlight-directory.
The Artist Spotlight Directory is made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Saturday, June 7
Doors Open 8:00 PM
Steam Whistle Brewery Locomotive Hall 255 Bremner Blvd Bay 6
$25 advance and door
Join us to celebrate 25 years of imagineNATIVE! This birthday party will present local talent Robin Cisek and Classic Roots, and featured international performances from HUIA, Rei, MELODOWNZ, and DJ Seymore who are joining us all the way from Aotearoa (New Zealand). We are so excited to celebrate this milestone with you!
Hosted by: Kairyn Potts + Scott Wabano from The Real Rank Podcast
Robin Cisek Classic Roots
Featuring: HUIA ft. Rei
MELODOWNZ ft. DJ Seymore
Tickets can be purchased at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office or online at imagineNATIVE.org. Tickets for all special events will be available at the door, subject to availability.
Congratulations to Graham Greene, Recipient of the 2025 August Schellenberg Award of Excellence
The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence was launched in partnership with Joan Karasevich Schellenberg to honour her late husband, the legendary actor August (Augie) Schellenberg, and the spirit of his work. This award is presented to gifted Indigenous actors from across Turtle Island based on the longevity and impact of their careers, as well as their professionalism and involvement in mentorship and community work.
This award is supported by ACTRA National and individual donations.
imagineNATIVE is honoured to present the 2025 August Schellenberg Award to Graham Greene.
Graham Greene is an Oneida actor from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. In 1974, he graduated from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre’s Native Theatre School program.
His screen debut was in 1983 in Running Brave, but it was his Academy Award-nominated role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves that brought him stardom. Since then, Graham has delivered critically acclaimed performances in over 200 film and television productions. He has performed on stages across North America, including starring roles at the renowned Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
The winner of numerous awards including several Geminis and a Grammy, Graham is also a recipient of the Canadian Screen Awards’ Earle Grey Lifetime Achievement Award. He has an honorary Doctorate of Law from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, close to his home community. Graham is the recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada and was recently inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Sunday, June 8 | 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1
350 King St W
FREE, ticketed
Host: Janelle Niles
Featuring: Lacey Hill ft. Derek Miller and Adrian Sutherland
Join us to honour Indigenous excellence in film and media arts, with generous support from our partners and individual donors. Each year, the imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation showcases a selection of exceptional works from our Festival. Each recipient is selected by filmmakers and industry professionals from the Festival’s independent programming team and juries. This event will feature can’t-miss performances by Lacey Hill ft. Derek Miller and Adrian Sutherland!
Tickets can be booked at the on-site imagineNATIVE Box Office or online at imagineNATIVE.org. Tickets for all special events will be available at the door, subject to availability.
Innovation in Storytelling Award in honour of Kent Monkman
The term “innovative” is often used to describe a work with an inventive and unconventional approach in terms of form, content, storytelling, and structure. All works in this category are short films which push boundaries and deliver the unexpected. This award is supported by, and named in honour of, Kent Monkman, a boundary-pushing artist and former imagineNATIVE board member who designed imagineNATIVE’s first logo.
The art of animation uses frame-by-frame techniques and usually falls into one of two general fields: narrative or abstract. Animation techniques include, but are not limited to, claymation, kaleidoscopic effects created frame-by-frame, handdrawn, computer, cutout, stop-motion, pixelation, pinscreen, camera multiple pass-imagery, as well as drawing on the film frame itself.
A nonfiction short film that artistically engages with historical, cultural, social, economic, scientific, and/or other subjects. The content can be recorded through reenactment, as it happens, animation, stock footage, stills, or other approaches. However, the film must be based on fact, not fiction.
Documentary Feature Award in honour of Alanis Obomsawin
A nonfiction feature length film that engages artistically with historical, cultural, social, economic, scientific, and/or other subjects. The content can be conveyed through reenactment, as it happens, animation, stock footage, stills, or other approaches. However, the film needs to be based on fact, not fiction. This award is named in honour and recognition of the legacy of Alanis Obomsawin.
New Voice in Storytelling Award in honour of Jane Glassco and Ellen Monague
This award honours an emerging Indigenous filmmaker, regardless of their age or their work’s genre or length, who has less than three years of experience in their practice. They must have completed or be finishing at least one independent film or video work. This award is named in honour of Jane Glassco and Ellen Monague, two artists devoted to Indigenous issues and youth.
Experimental Audio Award
This award recognizes excellence in works which push the boundaries of audio formats using experimental practices.
Narrative Audio Award
This award recognizes the work of an exceptional artist and their contribution to audio practices through a podcast, audio drama, radio play, or other narrative audio format.
New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award
This award recognizes innovation and excellence in digital and interactive media developed by an early career artist.
Digital + Interactive Award
This award recognizes innovation and excellence in digital and interactive media developed by midcareer and established artists.
Live Action Short Award
A live action film that uses narrative storytelling and imagery created primarily through practical photographic techniques used to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations. This does not include documentaries, animated works, music videos, or experimental works. Short films, defined as being 40 minutes or less including all credits, are eligible. The winner of this award is put forward to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be considered for an Academy Award.
Outstanding Performance in a Short
This award recognizes the outstanding performance of a lead actor in a dramatic short film.
Outstanding Performance in a Feature
This award recognizes the outstanding performance of a lead actor in a dramatic feature film.
After Dark Award in honour of Jeff Barnaby
Jeff Barnaby was an exceptional Indigenous storyteller in genre filmmaking, often melding horror, sci-fi, and thrillers interchangeably. A fearless auteur, Jeff’s style defied the western gaze on Indigenous Peoples, hailing them as resilient and strong survivors and heroes. As a tribute to his memory, imagineNATIVE is proud to celebrate his impact on Indigenous, genre-bending films by presenting the After Dark Award in honour of Jeff Barnaby.
Indigenous Language Production Award
This award is for a film of any genre or length whose sole or primary language is an Indigenous language.
Sun Jury Award
Recognition for an outstanding work, regardless of length or genre, determined by imagineNATIVE’s Sun Jury.
Moon Jury Award
Recognition for an outstanding work, regardless of length or genre, determined by imagineNATIVE’s Moon Jury.
Dramatic Feature Award
This award recognizes a feature length, live action film which uses narrative storytelling and imagery created primarily through practical photographic techniques used to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations. Documentaries, animated works, music videos, and experimental works are not eligible for this award.
Special thanks to Spirit Works for making the award medallions and Two Hearts Beadwork for creating the award lanyards.
imagineNATIVE is proud to provide annual cash awards to artists spanning 17 juried award categories. We have four juries to select the award winners across our Official Selection of Film + Video, Digital + Interactive, and Audio works.
The Sun Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, New Voice in Storytelling, Innovation in Storytelling, Animated Short, and the Sun Jury Award.
The Moon Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Dramatic Feature, Live Action Short, Outstanding Performance in a Short, Outstanding Performance in a Feature, Indigenous Language Production, After Dark, and the Moon Jury Award.
Paula Devonshire Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation
Bird Runningwater Cheyenne/ Mescalero Apache
The Water Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: New Artist in Digital + Interactive and the Digital + Interactive Award.
Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma
The Land Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Experimental Audio and the Narrative Audio Award.
100 Years of NDNs on the Big Screen (p. 105)
Print Source: Reel Indigenous gingela@gmail.com
13 Moon Calendar (p. 99)
Print Source: Noodin Studio quinnhopkinsart@gmail.com
AAberdeen (p. 41)
Print Source: Mongrel Media - CDN Distributor / Farpoint Distribution - Rest of World craig@farpointfilms.com
Ahi & the Stars (p. 43)
Print Source: Caravan Carpark Films angelacudd@ymail.com
ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
Print Source: Siessá Company snousuniemi@gmail.com
Allison Goes Berry Picking (p. 30, 93)
Print Source: Dawson City International Short Film Festival filmfest@kiac.ca
Amber Alert: A Fashion Statement for Truth and Healing (p. 65)
Print Source: Alex Manitopyes info@sacrdthndr.com
Amplified (p. 53)
Print Source: Cristian Scardigno, Esen Studios info@esenstudios.com
An Amazon night’s dream (p. 77)
Print Source: Ayara Producciones ayaraproducciones@gmail.com
An Ode For Leviticus (p. 43)
Print Source: Montana Cypress cypressmontana@gmail.com
Ancestral Gratitude Bridge (p. 102)
Print Source: Táhila Moss msmoss011@gmail.com
Anette Spencer - Elder P.I. (p. 103)
Print Source: Ojistoh Publishing and Productions ojistohpublishing.productions@gmail.com
Anishinaabemowin (p. 46)
Print Source: Shaelyn Johnston shaelynjohnston@gmail.com
Anywhere (Nooj Goji) (p. 53)
Print Source: Rot Wood Media Inc. evelyn.pakinewatik@gmail.com
APTN Presents: The Feather News (p. 59)
Print Source: APTN ktremblay@aptn.ca
Atuatanga (The Gods) (p. 101)
Print Source: Wiremu Grace wiremugrace@gmail.com
Aviliaq (Entwined) (p. 74)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
b. Dreams (p. 37)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏢ ᎤᏪᏴᎢ (beneath the stream) (p. 106)
Print Source: Robbie Wing robbiedavidwing@gmail.com
Bihttoš (Rebel) (p. 75)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Bila Burba (p. 40)
Print Source: La Subterránea bajando@lasubterranea.com
Buffalo Futurism (p. 99)
Print Source: Common Weal Community Arts eviejruddy@gmail.com
CCarmilla The Lonely (p. 100)
Print Source: Theo Jean Cuthand tjcuthand@gmail.com
Chatterbox (p. 61)
Print Source: Tainui Tukiwaho ngati.tainui@gmail.com
Cherries (p. 84)
Print Source: Electric Shoelace Productions jaimeekpoipoi@gmail.com
Circles (p. 91)
Print Source: Sarah Houle houlelowrysarah@gmail.com
Coffee With My Ma: Ma and 1968 Blockade At Akwesasne (p. 106)
Print Source: Coffee With My Ma coffeewithmyma@gmail.com
Confluence (p. 96)
Print Source: Charlene Moore charlenemoore93@gmail.com
Cvpanuce Tucenat (Three Little Boys) (p. 37)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Datrin (The Raven) (p. 90)
Print Source: Laser Wolf Films Inc. brendan@laserwolffilms.com
Do You Speak Paiute? (p. 46)
Print Source: Taylor Uchytil tayloruchytil@gmail.com
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees (p. 85)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Embers of Queer Joy (p. 84)
Print Source: Bright Shadow Productions Inc. brightshadowinc@gmail.com
Endless Cookie (p. 28)
Print Source: Mongrel Media ai@mongrelmedia.com
Entropy (p. 49)
Print Source: Inuk Jørgensen inukjorgensen@me.com
Evening Escapades (p. 31, 94)
Print Source: Video Pool Media Arts Centre madeline@videopool.org
E.V. Savage (p. 65)
Print Source: Stevie-Ray Strangling Wolf, Shelby Strangling Wolf slickandsteezy@gmail.com
EYES TWIRL ROUNDS (p. 33)
Print Source: Nanobah Becker nanobahbecker@gmail.com F
First Contact (p. 37)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
For Our Rights (p. 49)
Print Source: Aurinko Film johannes@aurinkofilm.com
Forest Echoes (p. 81)
Print Source: Tooth & Nail Pictures eva@toothandnailpictures.com G
gokò ; home (p. 101)
Print Source: Sidii Media Inc. caseykoyczan@gmail.com
Graduation Day (p. 90)
Print Source: Downstream Documentary george@downstream.ca
Guts & Glitz (p. 86)
Print Source: Civic Films fox@civicfilms.org H
Happy Thanksgiving (p. 61)
Print Source: ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby shanemcsauby@gmail.com
Hatarimuy: Rise Up (p. 49)
Print Source: Walker Hull walkerhullfilm@gmail.com
Haze Over (p. 71)
Print Source: Tree Film Production & Distribution Company treefilmproduction@gmail.com
Heartbeat of Grief (p. 104)
Print Source: Cheyenne McNenly cheyenne.mcnenly@gmail.com
Honey Kaha (p. 61)
Print Source: Te Waiarangi Ratana tewaiarangi@gmail.com
Hydraulic (p. 47)
Print Source: Australian Film Television Radio School nicolehuttonlewis@gmail.com
In my hand (p. 50)
Print Source: Paranord Film linn@paranordfilm.no
Indai Apai Darah (p. 40)
Print Source: Wayfinders Circle ptm@wayfinderscircle.org
Inkwo for When the Starving Return (p. 71)
Print Source: NFB festivals@nfb.ca
Intemperance (p. 75)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Itseetamapi (p. 81)
Print Source: Adam Solway asolway12@gmail.com
Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle without End (p. 67)
Print Source: Mili Cumic mili@locomotiveentertainment.com
Katsi’noniowá:nen - The Flying Head (p. 100)
Print Source: Revital Software kahentawaks@revitalsoft.ca
Kimotiwin: The Act of Stealing (p. 85)
Print Source: Warner Media caeleigh@hotmail.ca
Kin (p. 52)
Print Source: First Nation Creations Productions Inc. brucemiller6@gmail.com
Kōkā (Matriarch) (p. 34)
Print Source: Studiocanal nigel.forsyth@canal-plus.com, shannon.mikaere@canal-plus.com
KÜĪ (p. 47)
Print Source: Kakaia Productions kaiha.kahu@gmail.com
LLa Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Print Source: Harbour Collective feathermiigwans@gmail.com
La Raya (p. 38)
Print Source: Mandarina Cine jessyvega@mandarinacine.com
Landmarks (p. 101)
Print Source: Melissa Johns melissajohnsart@gmail.com
Last Summer (p. 31, 94)
Print Source: Tantoo Cardinal’s Taproot Actors Academy Tantootraa@gmail.com
Little Lake (p. 30, 93)
Print Source: Lia Fabre-Dimsdale liadimsdale@gmail.com
Lucky Strikes (p. 66)
Print Source: Turtle Mountain Media d.r.w.waite@gmail.com
M
Mann’s Sparks (p. 33)
Print Source: Capsaicinco ryknight@gmail.com
Matriarch Movement: Cynthia Lickers-Sage – Building Creative Community (p. 107)
Print Source: Women in Media Network info@womennmedia.com
Mawtini (My Homeland) (p. 82)
Print Source: Khafeef Dam Productions khafeefdamproductions@gmail.com
Michif Land-Based Knowledge (p. 41)
Print Source: Winnipeg Film Group distribution@winnipegfilmgroup.com
Munkha (p. 31, 94)
Print Source: Tundra Animation tundraanimation@gmail.com
My Braid Is Beautiful - Gnaajwan Nkaadengan (p. 46)
Print Source: Larissa Wrightman larissawrightman@gmail.com
My Friend Saabe (p. 81)
Print Source: Morningstar Derosier derosier.morningstar03@gmail.com
My Friend the Green Horse (p. 32, 95)
Print Source: NFB festivals@nfb.ca
My Message to You (p. 44)
Print Source: Alaskan Films joeyates@alaskanfilms.com
Nancy (p. 65)
Print Source: Eva Grant eva@toothandnailpictures.com
NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film (p. 96)
Print Source: VisJuelles Productions Inc. visjuelles@gmail.com
NIMER (p. 78)
Print Source: Aina Vinokurova ainavinokurova01@gmail.com
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children (p. 44)
Print Source: NFB festivals@nfb.ca
ᓂᐸᐋᐧᑲᐣ nipawâkan/My Dream Spirit (p. 99)
Print Source: Miyonâkwan Studio brianne.island@gmail.com
Ohskennón:ten Owí:ra (Little Deer) (p. 54)
Print Source: Passthrough Productions Inc. jon.b.elliott@gmail.com
On and On and On (p. 90)
Print Source: Rot Wood Media Inc. evelyn.pakinewatik@gmail.com
One Duck Down (p. 77)
Print Source: tiny moving pictures email.linds@gmail.com
One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand (p. 88)
Print Source: Cyrus Sundars csundars@torontomu.ca
orange pekoe (p. 102)
Print Source: Vanessa Racine nessaracine@icloud.com
Organza’s Revenge (p. 85)
Print Source: Lindsay Allikas lindsayallikas@gmail.com
ORNMOL (p. 58)
Print Source: Marlikka Perdrisat poelina.marlikka@gmail.com
Our Father (p. 43)
Print Source: Clément Lagouarde clem_lag@hotmail.com
PPendleton Man (p. 30, 93)
Print Source: Napi Collective solwayentertainment@gmail.com
Pidikwe (Rumble) (p. 86)
Print Source: La Distributrice de Films serge@ladistributrice.ca
pîķîwî (p. 84)
Print Source: Honey Rose Productions oliviabrooks77@gmail.com
Pītiti (Peaches) (p. 38)
Print Source: Caravan Carpark Films angelacudd@ymail.com R
Rapido (p. 90)
Print Source: Miro Productions Ltd. lea@miro.productions.com
Red (p. 104)
Print Source: Ramon Kataquapit ramonkataquapit@gmail.com
Redbird (p. 46)
Print Source: Emma Barrow emmambarrow@gmail.com
Regalia (p. 52)
Print Source: Farrah Murdock farrahelaine18@gmail.com
Remaining Native (p. 87)
Print Source: She Carries Her House Productions jess@shecarriesherhouse.com
Roberta (p. 74)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Savage (p. 36)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Seeds (p. 97)
Print Source: Level Films level@levelFILM.com
Settler (p. 70)
Print Source: Sinakson Trevor Solway solwayentertainment@gmail.com
Sickle & Sash (p. 103)
Print Source: Josh Carriere McKenna joshmckenna12@hotmail.com
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man (p. 79)
Print Source: NFB festivals@nfb.ca
Singing Back the Buffalo (p. 55)
Print Source: Cinema Politica distribution@cinemapolitica.org
#skoden (p. 39)
Print Source: Damien Eagle Bear damien.eaglebear@gmail.com
Skyworld (p. 75)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Sous les barrages (Under the Dams): Tshishe Manikuan (p. 105)
Print Source: Frédérique Alain falain@terreinnue.com
Stars Rise (p. 104)
Print Source: Ramon Kataquapit ramonkataquapit@gmail.com
Sweetgrass Rings (p. 52)
Print Source: Devki Patel devkipatel.film@gmail.com T
The Aunties Dandelion - Aunties Emergent Podcast Series: Filmmaker Loren Waters Visits with Actor/Artist Dana Tiger (p. 104)
Print Source: The Aunties Dandelion theauntiesdandelion@gmail.com
?E?anx (The Cave) (p. 36)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
The Beguiling (p. 62)
Print Source: ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby shanemcsauby@gmail.com
The Fourth World Problems Collective (p. 65)
Print Source: Kira Doxtator kiradoxtator@gmail.com
The Great Cherokee Grandmother (p. 62)
Print Source: SAMANSA ychung@samanthajpn.com
The Haka Party Incident (p. 56)
Print Source: Tim Balme timbalme@me.com
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro) (p. 68)
Print Source: Sardana Savvina ssardaana@gmail.com
The Lemonade Stand - Making Medicines (p. 30, 93)
Print Source: Wapikoni Mobile soutien.distribution@wapikoni.ca
The Light Before the Sun (p. 53)
Print Source: Blackbird Productions Inc. anaquod@gmail.com
The Lost Tiger (p. 58, 72)
Print Source: Anna Kubat anna@likeaphoton.com
The Moth (p. 49)
Print Source: Michelle Derosier thunderstone.pictures@gmail.com
The Opening Address (p. 28)
Print Source: Akwesasne Freedom School jmlchaverri@gmail.com
The Queen's Flowers (p. 31, 94)
Print Source: The Queen's Flowers LLC. ciaralacy@gmail.com
The Real Rank Podcast: Episode 4 (p. 106)
Print Source: The Real Rank Podcast ohkairyn@gmail.com
The Saint and The Bear (p. 70)
Print Source: Soonias Industries Inc. dallas.soonias@gmail.com
The Wandering Soul (p. 77)
Print Source: Henna Taylor Films LLC. hennataylor@gmail.com
The White Tiger (p. 36)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Thin Places (p. 43)
Print Source: 4th World Media jonah@4thworldmedia.org
Tiger (p. 47)
Print Source: Waters Media lorenkwaters@gmail.com
To Sonder (p. 103)
Print Source: DeadRoom Comedy dangeremersoncomedy@gmail.com
To The River (p. 106)
Print Source: Believe Digital jeff@phasemgmt.com
Truth Before Reconciliation (p. 105)
Print Source: Tammy G Wolfe Consulting truthbeforereconciliation94@gmail.com
Tsi tkahéhtayen (The Garden) (p. 36)
Print Source: Vtape distribution@vtape.org
Tuia Ngā Here (p. 81)
Print Source: Māoriland oriwa@maorilandfilm.co.nz
Uasheshkun (p. 70)
Print Source: Travelling festival@travellingdistribution.com
Uncle Lyle (p. 61)
Print Source: Jenna Spink jennaspink18@gmail.com
Uncommon Ground (p. 70)
Print Source: Faith Sparrow-Crawford faithsparrowcrawford@gmail.com
Voyaging Home (p. 100)
Print Source: Kaʻapeha Media tkpanoke@gmail.com
Wait, Wait, Now! (p. 84)
Print Source: Nicola Smith nicola@jackmedia.co.nz
WASKA: The Forest Is My Family (p. 78)
Print Source: 4th World Media jonah@4thworldmedia.org
wawêsîwin (p. 100)
Print Source: Studio Ekosi caeleigh@hotmail.ca
We Were Dangerous (p. 54)
Print Source: The Forge marksayre@theforge.biz
Who Do We Think We Are? How to Analyze Films and Still Have Friends (p. 105)
Print Source: Reel Indigenous gingela@gmail.com
Wilfred Buck's Star Stories (p. 99)
Print Source: HUBBLO, Moving Images Distribution Louis Lachance, ll@hubblo.ca, Karen Wong, ops@movingimages.ca
Wind Rabbit (p. 52)
Print Source: Ojistoh Publishing and Productions ojistohpublishing.productions@gmail.com
Wind Rabbit - Audio Submission (p. 103)
Print Source: Ojistoh Publishing and Productions ojistohpublishing.productions@gmail.com
Wînipêk (p. 77)
Print Source: James Dixon jamesdixonfilm@gmail.com
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Print Source: Arctic Indigenous Film Fund amee.lekc@gmail.com
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Ahi & the Stars (p. 43)
Atuatanga (The Gods) (p. 101)
Chatterbox (p. 61)
Cherries (p. 84)
Honey Kaha (p. 61)
Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle
without End (p. 67
Kōkā (Matriarch) (p. 34)
KÜĪ (p. 47)
Munkha (p. 31, 94)
Pītiti (p. 38)
Rapido (p. 90)
The Haka Party Incident (p. 56)
The White Tiger (p. 36)
Tuia Ngā Here (p. 81)
Wait, Wait, Now! (p. 84)
We Were Dangerous (p. 54)
Australia
First Contact (p. 37)
Hydraulic (p. 47)
Ornmol (p. 58)
The Lost Tiger (p. 58, 72)
Canada
13 Moon Calendar (p. 99)
Aberdeen (p. 41)
Allison Goes Berry Picking (p. 30, 93)
Amber Alert: A Fashion Statement for Truth and Healing (p. 65)
Anette Spencer - Elder P.I. (p. 103)
Anishinaabemowin (p. 46)
Anywhere (Nooj Goji) (p. 53)
APTN Presents: The Feather News (p. 59)
Aviliaq (Entwined) (p. 74)
b. Dreams (p. 37)
Bihttoš (Rebel) (p. 75)
Buffalo Futurism (p. 99)
Carmilla The Lonely (p. 100)
Circles (p. 91)
Coffee With My Ma: Ma and 1968
Blockade At Akwesasne (p. 106)
Confluence (p. 96)
Datrin (The Raven) (p. 90
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees (p. 85)
Embers of Queer Joy (p. 84)
Endless Cookie (p. 28)
Evening Escapades (p. 31, 94)
E.V. Savage (p. 65)
Forest Echoes (p. 81
gokò ; home (p. 101)
Graduation Day (p. 90)
Heartbeat of Grief (p. 104)
Inkwo for When the Starving Return (p. 71)
Intemperance (p. 81)
Itseetamapi (p. 75)
Katsi’noniowá:nen - The Flying Head (p. 100)
Kimotiwin: The Act of Stealing (p. 85)
Kin (p. 52)
La Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Landmarks (p. 101)
Last Summer (p. 31, 94)
Little Lake (p. 30, 93)
Lucky Strikes (p. 66)
Matriarch Movement: Cynthia Lickers-Sage
– Building Creative Community (p. 107)
Mawtini (My Homeland) (p. 82)
Michif Land-Based Knowledge (p. 41)
My Braid Is Beautiful - Gnaajwan
Nkaadengan (p. 46)
My Friend Saabe (p. 81)
My Friend the Green Horse (p. 32, 95)
Nancy (p. 65)
NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film (p. 96)
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children (p. 44)
ᓂᐸᐋᐧᑲᐣ nipawâkan/My Dream Spirit (p. 102)
Ohskennón:ten Owí:ra (Little Deer) (p. 54)
On and On and On (p. 90)
One Duck Down (p. 77)
One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand (p. 88)
orange pekoe (p. 102)
Organza’s Revenge (p. 85)
Pendleton Man (p. 30, 93)
Pidikwe (p. 86)
pîķîwî (p. 84)
Red (p. 104)
Regalia (p. 52)
Roberta (p. 74)
Savage (p. 36)
Seeds (p. 97)
Settler (p. 70)
Sickle & Sash (p. 103)
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man (p. 79)
Singing Back the Buffalo (p. 55)
#skoden (p. 39)
Skyworld (p. 75)
Sous les barrages (Under the Dams):
Tshishe Manikuan (p. 105)
Stars Rise (p. 104)
Sweetgrass Rings (p. 52)
The Aunties Dandelion - Aunties Emergent
?E?anx (The Cave) (p. 36)
Podcast Series: Filmmaker Loren Waters
Visits with Actor/Artist Dana Tiger (p. 104)
The Fourth World Problems Collective (p. 65)
The Lemonade Stand - Making
Medicines (p. 30, 93)
The Moth (p. 49)
The Real Rank Podcast: Episode 4 (p. 106)
The Saint and The Bear (p. 70)
To The River (p. 106)
Tsi tkahéhtayen (The Garden) (p. 36)
Truth Before Reconciliation (p. 105)
Uasheshkun (p. 70)
Uncle Lyle (p. 61)
Uncommon Ground (p. 70)
wawêsîwin (p. 100)
Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories (p. 99)
Wind Rabbit - Audio Submission (p. 103)
Wind Rabbit - Film Submission (p. 52)
Wînipêk (p. 77)
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Ecuador
WASKA: The Forest Is My Family (p. 78)
Finland
ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
France
Our Father (p. 43)
Greenland
Entropy (p. 49)
Indonesia
Indai Apai Darah (p. 40)
Iran
Haze Over (p. 71)
Jordan
Amplified (p. 53)
Mexico
La Raya (p. 38)
Norway
For Our Rights (p. 49)
In my hand (p. 50)
Panama
Bila Burba (p. 40)
Peru
An Amazon night’s dream (p. 77)
Hatarimuy: Rise Up (p. 49)
Russia
NIMER (p.78)
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro) (p. 68)
USA
100 Years of NDNs on the Big Screen (p. 105)
An Ode For Leviticus (p. 43)
Ancestral Gratitude Bridge (p. 102)
ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏢ ᎤᏪᏴᎢ (beneath the stream) (p. 106)
Cvpanuce Tucenat (Three Little Boys) (p. 37)
Do You Speak Paiute? (p. 46)
EYES TWIRL ROUNDS (p. 33)
Guts & Glitz (p. 86)
Happy Thanksgiving (p. 61)
Mann’s Sparks (p. 33)
My Message To You (p. 44)
Redbird (p. 46)
Remaining Native (p. 87)
The Beguiling (p. 62)
The Great Cherokee Grandmother (p. 62)
The Light Before the Sun (p. 53)
The Opening Address (p. 28)
The Queen’s Flowers (p. 31, 94)
The Wandering Soul (p. 77)
Thin Places (p. 43)
Tiger (p. 47)
To Sonder (p. 103)
Voyaging Home (p. 100)
Who Do We Think We Are? How to Analyze
Films and Still Have Friends (p. 105)
AAdams, Robyn
Michif Land-Based Knowledge (p. 41)
Akuhata-Brown, Kath Kōkā (p. 34)
Anderson-Gardner, Victoria
My Friend Saabe (p. 81)
Anderson, Allison Allison Goes Berry Picking (p. 30, 93)
Arnaquq-Baril, Alethea Aviliaq (Entwined) (p. 74)
BBaerg, Jason La Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Barrow, Emma Redbird (p. 46)
Becker, Nanobah EYES TWIRL ROUNDS (p. 33)
Bethmann, Paige Remaining Native (p. 87)
BigEagle-Kequahtooway, Joely Buffalo Futurism (p. 99)
Bilinsky, Barry Last Summer (p. 31, 94) C
Chaverri, Jess Lowe
The Opening Address (p. 28)
Cockney, Noel-Leigh
The Wandering Soul (p. 77)
Cooper, Ryan Aberdeen (p. 41)
Cruz, Yolanda La Raya (p. 38)
Cudd, Angela Ahi & the Stars (p. 43)
Curtis, Richard J Rapido (p. 90)
Cuthand, Theo Jean Carmilla The Lonely (p. 100) Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees (p. 85)
Cypress, Montana
An Ode For Leviticus (p. 43)
Daazhraii Johnson, Princess Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Derosier, Michelle
The Moth (p. 49)
Derosier, Morningstar
My Friend Saabe (p. 81)
Dixon, James Wînipêk (p. 77)
Doxtator, Kira
The Fourth World Problems Collective (p. 65)
Duomis, Rita ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
EEagle Bear, Damien #skoden (p. 39)
Elliott, Jonathan
Ohskennón:ten Owí:ra (Little Deer) (p. 54)
Emerson, Joshua To Sonder (p. 103)
Fabre-Dimsdale, Lia Little Lake (p. 30, 93)
Fussing Rosbach, Marc Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Galloway, Mary Embers of Queer Joy (p. 84)
Ghasemi, Seyed Ali Haze Over (p. 71)
Golosky, Olivia Marie pîķîwî (p. 84)
Gordon, Zoe The Moth (p. 49)
Grace, Wiremu Atuatanga (The Gods) (p. 101)
Grant, Eva Forest Echoes (p. 81) Nancy (p. 65)
Greyeyes, Michael
The Light Before the Sun (p. 53)
Gualinga, Nina WASKA: The Forest Is My Family (p. 78)
HHaig-Brown, Helen ?E?anx (The Cave) (p. 36)
Harjo, Sterlin Cvpanuce Tucenat (Three Little Boys) (p. 37)
Helander, Marja In my hand (p. 50)
Hensel, Brit Thin Places (p. 43)
Hopkins, Quinn 13 Moon Calendar (p. 99)
La Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Hopkins, Zoe Leigh Skyworld (p. 75)
Tsi tkahéhtayen (The Garden) (p. 36)
Horn, Kaniehtiio
Coffee With My Ma: Ma and 1968 Blockade At Akwesasne (p. 106)
Seeds (p. 97)
Houle, Sarah Circles (p. 91)
Hubbard, Tasha Graduation Day (p. 90)
Singing Back the Buffalo (p. 55)
Hutton-Lewis, Nicole Hydraulic (p. 47)
Island, Bree
nipawâkan/My Dream Spirit (p. 102)
JJackson, Lisa Intemperance (p. 81)
Savage (p. 36)
Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories (p. 99)
jacob, tvli
100 Years of NDNs on the Big Screen (p. 105)
Jenkins, Hector Sweetgrass Rings (p. 52)
Joe, Douglas Datrin (The Raven) (p. 90)
Johns, Melissa Landmarks (p. 101)
Johnston, Shaelyn Anishinaabemowin (p. 46)
Jonathan, Michael Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle without End (p. 67)
Jørgensen, Inuk Entropy (p. 49)
K
Kaiha, Kahu KÜĪ (p. 47)
Kanapé, Jean Luc Sous les barrages (Under the Dams): Tshishe Manikuan (p. 105)
Kataquapit, Ramon Red (p. 104) Stars Rise (p. 104)
Kilabuk, Jennifer Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Knight, Danny APTN Presents: The Feather News (p.59)
Knight, Ryland Walker Mann’s Sparks (p. 33)
Koostachin, Jules A NiiMisSak: Sisters in Film (p. 96)
Koyczan, Casey gokò ; home (p. 101) La Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Kumpulainen, Tuomas ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
Kuptana, Carmen
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Kura-Kakerangi Turuwhenua Tuia Ngā Here (p. 81)
Lacy, Ciara Leinaʻala The Queenʻs Flowers (p. 31, 94)
Lagouarde, Clément Our Father (p. 43)
Lightning, Caeleigh
Kimotiwin: The Act of Stealing (p. 85) wawêsîwin (p. 100)
Lightning, Keara
Kimotiwin: The Act of Stealing (p. 85)
Lowe, Blackhorse b. Dreams (p. 37)
Lugt, Eriel
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
M
Manitopyes, Alex
Amber Alert: A Fashion Statement for Truth and Healing (p. 65)
Martynov, Markel
Munkha (p. 31, 94)
Maxy, Fox
Guts & Glitz (p. 86)
McDiarmid, Darcy Tara Evening Escapades (p. 31, 94)
McIntyre, Lindsay Aksarniq One Duck Down (p. 77)
McKearney, Kyle
To The River (p. 106)
McKenna, Josh Carriere Sickle & Sash (p. 103)
McLeod, Georgette
Allison Goes Berry Picking (p. 30, 93)
McNenly, Cheyenne Heartbeat of Grief (p. 104)
McSauby, ishkwaazhe Shane Happy Thanksgiving (p. 61)
The Beguiling (p. 62)
Miigwans, Feather La Leun Waashisho (p. 101)
Miller, Bruce Thomas Kin (p. 52)
Miller, Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Mawtini (My Homeland) (p. 82)
Mohammed-Kapa, Tajim
Pītiti (p. 38)
Monnet, Caroline
Pidikwe (p. 86)
Roberta (p. 74)
Moore, Charlene
Confluence (p. 96)
Graduation Day (p. 90)
Moore, Kahstoserakwathe Paulette
The Aunties Dandelion - Aunties Emergent Podcast Series: Filmmaker Loren Waters Visits with Actor/Artist Dana Tiger (p. 104)
Moruo, Alexander Munkha (p. 31, 94)
Moss, Táhila Ancestral Gratitude Bridge (p. 102)
Murdock, Farrah Regalia (p. 52)
Murray, Chantelle
The Lost Tiger (p. 58, 72)
N
Naser, Dina Amplified (p. 53)
Niillas, Guhtur
ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
Nousuniemi, Sunná
ÁHKUIN (p. 91) O
Obomsawin, Alanis
My Friend the Green Horse (p. 32, 95)
O’Bomsawin, Kim
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children (p. 44)
O’Bomsawin, Paul
The Lemonade Stand - Making Medecines (p. 30, 93)
ODMK
Confluence (p. 96)
Oulette Stonechild, Shayla Matriarch Movement: Cynthia Lickers-Sage – Building Creative Community (p. 107)
Pakinewatik, Evelyn
Anywhere (Nooj Goji) (p. 53) On and On and On (p. 90)
Panoke, Pōhaikealoha Voyaging Home (p. 100)
Perdrisat, Marlikka
ORNMOL (p. 58)
Poipoi, Jaimee
Cherries (p. 84)
Potts, Kairyn
The Real Rank Podcast: Episode 4 (p. 106)
QQilavaq-Savard, Ashley
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Racine, Vanessa
orange pekoe (p. 102)
Radio-JusSunná
ÁHKUIN (p. 91)
Ratana, Te Waiarangi
Honey Kaha (p. 61)
Rogers, January
Anette Spencer - Elder P.I. (p. 103)
Wind Rabbit - Film Submission (p. 52)
Wind Rabbit - Audio Submission (p. 103)
Romanov, Aleksei
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro) (p. 68)
Rurehe, Heriata Erana
Tuia Ngā Here (p. 81)
SSargent, Konwanahktotha Alvera
The Opening Address (p. 28)
Sarmiento, Diego
An Amazon night’s dream (p. 77)
Scott, Walter Organza’s Revenge (p. 85)
Scriver, Pete
Endless Cookie (p. 28)
Smith, Sonny
Uncle Lyle (p. 61)
Sneed, Anthony
The Great Cherokee Grandmother (p. 62)
Solway, Adam
Itseetamapi (p. 75)
Solway, Sinakson Trevor Settler (p. 70)
Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man (p. 79)
Soonias, Dallas
The Saint and The Bear (p. 70)
Sparrow-Crawford, Faith Uncommon Ground (p. 70)
Startz, Angela P
100 Years of NDNs on the Big Screen (p. 105) Who Do We Think We Are? How to Analyze Films and Still Have Friends (p. 105)
Stewart-Te Whiu, Josephine
We Were Dangerous (p. 54)
Strangling Wolf, Shelby E.V. Savage (p. 65)
Strangling Wolf, Stevie-Ray E.V. Savage (p. 65)
Strong, Amanda Inkwo for When the Starving Return (p. 71)
Sundars, Cyrus One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand (p. 88)
Swanson, Elizabeth WASKA: The Forest Is My Family (p. 78)
Tailfeathers, Elle-Máijá Bihttoš (Rebel) (p. 75)
Tamou, Rima First Contact (p. 37)
Taylor, Henna The Wandering Soul (p. 77)
Tegar, Kynan Indai Apai Darah (p. 40)
Thirnish-Pilot, Normand Junior Uasheshkun (p. 70)
Thomas, Eva Aberdeen (p. 41)
Tiewishaw, Kahentawaks
Katsi’noniowá:nen - The Flying Head (p. 100)
Tiewishaw, Wennekerakon
Katsi’noniowá:nen - The Flying Head (p. 100)
Tippeconnie, Sunrise
100 Years of NDNs on the Big Screen (p. 105)
Tukiwaho, Tainui
Chatterbox (p. 61)
Uchytil, Taylor Do You Speak Paiute? (p. 46)
Vang, Johannes For Our Rights (p. 49)
Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices (p. 63)
Vinokurova, Aina NIMER (p. 78)
Wabano, Scott
The Real Rank Podcast: Episode 4 (p. 106)
Wagua, Duiren
Bila burba (p. 40)
Waite, Darcy Lucky Strikes (p. 66)
Waititi, Taika
The White Tiger (p. 36)
Wajstedt, Liselotte
In my hand (p. 50)
Wake, Ramon Te Wait, Wait, Now! (p. 84)
Waters, Loren
The Aunties Dandelion - Aunties Emergent Podcast Series: Filmmaker Loren Waters Visits with Actor/Artist Dana Tiger (p. 104) Tiger (p. 47)
Wing, Robbie
(beneath the stream) (p. 106)
Winnipeg, Doug Pendleton Man (p. 30, 93)
Wolfe, Katie
The Haka Party Incident (p. 56)
Wolfe, Tammy Truth Before Reconciliation (p. 105)
Wood, Suni Sonqo Vizcarra Hatarimuy: Rise Up (p. 49)
Wrightman, Larissa My Braid Is Beautiful - Gnaajwan Nkaadengan (p. 46)
Y
Yates, Wáats’asdíyei Joe My Message To You (p. 44)
Public funding, specifically operational funding, is crucial to the success of any arts organization, and it is through the support of our public funders at all levels of government that the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has grown and thrived these past 25 years.
Through operational and public funding, imagineNATIVE can employ arts workers at a living wage, provide artists compensation for their work beyond the recommended minimum fees, and nurture a workspace and community for Indigenous creatives at the Festival and year-round through programming initiatives.
Thank you to our annual operating funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
Thank you to the public funders who provide specific funds for the delivery of the Festival: Canadian Heritage; Experience Ontario; Miziwe Biik Employment and Training; Ontario Creates; the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund; the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; and Telefilm Canada.
Presenting Partner
Festival Funder
Institute Lead Partner
Industry Days Lead Partner
Major Partners
Festival Partners
ACTRA National
Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers
Capilano University
Charles Street Video
City of Toronto
DOC Institute
Indigenous Media Initiatives
Indspire
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto
Meriläinen Müsic
Metrolinx
National Screen Institute
Nieuport Aviation
Shutterstock
The Shine Network Institute
The Well
University of Toronto - First Nations House
Vtape
Women in Film and Television - Toronto
York University
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous individual donors who help our organization thrive, bring artists to the city, and make our Festival a success year after year.
Monthly Donors
Damien Nelson
Barbara Fingerote
Beth Duffus
Anne Pick
Cameron Bailey
Cecilia Evoy
Donors Contributing $100+
Alida Stevenson
Andrew Morrison
Andrew Johnson
Gillian Roberts
Brenda Darling
Ian Gilmour
Jason Anderson
Tina Sheppard
Alexandra Lazarowich
Deanna Wong
Kalpana Srinarayanadas
Tyler Baptist
Malini Guha
Amee Le
Jane Clifford
RoseAnna Schick
Marian Bredin
Henriette Katz
Wendy Pearson
Lisa Steele
Kim Tomczak
Katherine Bischoping
Grant Campbell
Salma Monani
Sue Jean Guinard
Steven Coraor
Moe Laverty
Stacie Scherer
Justine Henhawk-Bomberry
Aimée Mitchell
Peter Hill
Deborah Courchene
Helen Paul
Ninaatig Staats Pangowish
Lila Pine
Jennifer LaFontaine
Shivani Nathoo
Joelle Peters
Lesley Garlow
Mary Myers
Christina Milligan
Monica Garza
Sarah Beamish
Aimee Chaulk
Joanna Hearne
Janet Romero
Sarah Fraser
Your belief in our mission and commitment to uplifting Indigenous storytelling are deeply appreciated. We are truly grateful for your support.
To our valued Members, we thank you for your yearround support of our team and the initiatives we work toward every day. Our success would not be possible without the support of our community.
We created the imagineNATIVE Membership Program with the hope of providing additional value to our organization’s continued supporters. We look forward to celebrating exciting events together year-round, and we hope that your experiences with us become cherished memories.
If you wish to make a donation or become a Member, please visit imagineNATIVE.org/support/donate or imagineNATIVE.org/support/membership.
Experience the best of Indigenous cinema beyond the Festival programming, bringing films and video work s to communities across Turtle Island (Canada).
The imagineNATIVE Tour offers a curated selection o f Indigenous-made films intended for community groups , schools, workplaces, institutions, youth programs, and more!
Bookings available September to December 2025 .
On behalf of APTN, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to imagineNATIVE on such an incredible milestone – 25 years of championing Indigenous storytelling and creativity.
For a quarter of a century, imagineNATIVE has provided an essential platform for Indigenous filmmakers and artists, ensuring our stories are seen, heard and celebrated. Your unwavering commitment to access, equity and inclusion, both in front of and behind the screen, has opened doors for countless Indigenous creatives, shaping the industry for generations to come.
imagineNATIVE’s focus on Indigenous language production has been instrumental in highlighting the importance of cultural preservation. Sharing this vision, APTN is excited to introduce APTN Languages, a new channel dedicated to Indigenous language programming, as we both celebrate 25 years of storytelling and cultural advocacy.
Thank you, imagineNATIVE, for your passion, dedication and impact over the past 25 years. We look forward to many more years of collaboration and celebration of Indigenous excellence. Wishing everyone an inspiring and memorable festival!
Wli nanawalmezi (take good care of yourself), Monika Ille
Chief Executive Officer/Chef de la direction
APTN
