2022 imagineNATIVE Catalogue

Presenting Partner

Film + Media Arts Festival

ᐋᐧᓭᔮᐤ ᐸᐢᑭᔮᑫᐤ Light Will Win

TORONTO OCTOBER 18–23, 2022

ONLINE OCTOBER 24–30, 2022

imagineNATIVE.org | #imagineNATIVE A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEE YOUR VISION COME TO LIFE.

2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Table of Contents Declaration of Indigenous Cinema

2

Festival Greetings

4

About imagineNATIVE

8

Code of Conduct

9

Staff + Board

12

Schedule at a Glance

14

Guest Services

18

Getting to Toronto

19

Hospitality Partners

21

Accessibility

22

Festival Venues

24

Box Office

26

Volunteer Acknowledgement

29

Digital + Interactive Works

B

cmf-fmc.ca

1

10

Programming Selection Committee

Film Works

THE CANADA MEDIA FUND IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF imagineNATIVE AND INDIGENOUS STORYTELLERS.

1

30 134

Audio Works

139

iNdigital Space

144

iNdustry Days

150

Special Events

154

Welcome Gathering

154

Opening Night Gala

154

The Beat

154

Exhibitions

156

2022 Festival Delegate Bag

167

August Schellenberg Award of Excellence

168

Awards

170

Awards Jury

171

Print Source

172

Artist Index

175

Country Index

177

Giveaway

179

Festival Partners

180

ᐃᑕᓯᓇᐦᐃᑮᐏᐣ ᐃᖨᓂᐏ ᒋᐢᑳᐢᑏᐸᖩᒋᑲᓂᐏᓂᕽ

DECLARATION OF INDIGENOUS CINEMA 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:

ᑮᖭᓇᐤ, ᐃᖨᓂᐏ ᒋᐢᑳᐢᑏᐸᖩᒋᑲᓈᒋᒧᐘᐠ, ᐆᑕ ᐆᒪ ᐃ ᒫᒪᐏᔮᕽ ᑮᐑᑎᓄᕽ ᐅᑳᐑᒪᐘᐢᑮᕽ ᐄᑕ ᐃ ᐲ ᒫᒪᐏᓇᒫᕽ ᑲ ᐃᓯ ᑭᐢᑮᖩᑕᒫᕽ ᑳᑭᖬᐤ ᑭᒋ ᐊᐑᓇᐠ ᑕ ᑭᐢᑮᖩᑖᐠ:

We glory in our past

ᒥᑐᓂ ᓂᑮᐢᑏᖩᑏᓈᐣ

When our earth was nurturing our oral traditions of our dreams.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ ᑭᑕᐢᑮᓇᐤ

When night sky evoked the visions of our dreams.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ

When the sun and the moon were our parents in our stories told.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ

When storytelling made us all brothers and sisters.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ

ᐋᒋᒧᐏᓇ

When our stories brought forth great chiefs and leaders.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ

ᑳᑭᖬᐤ

When justice was upheld in the stories told.

ᐃᑯᐢᐱᕽ

ᑿᔭᐢᑭᑑᑕᒧᐏᐣ

We will

ᑭᑲ

Hold and manage Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.

ᑭᑲ ᒥᒋᒥᓃᓇᐤ

Ensure our continued recognition as primary guardians and interpreters of our culture.

ᑭᑲ ᑭᓇᐑᖩᑏᓇᐤ ᐃᑿ ᑭᑲ ᑭᐢᑭᓯᓇᐤ ᐆᐦᐃ ᑭ ᐃᖨᓂᐏ ᐃᓯᐦᒋᑮᐏᓇ

Respect Indigenous individuals and communities.

ᑭᑲ ᒪᓈᒋᐦᐋᓂᐘᐠ

Faithfully preserve our traditional knowledge with sound and image.

ᑭᑲ ᑖᐳᑮ ᐋᑲᒦᖩᑏᓇᐤ ᑭ ᑲᔮᓯ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑮᐏᓇ ᑲ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᔮᕽ ᑕ ᐲᑖᒁᐠ ᒋᑳᐢᑏᐸᖩᒋᑲᓂᕽ ᐃᑿ ᑕ ᓅᑳᐠ ᒪᓯᓂᐱᒋᑲᓂᕽ

Use our skills to communicate with nature and all living things.

ᑭᓇᑲᒋᐦᑖᐏᓇ

Heal ourselves through screen storytelling.

ᑲ ᓈᑕᐏᓱᔮᕽ

ᒋᐢᑳᐢᑏᐸᖩᒋᑲᓂ ᐏ ᐋᒋᒧᐏᓂᕽ

Preserve and pass on our stories to those not yet born.

ᑕ ᒪᓈᒋᐦᑖᔮᕽ

ᐃᑿ

We will manage our own destiny and maintain our pride/identity through story.

ᑭᑲ ᒥᖪ ᐱᒧᐦᑖᓇᐤ ᐆᒪ ᑲᑮ ᐲ ᐃᓯ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑲᐑᔮᕽ ᐃᑿ ᒦᓇ ᐱᑯ ᐃᑯᓯ ᐅᐦᒋᑕᐤ ᑕ ᐃᓯ ᓇᐏᓯᐚᑕᒫᕽ ᑳᑭᑮ

ᓂᑲᔮᓵᒋᒧᐑᐏᓈᓇ

ᑲᑮ ᑭᑖᐹᑖᐦᐟ

ᑲ ᐊᑎ ᑮᓯ ᑎᐱᐢᑳᕽ ᐃᑿ

ᑭᑖᒋᒧᐏᓈᓇ ᑲᑮ ᐃᓯ- ᓂᑐᑕᒫᔮᕽ

ᐊᑎ

ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐤ

ᓯᐿᑯᑏᑿ ᐊᓂᐦᐃ ᑲᑮ

ᑲᑮ

ᐃᓯ ᑭᐢᑭᓅᑕᐦᐃᑯᐚᒁᐤ

ᑲᑮ ᒫᒪᐏᓂᒁᒁᐤ

ᑭᑖᒋᒧᐏᓈᓇ

ᐃᑿ

ᐱᔭᑿᐣ

ᑲᑮ ᒥᖪᓯᔮᐟ

ᑳᑭᖬᐤ

ᐃᑯᓯ ᐆᒪ

ᐃᑜᒪᑳᑭ

ᑭᑖᒋᒧᐏᓈᓇ

ᐃ ᐚᑰᑐᐚᐠ

ᐅᓃᑳᓃᐘ

ᑲᑮ ᐊᑐᒋᑳᑏᐠ

ᑲ ᐱᒥᐸᖩᑖᓇᐤ

ᑳᑭᖬᐤ

ᐃᓯ ᓂᑐᑕᒫᔮᕽ

ᐃᖨᓂᐘᐠ

ᑕ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᔮᕽ

ᐃᖨᓂᐏ ᐃᓯᐦᒋᑮᐏᓇ

ᐃᑿ

ᑭᑭᐢᑭᐘᐦᐊᒫᑮᐏᓇ

ᑲᑮ ᐃᓯ ᓇᑲᑕᒫᑲᐏᔮᕽ ᐃᑿ

ᐊᓯᒋ

ᐄᑕ

ᑕ ᐑᒋ ᐲᑭᐢᒁᑕᒫᕽ

ᑕ ᐋᓯᐏ ᒦᖬᐦᐋᒁᐤ

ᑳᑭᖬᐤ

ᑲ ᐅᐦᒌᒋᐠ

ᑮᒁᔭ

ᑲᐱᒫᑎᓯᑮᒪᑳᑭ

ᐆᑕ

ᐊᐢᑮᕽ

ᐅᐦᒋ

ᐊᓂᑭ

ᐄᑳ

ᒌᐢᑿ

ᑲ ᓃᑖᐏᑭᒋᐠ

ᑭᑖᒋᒧᐏᓈᓇ

Guovdageaidnu, ᐱᒥᖭᒧᐏ ᐲᓯᒼ 2011

Guovdageaidnu, Sápmi, October 2011 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/Miikwehc/Thank you to the International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) for sharing this document with imagineNATIVE. For more information on the ISFI, visit isfi.no

ᑲᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐋᐠ ᐆᒪ ᐊᓴ ᓯᒼᒪ (ᓴᒥ), ᑲᑮ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᑯᐟ Darlene Johnson (Dunghutti), ᐃᑿ ᑮ ᐅᑎᓂᑳᑏᐤ ᐃᑿ ᐊᓯᒋ ᑮ ᓂᐢᑕᐏᓂᑳᑎᐤ ᐆᑏ ᑳᑭᖬᐤ ᐆᑭ ᐊᖨᓯᑎᓂᐘᐠ ᐃᖨᓂᐏ ᒋᑳᐢᑏᐸᖩᒋᑲᓂ ᒫᒪᐏᓂᑐᐏᓂᕽ ᐆᑏ Kautokeino, ᓴᒼᐱ, ᐱᒥᖭᒧᐏ ᐲᓯᒼ 2011

ᓂᓇᓈᐢᑯᒫᓈᓇᐠ ᐆᑭ International Sámi Film Institute ᑲᑮ ᐋᓯᐏ ᓅᑰᑕᐦᒋᐠ ᓂᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓃᐏᓈᐣ Festival Book. ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᑭᔮᐱᐨ ᑭ ᓄᐦᑏ ᑭᐢᑮᖩᑏᐣ ᐆᒪ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐏᑲᒥᐠ, ᐆᑏ ᐲ ᑭᔪᐦᑮᐠ isfi.no ᑲᑮ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐏ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐋᒁᐤ John J Cook

ᐆᒪ

ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᐢ Bill Cook ᐃᑿ

Translation by Bill Cook and John J. Cook (Woodland Cree) 2

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FESTIVAL GREETINGS

FESTIVAL GREETINGS

Tansi. Hello, my friends,

Aniin,

Welcome back!

Boozhoo, Aanii.

Once again, it is an honour to welcome everyone to Toronto, where we come together in celebration of the creativity and artistry of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. In this time of the Falling Leaves Moon, when all of Creation honours the abundance that Mother Earth has continued, since the beginning of time, to provide for all living things, we give thanks to the helpers in Creation: the rains that provide water to the rivers and lakes, nurturing all living things; to the winds that assist in moving Creation forward; to the birds that sing their morning songs that usher in the new day; to the butterflies and the bees that continue to work so hard to bring food alive. As they prepare to rest or go home, we thank them all.

Welcome to the 23rd imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival! We are so grateful you are joining us and we are extremely proud of the Festival we have the honour of presenting.

Really and truly, welcome back! This year’s offering of the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will once again allow us to host a live, in person event. Believe me when I tell you how much this means to all of us. Since the announcement was made, we’ve had so many people share how much they are looking forward to attending the Festival again. This includes filmmakers, artists, former staff, funders, and attendees alike. Our team is ready to host, and I must commend them on their hard work as they’ve lent their time and talent to building this year’s Festival. We invite you to once more sit back and enjoy a film, dabble in some VR, attend a panel or talk, view an exhibition, or enjoy a live performance. We’ve got it all. For those who can’t yet join us in Tkaronto, please know we haven’t forgotten you. We are pleased to host works for your enjoyment on our online platform at:

The imagineNATIVE Institute welcomes you to the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and to Industry Days!

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank the imagineNATIVE team for their continued dedication and passion in putting the Festival together. I also want to acknowledge that in addition to planning the in person Festival, they continue to enrich the experience for our growing global audience that joins us virtually.

Year after year, the team reaches further and wider to share Indigenous storytelling with local and global audiences. Their ability to grow and expand, particularly in the last few years, is a testament to their resilience and innovation.

The days are getting shorter and the nights longer.

We look to the sky where the stars unfold their stories to us, and we witness the beauty and brilliance of the Northern Lights; they who are the ancient ones, our ancestors who dance in rhythm to the heartbeat of the Earth. They remind us to honour each other, to love each other, to respect each other, as we are all related.

The riptides and waves of the storytelling industry and the Indigenous community will continue to rise and fall. However, I rest assured in the power of this team, the commitment of our board and sponsors, and above all you, the audience. Your support of Indigenous storytelling is what fuels this Festival, the generation of talent it exhibits, and the next generation of storytellers across mediums. For that, we are incredibly grateful.

Thank you.

Enjoy this wonderful time together filled with creativity and light. And remember to be kind to each other and to continue to stay in that light.

Wâseyâw kâkike paskiyawew (The Light always wins)!

We are confident you will find this year’s exhibition as exciting and fulfilling as we do. Happy Festival! Thank you for joining us!

Kinanaskomitin mistahi (Thank you very much), Piyesiw Iskwe (Thunder Woman)

Industry Days is back in person from October 19–22 and returning online from October 25–29. This year, the Industry Days in person event spaces are the Artscape Sandbox and the TIFF Bell Lightbox with limited capacity offerings designed for Indigenous creatives in the film and television industry.

The imagineNATIVE Institute will present the iN Originals Program short films and music videos created through the Institute’s year-round mentorships, commissions, and collaborations.

This year, Industry Days discussions will focus on access to spaces, resources, and stories and include a full day of pitch events and the annual Micro Meetings for Indigenous creatives and industry leaders.

watch.imaginenative.org.

Thank you to our supporters; this includes the imagineNATIVE Board of Directors, sponsors, donors, and funders. We are forever grateful for this family of people who comprise imagineNATIVE, past, current, and those on the way. Nia:wen.

Industry Days will also include collaborative community sessions with Indigenous film and television creatives, highlighting ways we can work together in a positive way as we move into the future of Indigenous onscreen creations.

Naomi Johnson Executive Director Kanyen'kehà:ka/Mohawk

Chi Miigwetch to Indigenous storytellers around the world.

Jamie-Lee Reardon Institute Manager Ojibwe + Irish Flying Post First Nation, Treaty 9

Miigwetch,

Kokum Pauline Shirt Cultural Advisor, imagineNATIVE Plains Cree Nation, Treaty 6

Melanie Nepinak Hadley Vice-Chair, imagineNATIVE Board of Directors Ojibway

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FESTIVAL GREETINGS

INSTITUTE FESTIVAL GREETING

Programming

Fundraising

Like the setting sun and the rising moon, the Festival returns each year to gift us the opportunity to constellate with old and new friends, to watch the best Indigenous screen content in the world, and to be empowered by Indigenous storytelling.

We are so excited to welcome you all back for the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival! It has been an honour to witness the immense talent and amazing stories coming from all over the world, culminating in this year’s Festival program. I’m grateful for all the support and hard work that has brought us to this point.

Inspired by teachings gifted to the imagineNATIVE staff by Grandmother Pauline Shirt, which laid the foundation for both our visual aesthetic and curatorial direction, this year’s Festival celebrates our relationship with the cosmos. It explores how we relate to the celestial world and how our relationship to the sky is intertwined with our kinships here on earth. It invites us to consider the relational responsibilities we have to respect and care for all life on this “pale blue dot,” especially our Elders, little ones (children and youth), and our other-than-human kin (plants and animals).

I must thank each of the artists for sharing their work and allowing us the opportunity to share their stories with imagineNATIVE audiences. Over the years, I have learned that each story brings a unique, beautiful, and powerful vision, whether it be in film, digital + interactive media arts, audio, or art exhibitions. It truly has been an inspiring journey. This year, our Official Selection showcases over 55 Indigenous languages, with almost half of our programmed artists identifying as “emerging.” We are honoured to be a platform for emerging Indigenous creatives and storytellers. On behalf of all of us on the programming team, we are grateful for the artists who have shared their work, and we are thankful to you, the audience, for supporting Indigenous voices.

The stars aligned beautifully, as many of the films in the Official Selection touch upon the Festival themes, visualizing Indigenous cosmologies, futurisms, the cycle of life, love, language revitalization, traditional ecological knowledge, medicinal teachings, traditional making practices, and everything in-between. Consisting of 19 feature films and over 100 shorts curated into 13 programs, there is something for everyone at the Festival!

Wishing you all a wonderful Festival! Take care.

Kaitlynn Tomaselli Program Manager Anishinaabe

imagineNATIVE occupies a special place in my heart, so to be gifted the opportunity to curate the Festival is a true honour and blessing. Marsii, Meegwetch to the Programming Selection Committee and imagineNATIVE staff for their thoughtful dedication in realizing this year’s Festival.

We are excited to welcome you to imagineNATIVE’s 23rd Festival! It has been a great pleasure to work with the many partners whose continued support has made this year — our first hybrid model — a resounding success.

In 2022 we have seen the renewed commitment of many of our long-standing partners along with passionate new ones. Every single donor, partner, funder, and foundation allows us to continue our work at the highest standard.

We want to acknowledge the returning support and commitment of our presenting partner, the Canada Media Fund, who has enabled us to continue to strive to new levels of excellence this year.

Thank you also to the supporters of our special events and screenings, TD Bank as our Free Friday presenter and APTN as our Opening Night partner.

To all imagineNATIVE supporters, we are continually awed by your generosity and enthusiasm for everything we do. It is with your encouragement that we can continue to celebrate and champion Indigenous storytellers who contribute bold and dynamic work to an increasingly exciting artistic landscape. We offer our gratitude and appreciation to you and are hopeful we will continue to work alongside each other for many years to come.

David Morrison Fundraising Manager Dene

We hope it inspires you — surrounded by your loved ones — to gaze up at the night sky and visit with our oldest ancestors, the stars.

Jenna Bjornson Corporate Partnership Manager Métis + Norwegian

Rhéanne Chartrand Festival Curatorial Advisor Metis

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ABOUT imagineNATIVE

CODE OF CONDUCT

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 one based in collective stewardship and the sharing of land and resources and one 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 Canadian and international Indigenous media artists in key creative roles as producers, directors, and/or writers. In programming these works over the years, imagineNATIVE has embraced works from Indigenous creators that 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 and new perspectives expressed within the content of the work; 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.

At imagineNATIVE we strive to create a Festival atmosphere that brings people together in a good way to celebrate our stories, cultures, and arts.

imagineNATIVE is a festival that supports the diverse artistic visions and perspectives of Indigenous artists working in the media arts; works selected for programming do not need to have overt Indigenous content or themes. As identified in our mission statement, imagineNATIVE is a charity committed to dispelling stereotypical notions of Indigenous Peoples through diverse media presentations from within our communities, thereby 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, imagineNATIVE is now the largest festival of its kind and an international hub for creative excellence and innovation in the media arts. In addition to the Festival, the Centre for Aboriginal Media (imagineNATIVE’s legal name) also presents the annual imagineNATIVE Film + VR Tour and numerous co-presentation screenings nationally and internationally which extend our mandate to present Indigenous-made works yearround. In 2017, we launched the imagineNATIVE Institute, which presents professional development opportunities for Indigenous screen content creators all year long.

All attendees at imagineNATIVE, including Elders, invited delegates, and members of the public, have the right to be free of harassment, discrimination, sexism, and threatening or disrespectful behaviour — either in person or online — from others attending the Festival.

This could include but is not limited to:

• O ffensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, physical acts, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, or religion; • Deliberate intimidation; • Harassing photography; • Sustained disruption of talks or other events; • Inappropriate physical contact.

We reserve the right to refuse entry or revoke accreditation to Festival events and venues without notice for those who engage in such conduct. If you experience a violation of this Code of Conduct at the Festival, please contact a member of the imagineNATIVE staff.

All violations of the law should also be reported to local law enforcement. For emergencies, immediately dial 911.

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

#imagineNATIVE @imagineNATIVE

401 Richmond St. W, Suite 446 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8 T: +1 416 585 2333

We strive to work and walk responsibly, professionally, and caringly at all times and ask that you share this commitment to fostering a supportive, loving, and safe Festival environment.

imagineNATIVE is a registered charity (legal entity: The Centre for Aboriginal Media).

info@imagineNATIVE.org imagineNATIVE.org

Charitable Number: 89893 8717 RR0001 To donate, please visit: imagineNATIVE.org/support/donate 8

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STAFF + BOARD

STAFF + BOARD

Board of Directors Guest Services BRANDON MEMBRERE & VICTORIA BACANI Fundraising Admin Assistant ANTHONY GROSBECK KONA GOULET Chair

MELANIE HADLEY

PAULINE SHIRT

ALAN BACCHUS

Vice-Chair

Cultural Advisor

Secretary

JASON EDWARD LEWIS

DARLENE NAPONSE

Board Member

Board Member

ANNE PICK Board Member

HUNACHEW ENGEDA Website Coordinator

Trailer Team:

ERIN FLECK

KIKKI GUERARD

TARA HAKIM

Production Coordinator

Communications Coordinator

Broadcast + Digital Coordinator

Staff

Creative Director & Producer KIKKI GUERARD Director/DOP LINDSAY SARAZIN Gaffer MATHIEU TAILLEFER Production Assistant PIERRE GUERARD

NAOMI JOHNSON Executive Director

JAMIE-LEE REARDON

KAITLYNN TOMASELLI

Institute Manager

Program Manager

DAVID MORRISON

JENNA BJORNSON

Fundraising Manager

Corporate Partnership Manager

CHEYANNE JACKO-SAWE Industry Days Coordinator

JESSE KING

FIELD LIBERTY

LUCIA LINARES

Program Coordinator

Fundraising Coordinator

Operations Administrative Assistant

Consultant JONATHAN ELLIOT Sound PUPPY MACHINE Versioning EXTREME REACH STEAMLAND MEDIA Publicity WANT & ABLE ARTS CONSULTING + GAT PR

AMALIYA LOUIS

NISHINA LOFT

CONNOR MARTIN

SUMMER BELLEAU

AMANDA CLARKE

Operations Manager

Volunteer Manager

Print Traffic Coordinator

Publications Coordinator

Communications Assistant

Copy Editor

RABBIA ASHRAF

BLISS BONDY

AGATHA CHENG

WHITNEY HEROUX

Volunteer Coordinator

Institute Coordinator

Box Office + Online Support

Institute Administrative Assistant

RAQUEL KESHANEWATETCH

VIVIENNE LIVINGSTONE

TATIANA SHIRSHAKOVA

Digital + Interactive Assistant

Outreach Administrative Assistant

Events Administrative Assistant

MELISSA JOHNS

KATHLEEN WALSH

Digital + Interactive Manager

Communications Manager

ADRIEN IGNACE

SUNNY KIM

Executive Assistant

Bookkeeper

TEINEISHA RICHARDS Events + Outreach Manager

ANGELA SWEETING

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Design Team: BEEHIVE DESIGN TERRY LAU, JOEY WONG, KATERINA DAVIES beehivedesign.com

2022 PROGRAMMING SELECTION COMMITTEE Turn your face to the Sun, and let the Shadows fall behind you.

- Māori Quote, shared by Leo Koziol

Programming Committees are comprised of filmmakers, artists, and curators. They work to provide additional perspectives on individual titles, overarching themes, and the programming structure. imagineNATIVE’s Festival Curatorial Advisor, Rhéanne Chartrand, is joined by Cole Forrest, Leo Koziol, and Paul Seesequasis to oversee the selection of the films, with Pōhaikealoha Panoke joining us for the selection of Digital + Interactive and Audio works.

Cole Forrest (Ojibwe) Film + Video Cole Forrest is an Ojibwe filmmaker from Nipissing First Nation. Cole trained and honed his craft at the “Big Medicine Studio” while working with the group Aanmitaagzi. He has written and directed various independent short films that have been screened at film festivals, including imagineNATIVE, the Toronto Queer Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Film Festival. He is the 2019 recipient of the imagineNATIVE + LIFT Film Mentorship and a 2020 Artist in Residence as a part of the Sundance Native Filmmakers Lab. Cole is currently writing his first feature film. He is grateful to represent his community in all of his artistic pursuits.

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Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka)

Rhéanne Chartrand (Métis)

Film + Video

Rhéanne Chartrand is a Métis curator based in Hamilton with over ten years of experience curating interdisciplinary exhibitions, showcases, and festivals.

She has served as the Curator of Indigenous Art at the McMaster Museum of Art for the last six years. Her curatorial work focuses on the praxis of survivance, Indigenous epistemes, relational aesthetics, representational politics, and gratitude. Rhéanne is a cofounder of the Shushkitew Collective, an equity-seeking and advocacy group organizing on behalf of Métis artists and arts workers to increase Métis representation, capacity, and flourishing within the Canadian art milieu.

She is a board member of the Indigenous Curatorial Collective (2018–present) and currently serves on the Executive Committee as Secretary.

2022 Festival Curatorial Advisor

Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) is the founder and director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival.

He curates short films for the New Zealand International Film Festival (Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Programme) and has worked as a cultural advisor in the Ministry of Māori Development. Leo is the curator of the annual CineMarae Art Exhibition at the Pah Homestead Arts Centre in Auckland. Since 2020, Leo has been the Indigenous editor of Letterboxd where he created the Native 100 list of prominent Indigenous directors, which was profiled at the European Film Market.

Paul Seesequasis (nîpisîhkopâwiyiniw)

Pōhaikealoha Panoke (Kānaka Maoli)

Film + Video

Digital + Interactive

Paul Seesequasis is a nîpisîhkopâwiyiniw (Willow Cree) curator, writer, editor, and journalist residing in Saskatchewan. He is the author of the award-winning Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun (Knopf, 2019). His next book, Gaze (Knopf), will come out in 2023. He curated the first-ever exhibition of James Brady’s photographs, Enclosing Some Snapshots, Snapshots and has published extensively. He is the founder of the online Indigenous Archival Photo Project.

Pōhaikealoha is a Kānaka Maoli media producer and storyteller from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, who strives to bring native stories to life through passion for not only our cultures and history, but for their longevity and projection far into the future. Working with various forms of creative and interactive media including games and animation, Pōhai creates works that support the teachings and perpetuation of Indigenous excellence.

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SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

For the most up-to-date schedule please visit us on-line: imaginenative.org/festival/schedule/

Relaxed Screenings

Screenings 9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

iNdigital Days

iNdustry Days

Special Events 9:00 PM

10:00 PM

11:00 PM

12:00 AM

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

12:00 AM

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

OPENING NIGHT SCREENING: Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa + Stellar TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 30 & 31

Welcome Gathering Daniels Spectrum: Ada Slaight Hall + Lounge p. 154

TUES Oct 18

Opening Night Party Ricarda’s p. 154 Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa + Stellar Relaxed Screening TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 30 & 31

Growing an Industry: A Guided Group Discussion Artscape Sandbox p. 150 Access to Stories: Panel + Q&A Artscape Sandbox p. 150

WED Oct 19

Special Screenings

A Winter's Love TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 44

Elder Opening Ceremony and D + I Presentation + Keynote TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 146

Tech Talk Lunch p. 146

Access to Spaces Artscape Sandbox p. 150

Program 3: Big Stars TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 46 - 53

Program 2: Twin Stars TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 38 -45

Panel: Remixing TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 146

waawiyebii'ige: She Draws a Circle + Bring Her Home Rogers Hot Docs Cinema p.52 - 53

Pitching Workshop Artscape Sandbox p. 150 Masterclass: Painting in VR + Community Mural with Tilt Brush p. 146 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

iNdigital Youth Collective Showcase and Party TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 146

Panel: Digital Gestures TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 146

Morning Remarks & imagineNATIVE Institute Pitch Day: Institute Participants and Alumni TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 151

imagineNATIVE Institute Pitch Day: Industry Creatives TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 151 Panel: Collaborative Game Making TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 147

Hands on Activity + Artist Talk: Acorn AR TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 147 Catered Lunch + Tech Talk TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 147

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

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2:00 PM

3:00 PM

The Lost Crystals of Jessica's Room + Seven Ridges TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 82 & 83

Cerro Saturno + Powerful Chief TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 74 & 75 imagineNATIVE Institute Pitch Day: APTN Lumi: From Pitching to Production Panel & Showcase TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p.149

LAND JAM Showcase TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 147

Program 7: Interstellar TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 76 - 86

The Brylcreem Boys + Broken Angel TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 72 & 73

Shelley Niro, Kissed by Lightning TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 65

THU Oct 20

Bones of Crows TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 58

Program 6: Milky Way TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 66 - 75

Program 5: Guiding Stars TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 59 - 65

Welcome Breakfast p. 147

Program 4: Grandmother Moon TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 54 - 58

Whetū Mārama - Bright Star TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 45

Program 1: Little Stars TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 32 - 37

Art Crawl 401 Richmond Street p. 155 iNdustry Days Networking Night Artscape Sandbox p. 151

Masterclass: Family Tech TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p. 147 4:00 PM

5:00 PM

Closing Party TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery p.147 6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

10:00 PM

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11:00 PM

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

For the most up-to-date schedule please visit us on-line: imaginenative.org/festival/schedule/

Screenings 9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

Relaxed Screenings

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

5:00 PM

Tibi + Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 84 & 85

Meet with Festival Programmers & Curators TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studio A & B p. 152 Meet with Buyers, Sales, Acquisitions & Distribution TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studio A & B p. 152

FRI Oct 21

Special Screenings

iNdustry Days Morning Remarks + Music and Film: A Case Study Artscape Sandbox p. 152

6:00 PM

Access to Funding: Panel Discussion + Q&A Artscape Sandbox p. 152

imagineNATIVE Originals Shorts: Panel Discussion Artscape Sandbox p.152

Opening Remarks + From Film to TV Artscape Sandbox p. 153

12:00 AM

Exploring the Treaty Relationship + Six Strings + We Are Still Here TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 108 - 109

iN Originals + Harmonize TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 98 - 101

Micro Meetings Networking Event Artscape Sandbox p. 152

THE BEAT The Rivoli p. 155

Program 10: Aurora Borealis TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 110 - 113

Program 11: Aurora Australis TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 114 - 120

A Boy Called Piano TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 113

ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great Grandmother’s hat TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 119

imagineNATIVE Institute Screenwriting Features Lab Table Read Artscape Sandbox p. 153

Oct 22

11:00 PM

Meet with Agents & Representation TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studio A & B p. 152

Growing an Industry: A Guided Group Discussion Artscape Sandbox p. 153

SAT

10:00 PM

The Original Shareholder Experience + Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 102 & 103 432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies (Music Videos) TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 104 - 107

Program 9: Mothership II TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 92 - 96

Program 8: Mothership I TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 87 - 91

Access on Set: Panel Discussion + Q&A Artscape Sandbox p. 152

Institute Offerings: Complimentary Headshots TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room p. 152

9:00 PM

The Drover's Wife TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 91

Pakucha TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 86 Meet with Production/Development TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studio A & B p. 152

8:00 PM

7:00 PM

iNdustry Days/Micro Meetings

iNdustry Days

Special Events

Program 12: Dark Matter TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 121 - 125 Program 4: Grandmother Moon Relaxed Screening TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 54 - 58

AWARDS PRESENTATION TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 168

Dark Nature TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 120

iNdustry Days Closing Artscape Sandbox p.153 Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle Award Presentation TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 170 p. 126 - 129

CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING: Zaagidiwin + ROSIE TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 p. 132 - 133

BELOVED TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 p. 130

SUN Oct 23

Award Screening: Dramatic Feature TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Slash/Back TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 p. 131 Award Winning Shorts Program 1 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

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2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

Award Winning Shorts Program 2 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Award Screening: Documentary Feature TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 5:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

Award Screening TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

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10:00 PM

11:00 PM

12:00 AM

GUEST SERVICES

GETTING T0 TORONTO

Guest Services Team

Hotel Information

For full information, please visit imagineNATIVE.org/ festival/plan-your-visit

Residence Inn by Marriott Toronto Downtown/Entertainment District

Toronto Pearson International Airport

The imagineNATIVE Help Chat is available to you throughout the Festival at imagineNATIVE.org and you are also welcome to contact the Guest Services team:

255 Wellington St. W Toronto, ON M5V 3P9 www.marriott.com 416 581 1800

The UP Express (Union Pearson Express) train connects the downtown core to Toronto Pearson International Airport in 25 minutes, with trains departing every 15 minutes.

UP Express Fare: $12.35/trip

BRANDON MEMBRERE

VICTORIA BACANI

Billy Bishop Airport

Guest Services Manager

Guest Services Coordinator

(he/him)

(she/her)

bmembrere@ imaginenative.org

vbacani@imaginenative.org

Located in downtown Toronto’s entertainment district, this hotel is within walking distance of our main screening venue, the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Accreditation Desk: Pass Pickup

TD FREE FRIDAY

Pre-Festival

imagineNATIVE is pleased to announce TD Free Friday at the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival! Thanks to TD’s generous contribution, tickets to all screenings on Friday, October 21, will be free.

401 Richmond Building 401 Richmond St. W Suite 440, 4th Floor Monday, October 17, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

TD Free Friday is intended to provide a greater opportunity for a large number of individuals to experience imagineNATIVE’s film and video programming.

Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas St. E Main Lobby Tuesday, October 18, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Thank you, TD!

During Festival TIFF Bell Lightbox 350 King St. W Wednesday, October 19, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Thursday, October 20, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Friday, October 21, 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM Saturday, October 22, 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM Sunday, October 23, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

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Located on the Toronto Islands, minutes from the downtown core, Billy Bishop Airport links to the city by a short ferry ride or pedestrian tunnel, with streetcar access on the mainland.

TTC Fare: $3.25/trip, $13.50 day pass

Local taxi, Uber, and Lyft services in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) can accommodate travel from the airport and around the city.

Getting Around Toronto The Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) provides subways, streetcars, and buses all around Toronto extending throughout the Greater Toronto Area. A single fare ($3.25) can be purchased/paid for at all subway stations, buses, and streetcars. Alternatively, you can purchase a Presto Ticket to pre-load for use on all TTCoperated vehicles at a discounted rate ($3.20). A day pass can be purchased for $13.50, allowing unlimited trips for the day. All fares purchased through the Presto system include a two-hour transfer allowing unlimited entry and exit to the system within the two-hour window. Presto Tickets can be purchased at all subway stations and Shoppers Drug Mart locations.

More information can be found on the Presto website at prestocard.ca.

For accessibility, schedules, routes, and additional information please visit ttc.ca.

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HOSPITALITY PARTNERS

inspiring Indigenous stories and storytellers

We would like to thank and highlight all of our participating Hospitality Partners who have committed to supporting us by offering our audience and delegates various discounts and promotions!

Tea-N-Bannock 1294 Gerrard St. E 15% Discount for Festival Package Holders & Festival Ticket Holders

stream anytime, anywhere

Amsterdam Brewhouse 245 Queens Quay W 25% Discount for Festival Package Holders

Chotto Matte 161 Bay St. 10% Discount for Festival Package Holders

Queen Mother Cafe 208 Queen St. W 10% Discount for Festival Package Holders

Lao Thai Restaurant 4 Gladstone Ave. 10% Discount for Festival Package Holders

Insomnia Restaurant & Lounge 563 Bloor St. W 20% Discount for Festival Package Holders

P.J. O’Brien Irish Pub

For a more comprehensive list of our Hospitality Partners please visit imagineNATIVE.org and learn how to make the most out of your imagineNATIVE Festival experience!

39 Colborne St. 10% Discount for Festival Package Holders

visit

watchaptnlumi.ca to start your free trial 20

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ACCESSIBILITY

ACCESSIBILITY

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 via the Path to 2025. All staff and volunteers have completed AODA online training for more awareness and are attentive to our patrons’ needs.

Accessible Screenings

Health + Wellness Support

By Phone

OPEN CAPTIONS & SUBTITLES

imagineNATIVE greatly values the importance of healing and cultural safety. We understand that some content presented by imagineNATIVE may be upsetting or triggering for both direct and intergenerational survivors of trauma. For this reason, support workers will be available for council during both our in person and online Festival.

Phone: (888) 631- 6964

While we strive to offer Open Captions for all films in cinema and Closed Captions on all films online, there are some films that may be presented with English Subtitles only. Please refer to our online listings at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule for the most upto-date information on which screenings offer which type of readable text.

All of our venues are wheelchair accessible. All service animals, guide dogs, and support persons are welcome at our venues.

All screenings have assigned seating so guests can book the seat that is the most comfortable for them without worrying about arriving early and waiting in line. Please reach out to our accessibility coordinator at accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org if you need assistance.

RELAXED SCREENINGS

For more detailed information on our Festival accessibility, visit imagineNATIVE.org/about/accessibility

This means

These screenings allow guests with various accessibility needs to have a positive sensory friendly and inclusive experience at the Festival.

• Theatre lights are dimmed (not completely off).

During the weeks of both our in-person and online Festival, Ganohkwasra will also be available by phone.

October 24-30 | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

These services are for anyone, including nonIndigenous people, requiring emotional support or access to traditional medicines.

Support Services Provided by Ganohkwasra.

We will strive to provide verbal disclaimers during introductions for in person programs containing scenes of graphic violence, sexual violence, or dealing with issues of Indian residential schools. Please check our film listings online for up-to-date content warnings and ratings.

• Theatre sound levels are lower.

• No trailers or advertisements before the screening.

• A udience members can move in and out during the screening.

Accessibility Online Festival Format

In Person

• Silence is not expected.

This fall, we are excited to present our annual Festival in a hybrid edition!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa + Stellar 2:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

We will welcome artists and audiences back to Toronto/ Tkaronto for IN PERSON screenings and events from October 18-23.

Content Warning: Historical Trauma + some Flashing/Strobing Lights

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22

We will then move ONLINE to our screening platform from October 24-30 to ensure that we connect with those who aren’t yet able to attend in person offerings.

You will be able to visit (or revisit) select films featured the previous week as well as panels, Q&As, and special events recorded live during the in person Festival.

Short Program 4: Grandmother Moon 8:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Content Warning: Historical Trauma + Coarse Language, Sexual References or Slurs, Depictions of Domestic Abuse, Violence, Bloodletting, Torture, Mutilation or Criminal Activity, Nudity, Sexual Activity or Adult Themes

Please visit our website imagineNATIVE.org for the most up-to-date information on all our offerings for both versions of this year’s Festival.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room (2nd floor) 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room (2nd floor) 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room (2nd floor) 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studios (3rd floor) 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room (2nd floor) 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room (2nd floor) 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM

ASL INTERPRETATION Selected introductions and post-screening Q&As will be presented with ASL interpretation. Please look at our online listings for the most up-to-date offerings. imagineNATIVE.org/festival/schedule 22

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FESTIVAL VENUES

FESTIVAL VENUES EXHIBITIONS + ART CRAWL

SCREENINGS 1

Main screening venue, home to the iNdigital Space, TIFF Bell Lightbox October 18-23 350 King St. W Toronto, ON M5V 3X5

2

Industry Days Hub, Artscape Sandbox October 19-22 301 Adelaide St. W Toronto, ON M5V 2E8

8

Screening Venue, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema October 19 506 Bloor St. W Toronto, ON M5S 1Y3

3

401 Richmond St. W Toronto, ON M5V 3A8

4

199 Richmond St. West Mural: OCAD U, outdoors on the south wall of 100 McCaul St.

EVENTS 1

Awards, iNdigital Days, and Select Industryn Events, TIFF Bell Lightbox October 22, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM 350 King St. W Toronto, ON M5V 3X5

5

Opening Night Party, Ricarda’s Restaurant October 18, 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM 134 Peter St. Toronto, ON M5V 2H2

6

The Back Room and The Beat, Rivoli October 21, 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM 334 Queen St. W Toronto, ON M5V 2A2

7

Welcome Gathering, Daniels Spectrum October 18, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 585 Dundas St. E Toronto, ON M5A 2B7

ZONE 2

Dundas St E

Dundas St E

7 Wyatt St

River St

6

Nicholas Ave

St David St

Sumach St

Regent Park Blvd

Sackville St

Regent St

University Ave

St Patrick St

McCaul St

John St

Beverley St

Soho St

Spadina Ave

Bulwer St

Parliament St

ZONE 1

Shuter St

Queen St W

Queen St W Peter St

5

Osgoode

ZONE 3

Richmond St W

Richmond St W

London St Dalton Rd

25

Robert St

St. Andrew

Major St

Brunswick Ave

24

Borden St

King St

Bloor St Bathurst St

King St

8

Markham St

1

Bathurst

Palmerston Blvd

Simcoe St

Pearl St

Duncan St

John St

Widmer St

2

University Ave

Adelaide St W Peter St

Charlotte St

Spadina Ave

Adelaide St W

Howland Ave

Nelson St

Lippincott St

3

Albany Ave

4

BOX OFFICE

BOX OFFICE

IN PERSON FESTIVAL

ONLINE FESTIVAL

PACKAGES

PRICE

WHAT YOU GET

Single Package

$150

One ticket to all film screenings and special events* Includes online All Access Pass

Dual Package

$250

Two tickets to all film screenings and special events* Includes two online All Access Passes

Festival Supporter Package

$225

Everything offered in the Single Package, plus get a tax receipt for $75

PRICE

WHAT YOU GET

Online Pass

$50

Access to all films** offered on our online platform October 24-30.

Single Ticket

$6

Access to the selected film until the end of the festival

**Please note the availability of films in your country is subject to the film's geoblocking - please see our online listings for more information

*Tickets are subject to availability, even to package holders, so make sure you book your tickets early!

How To Purchase Early Bird Special All package holders can book 10 tickets from September 23 to 30 before they go on sale to the general public!!

SINGLE TICKETS

REGULAR

STUDENTS/SENIORS WITH ID

Screenings

$10

$6

Welcome Gathering

Free, Ticketed**

Free, Ticketed**

Opening Night Party

$15

$10

Friday, October 21 – TD Free Friday

Free, Ticketed**

Free, Ticketed**

The Beat

$15

$10

Awards Presentation

Free, Ticketed**

Free, Ticketed**

**All film screenings on Friday, October 21 are FREE. Tickets to TD Free Friday screenings can be collected in person on the Friday between 1:00 PM and 10:00 PM at the imagineNATIVE Box Office located at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Limit of two tickets per person. This initiative has been made possible by the generous support of the TD Bank Group.

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IN PERSON

ONLINE

October 18 - 23

August 9 All packages on sale

2:00 PM - 10:00 PM

October 1-30 Single tickets on sale

imagineNATIVE Box Office at TIFF Bell Lightbox

imagineNATIVE.org/ festival/box-office/

RUSH TICKETS:

HST EXEMPTION

There are NO rush tickets available this year; however, a limited number of tickets for each screening will be held at the in person Box Office for same day purchase.

For Status card holders, please email boxoffice@imagineNATIVE.org if you wish to use your Status card to purchase packages or tickets online.

Otherwise, you can visit the imagineNATIVE Box Office in person starting October 18 and present your Status card when purchasing tickets or packages.

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VOLUNTEER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT imagineNATIVE Volunteers!

Nia:wen, Miigwech, ᑭᓇᓈᐢᑯᒥᑎᓈᐚᐤ, Thank you!

The 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival would not be possible without the generous support given by our very special community of volunteers This year’s unique two-week hybrid Festival required our volunteers to double their time and efforts.

We offer a sincere THANK YOU to all our volunteers and we hope everyone will extend their gratitude to them throughout the Festival. imagineNATIVE welcomes volunteers year-round and greatly appreciates their countless contributions and ongoing support. If you would like to join the team, apply on our website: imagineNATIVE.org/about/ volunteer . If you need accommodations reach out at volunteer@imagineNATIVE.org or call 416 585 2333 x 5.

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OCT 18

OPENING NIGHT FILM

TUESDAY 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors)

Director/Writer: Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neet’saii Gwich’in) Co-writer: James C. Johnson III Producers: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee Nation), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

USA | 2021 | 6 min Gwich’in | Documentary Short

Princess Daazhraii Johnson lives on the traditional territory of lower Tanana Dene lands in Alaska. She is the Creative Producer for the Peabody award-winning PBS Kids series Molly of Denali.

A grandfather teaches his granddaughter, a young Gwich’in mother named Alisha, how reciprocity is embedded in all aspects of life. The northern lights warm the caribou; the caribou helps feed and sustain the community; the community honours the connections.

OPENING NIGHT FILM

Stellar

Darlene Naponse is an Anishinaabe writer, director, and video artist from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario. Her work is placed within Indigenous community and the Natural World. Her previous films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Her previous feature, Falls Around Her, opened imagineNATIVE in 2018 where it won the Audience Choice Award. Stellar is her fourth feature film.

As a meteorite changes the planet outside, two lovers find each other in a small bar in Northern Ontario.

Across their bodies and spirits, the star-crossed couple transcend the traumas of one world and find a path to a new one. Stellar observes human notions of connection between oneself, other people, and Mother Earth.

Relaxed Screening

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2:45 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2:45 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

OCT 18

Director/Writer/Producer: Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe) Producer: Paula Devonshire (Mohawk)

Canada | 2022 | 87 min English & Ojibway | Dramatic Feature Historical Trauma, Excessive Flashing/Strobing Lights

Relaxed Screening

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TUESDAY 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

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OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

Short films that celebrate a youth perspective of the world. At times serious and surreal but most often humorous and imaginative, the films in this program explore how children and youth grapple with selfacceptance and cultural pride, peer pressure and adolescence, family disconnection and reconnection, and growing into roles of community leadership and ecological responsibility.

A Morning with Aroha

Director/Writer/Producer: Nicholas Riini (Māori)

New Zealand | 2021 | 11 min English | Dramatic Short Course Language

Nicholas Riini is a filmmaker based in Aotearoa (New Zealand) that has worked in the film industry for over 20 years. They have written and directed two short films: Our Secret in 2007 and Koro in 2018.

Aroha wants to share her creativity with her neighbours.

Her imaginations come to life for everyone to enjoy.

Hi, My Name is Lilliana

Director/Writer/Producer: Lilliana Rice (Páyomkawichm)

USA | 2022 | 3 min English | Documentary Short

Lilliana Rice is a two-spirit student filmmaker from the San Luis Rey Band of the Páyomkawichm tribe.

Growing up with a dream of continuing the sacred tradition of storytelling, Lilliana has found the same power through filmmaking.

Lilliana embarks on her dream career with full knowledge of the challenges ahead of her. She addresses the difficulties and wins of being in the animation world while being Indigenous.

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OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Tsiiyééł (Hair Bun)

Directors: Austin Jimmy (Diné), Hailee Bekis (Diné), Shanique Yazzie (Diné)

USA | 2022 | 4 min Navajo & English | Experimental Short

From a small town in the Navajo Nation, Shanique Yazzie, Hailee Bekis, and Austin Jimmy co-direct their first film. Their film Tsiiyééł has been screened at the Native Indigenous Student Academy for Cinematic Arts, Navajo Film Festival, and the 43 CineFestival in San Antonio.

A Diné teenager is feeling down. She decides to go on a run wearing her Tsiiyééł, a traditional Diné hair bun. On her run, she is followed by a doppelgänger — a darker version of herself. In the end, she must draw strength from her culture to overcome her identity conflict and embrace who she is.

FEYENTUAFIYIÑ

Director/Writer: Escuela de cine y comunicacion Mapuche Aylla Rewe Budi Chile (Mapuche)

Chile | 2021 | 9 min Mapuzungun | Documentary Short

Since 2011, the Mapuche School of Filmmaking and Communication of the Aylla Rewe Budi has been training Mapuche youth to collectively create short films from within their territory to share with their people and the world.

Feyentuafiyiñ Bafkence Kimvn is an act of reciprocal communication between gvbamtucefe (those who give advice) and pvcikece (children). This Mapuche community shares the importance of listening to the energies of the earth, an act that achieves reciprocity, peace, and wellbeing.

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OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Kikino Kids

Director/Writer: Barry Bilinsky (Métis/Cree)

Canada | 2022 | 14 min English | Dramatic Short

Barry Bilinksy is a professional theatre creator of Cree, Métis, and Ukrainian heritage. Based in Montréal, he has worked across Canada on projects centred primarily around the proliferation of Indigenous arts, artists, and collaborations.

From the imagination of Kikino youth in the Kikino Métis Settlement, Kikino Kids follows the story of rebellious friends, star-crossed lovers, and brave explorers coming together to discover how connected they truly are.

Proowa (Yucca)

Director/Writer: Stefany Mendinueta (Chimila)

Colombia | 2022 | 6 min Spanish | Dramatic Short

Stefany Mendinueta is an emerging filmmaker from the Chimila Community on the northern coast of Colombia. She has taken part in workshops such as the StoryLab Skills Training for Democratised Film Industries.

Rita is an 18-year-old girl who sees many problems in her community, so she runs as a candidate for the position of Council within her community to fight for the improvement of the living conditions of the Indigenous Chimilas.

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OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Manu Masters

Director/Writer: Te Waiarangi Ratana (Tūhoe)

New Zealand | 2022 | 18 min English | Dramatic Short

Te Waiarangi Ratana is an emerging filmmaker of Tūhoe descent. As an assistant director, Te Waiarangi has worked on productions including Wellington Paranormal, Mystic, Mr. Corman, Avatar, Millie Lies Low, Colonial Combat, and Savage.

A coming-of-age comedy, Manu Masters must learn how to bomb Matua Pai to save both his reputation and his self-esteem.

OCT 19

Program 1: Little Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

First Time Home

Directors/Writers: Esmeralda Ventura (Triqui), Esmirna Librado (Triqui), Heriberto Ventura (Triqui), Noemi Librado-Sanchez (Triqui)

USA | 2021 | 29 min Triqui, Spanish & English | Documentary Short

Esmeralda Ventura was born in and lives in California but travels to Washington State every summer to work the blueberry harvest with her family. In her free time, she enjoys doing arts and crafts.

When they learn their grandfather is gravely ill, four cousins travel from their Indigenous Triqui immigrant community in California to their ancestral village in Mexico for the first time.

Esmirna Librado was born in California. She lives in Washington State, where she studies at the community college and is raising her two-year-old. She received the San Martin Indigenous Immigrant (SMI) scholarship and aspires to become a nurse.

Heriberto Ventura was born in Washington State.

He now primarily lives in California but travels to Washington every summer to work the harvest with his parents. He enjoys travelling with his family.

Noemi Librado Sanchez was born in California and lives in Washington State. She enjoys playing softball and wrestling and is a first-year student at Eastern Washington University. She is working on a graphic novel about her life and plans to study journalism.

The Voyager’s Legacy

Director/Writer: Bailey Poching (Ngāti Whatua) Producers: Madeleine Hakaraia de Young (Ngāti Kapu), Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Kapu), Matilda Poasa (Samoa)

New Zealand | 2022 | 10 min English | Dramatic Short Historical Trauma

Bailey Poching, of Maori and Samoan descent, is the writer/director of The Voyager’s Legacy. Bailey is pursuing his dream to tell different stories about brown Pacific people.

Set during the time of the Dawn Raids, The Voyagers Legacy follows the three youngest children of a Samoan family as they reimagine their bustling Ponsonby home as a magical, whimsical fairytale world of swords and sorcery.

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OCT 19

Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 19

Program 2: Twin Stars

This program is all about love — platonic, romantic, or familial. It celebrates the multiplicity of ways humans (and in some instances, non-humans) form relational bonds filled with love, loss, support, heartache, joy, and humour. Viewed together, they reveal that our desire for companionship is a universal experience, one that binds us across the space-time continuum.

Better At Texting

Director/Writer/Producer: Mary Galloway (Cowichan)

Canada | 2021 | 11 min English | Dramatic Short Course Language

Mary Galloway is an award-winning, filmmaker, actor, and fierce trailblazer, of mixed Cowichan and settler descent, paving the way for Indigiqueer content creation. Galloway bravely tells stories that represent marginalized communities in a heartfelt, entertaining, and enlightening manner.

Trinity, a radical Indigenous feminist, and Addison, a devout Black Mormon, are forced to work together on a school project. They soon discover they have more in common than either cares to admit.

Braided Together

Directors/Writers: Victoria Anderson-Gardner (Anishinaabe), Kyle Schmalenberg

Canada | 2022 | 16 min English | Dramatic Short

Victoria Anderson-Gardner is an award-winning, queer Ojibwe filmmaker and activist from Eagle Lake First Nation, Ontario.

Two new friends find that their friendship means more than they realize. One is supported through loneliness while the other is supported through deep grief.

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OCT 19

Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Once Upon a Time in the Bay

Director/Writer: Judith Kanatahawi Schuyler (Oneida) Producers: Renae Maihi (Te Arawa/Ngapuhi), Shareph Breakwell (Tainui)

New Zealand | 2022 | 10 min English, Māori & Oneida | Dramatic Short Sexual References and Slurs

Judith Schuyler is an emerging Oneida filmmaker whose perspective is grounded solidly in her First Nations identity. She is currently working full time developing her craft in screenwriting and directing and has recently completed her dramatic gay comedy short film, Once Upon a Time In The Bay, shot in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Two LGBTQ+ Indigenous friends search desperately for fellow gay people in a straight-ass New Zealand beach town.

Nimeshkanaminan (Our way)

Directors/Writers: Laura Fontaine (Innu), Yasmine Fontaine (Innu)

Canada | 2020 | 6 min Innu-aimun & French | Documentary Short

Laura Fontaine is a student in arts, literature and communication at the Kiuna Institute. She grew up between her community and the nutshimit, which allowed her to live in the territory for several months with her parents.

Two young Innu women take up the old roads of the past to revive the identity of their Nation. A tribute to the Elders, the territory and the Innu people.

Yasmine Fontaine is Innu f rom the Mani-Utenam community and Egyptian. She has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology f rom Université Laval and is thus progressing in cultural reappropriation through her involvement.

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Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Seeds

OCT 19

Directors/Writers/Producers: Morningstar Angeline (Navajo/Chippewa/Blackfeet/Latinx), Ajuawak Kapashesit (Anishinaabe/Cree)

USA | 2021 | 12 min English | Dramatic Short

Morningstar Angeline is an actor, writer, director, and producer. They are a Sundance Indigenous Lab Fellow, Native American Feature Writers Lab Fellow, and an imagineNATIVE Director’s Lab Fellow. They are currently developing their feature film, Rowdy by Nature.

Without parents to guide them, Loretta and Raven reflect on the love their parents modelled and the grief of their loss. While one finds catharsis in their mother’s old VHS camera, the other struggles with a potential pregnancy.

Ajuawak Kapashesit is an actor, screenwriter, playwright, and director for stage and screen. In 2018, he was an Indigenous Film Opportunity Fellow with the Sundance Film Institute and a finalist for the Sundance Indigenous Filmmaker’s Fellowship.

Chaac and Yum

Directors/Producers: Roberto Fatal (Raramuri/Tewa Pueblo), XAV S-F (Piru/Tigua) Writers: SnowFlake Arizmendi (Tzotzil/Yaqui/Raramuri), XAV S&F (Piru/Tigua)

USA | 2021 | 12 min English & Spanish | Dramatic Short Nudity, Sexual Activity, Adult Themes

Roberto Fatal is a Two-Spirit, nonbinary filmmaker. They are a Sundance Indigenous Film Lab album and a current imagineNATIVE Feature Film Director's Lab Fellow.

This erotic drama tells a story about two queer, Mayandescended Two-Spirits who meet at a queer San Francisco bar. Upon touching and dancing with one another, they realize their connection is ancient.

Xav S-F serves Indigenous communities of the San Francisco Bay with the BAAIT-S Two-Spirits Powwow. As a House Artist at Counterpulse SF, she co-presented the Weaving Spirits Two-Spirit Performance Festival.

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OCT 19

Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The Old Man Next Door

Director/Writer/Producer: Aidan Otene Dickens (Ngāpuhi) Co-producer: Tamas Molnar

New Zealand | 2020 | 15 min English & Maori | Dramatic Short War Flashbacks, Mental Health Trauma

Aidan Dickens is a Wellington-based director that has numerous short films and music videos to his credit which have featured in film festivals both locally and internationally. His script The Old Man Next Door was a finalist in the 2018 Fresh Shorts funding round through the New Zealand Film Commission.

Matiu, a war veteran who struggles with PTSD, notices his only visitor, a shy student from next door who struggles with mental health issues, has stopped taking her medication. As she spirals out of control, Matiu must find the strength to save her or remain a prisoner of his fear.

​​Li HiNG MUi

Program 2: Twin Stars

WEDNESDAY 3:15 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Dead Bird Hearts

Director/Writer: Thomas Ryan RedCorn (Wazhazhe) Producer: Joseph Brown Thunder (Lakota/Hochunk)

USA | 2022 | 19 min English | Dramatic Short Violence

Ryan RedCorn is a Wazhazhe filmmaker from Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and a writer on Reservation Dogs. He co-founded the 1491s, an all-Indigenous comedy troupe, and is the co-owner of Buffalo Nickel Creative.

A love story between an incompetent Indigenous man and his dog after being made homeless after a breakup

Director/Writer/Producer: Kanani Koster (Kanaka Maoli) Co-producer: Travis Baron

USA | 2021 | 9 min ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi & English | Dramatic Short Bloodletting, Coarse Language

Kanani Koster is a director based in PDX/LAX and a 2024 American Film Institute Directing Fellow. Kanani is the 2020 Oregon Made Film Grant winner for the docushort Any Oregon Sunday and a 2020 Portland Arts Museum Re: Imagined Artist recipient.

Eric and Chris, Kanaka Maoli brothers raised on the mainland, have always managed to find trouble when together. With their latest scheme and longtime dream of retiring on the Islands, their bond is tested as kāne (men) and keiki (kids).

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OCT 19

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OCT 19

A Winter Love

WEDNESDAY 5:45 PM - 7:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

A Winter Love

Director/Writer/Producer: Rhiana Yazzie (Diné)

USA | 2021 | 93 min English | Dramatic Feature Coarse Language, Recollections of Sexual Abuse

Rhiana Yazzie is a 2021 Lanford Wilson and 2020 Steinberg Award-winning playwright, director, and filmmaker. Her first feature film, A Winter Love, is touring the global film festival circuit this year, and she is in pre-production on her second feature, Wounspe Wankatya: A College Education.

Blue, a Navajo singer-songwriter, has lost her creative spark to a series of bad relationships and the harsh Minneapolis winter. But when she meets a younger guy Eddie, a 25-year-old Lakota law school dropout, she feels like she’s regained her edge only to find it slip away from her again when she discovers Eddie’s love was never his to give in the first place. A Winter Love is a modern-day, inter-tribal love story that shows true love is found in the season you love yourself.

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OCT 19

Whetū Mārama - Bright Star

WEDNESDAY 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Whetū Mārama - Bright Star

Directors/Writers/Producers: Toby Mills (Ngāti Hinerangi), Aileen O’Sullivan

New Zealand | 2021 | 94 min English & Māori | Documentary Feature Toby Mills has worked extensively in the film and television industry for over 25 years, with some 20 mainstream documentaries to his credit as well as numerous series and other film projects, including the first Māori language short film Te Po Uriuri/The Enveloping Night. Works include Black Grace, Waka Warriors, Mending the Mākotuku, The Russians are Coming and The Negotiators. Many have screened at international film festivals in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, and Finland.

Polynesians were the most adventurous voyagers on earth. They sailed the vast Pacific by the stars. But these ancient arts were lost for 600 years. Then the stars realigned, and three men from far-flung islands met by chance. Nainoa Thompson from Hawai'i, Mau Pialug from Satawal, and Hek Busby from Aotearoa (New Zealand). Together they revived the Polynesians' place as the greatest navigators on the planet.

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OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Spirit Emulsion

Director/Writer/Producer: Siku Allooloo (Inuit/Taíno) Co-producer: Jessica Hallenbeck

Program 3: Big Stars

Elders are our past, present, and future. Without them, our language(s) and the worldview(s) contained within them would be lost. This program is an expression of gratitude for the generosity of spirit Elders show in passing on their knowledge through teachings embedded in the ways they guide, lead, act, speak, and love.

Canada | 2022 | 7 min English & Hiwatahia | Documentary Short

Siku Allooloo is an award-winning filmmaker and an interdisciplinary artist, writer, decolonial advocate, and community builder. She comes from Denendeh (Northwest Territories), by way of Haiti and Mittimatalik, Nunavut.

An Indigenous woman’s connection to the spirit world activates Taíno culture and presence, revealing a realm unseen. Super 8 film, developed with plant medicines, connects the earth to the cosmos as flowers portray family love and ancestral sovereignty extending into the future.

Kicking the Clouds

Director/Producer/Writer: Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk)

USA | 2021 | 16 min English & Luiseño | Documentary Short

Sky Hopinka is a video artist, filmmaker, and educator.

His video, photo, and text work centre around personal positions of Indigenous homeland and landscape and designs of language as containers of culture expressed through personal, documentary, and non-fiction forms of media.

A reflection on descendants and ancestors, Kicking the Clouds is centred on a 50-year-old cassette tape of a Pechanga language lesson between the director’s grandmother and great-grandmother and is contextualized by an interview with his mother in his Pacific Northwest hometown.

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OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) Colombia | 2022 | 7 min Wayuu | Documentary Short During a visit with her sister Amaliata, Rosa, a wise Wayuu woman, teaches her grandchildren the importance of reciprocity within their culture.

Noongom Canada | 2020 | 2 min English | Experimental Short

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Director/Screenplay Adapted by: David Hernández Palmar (Wayuu) Original Story by: Flor Palmar (Wayuu) Producers: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

Kokum, with love.

Director/Writer/Producer: Kim Stadfeld (Ojibway)

David Hernández Palmar is a producer, photographer, filmmaker, and curator of Latin American and Caribbean film specializing in Indigenous film/ Coordinator of emerging filmmakers professional development programme If Not Us Then Who?/Political Advisor to CLACPI.

Flora Bear’s youngest granddaughter searches for truth and answers about her Indigenous grandmother’s life.

This short documentary is the filmmaker’s personal journey of discovery to honour her late grandmother’s life and understand her family history.

Director/Writer/Producer: Nathan Adler (Anishinaabe)

We are not speaking the same language

Nathan Adler is an artist, writer, editor, and filmmaker.

He is the author of Wrist and Ghost Lake and co-editor of Bawaajigan ~ Stories of Power (Exile Editions).

The domestic kitchen sounds and conversations that capture moments in time, the ephemeral passing of everyday mundane experiences, and dealing with loss.

Canada | 2022 | 12 min Canada | 2022 | 12 min English & Saulteaux | Documentary Short Historical Trauma, Grief

Kim Stadfeld is an Anishinaabe woman (she/her), a devoted mother and grandmother, a lifelong learner, and spiritual seeker, who is passionate about art, new media, Indigenous storytelling, and family histories.

Director/Writer: Danika St-Laurent (Ojibwe-Cree) Danika St-Laurent is an Ojibwe-Cree (Saulteaux) from Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan. She is presently working at Wapikoni Mobile as the Digital Activities Outreach Coordinator and created her first film with the Virtual Studio during the second cohort of the 2021-2022 season named We are not speaking the same language.

Canada | 2021 | 9 min English | Documentary Short ​​ Thinking back on her only phone call with her maternal grandmother, Danika explains her connection to her Indigenous identity (and her grandmother) through beadwork.

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OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

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OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Nukum Mary (My grandmother Mary)

Director/Writer: Normand Junior Tshirnish (Innu)

Canada | 2021 | 7 min Innu-aimun | Documentary Short

Normand Junior Tshirnish is an Innu from the community of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam. To escape the harshness of life on the reserve when he was young, cinema became his refuge. In 2021, he made his first film with Wapikoni Mobile.

A Naskapi grandmother passes on to her Innu granddaughter her experience, knowledge, and culture, as well as the patience and meticulousness that have characterized the first peoples of Canada for thousands of years.

Nimosôm (My Grandfather)

WEDNESDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Ngaluk Waangkiny (Us Talking)

Directors/Writers: Ian Wilkes (Noongar), Poppy van Oorde-Grainger

Australia | 2021 | 12 min English | Documentary Short Historical Trauma

Ian Wilkes is a Noongar theatre maker, dancer, and performer. He has directed several plays and performed numerous lead roles.

Ngaluk Waangkiny follows the journey of a courageous group of Aboriginal Elders living on Whadjuk Noongar boodja as they fight for respect, recognition, and acknowledgement from the City of Perth.

Director/Writer: Bruce Giizhig Barry (Ojibway) Producer: Mabel M. Howse (Metis)

Canada | 2022 | 15 min English & Cree | Documentary Short Historical Trauma

Bruce Giizhig Barry is a Canadian Anishinaabe/ Ojibway writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. His film work is known for robust visual narratives grounded in authentic individual and collective stories of Indigenous people, animals, and others.

Two 14-year-old boys, friends since birth, talk of Mosôm, their grandfather, why they love him, and how important he is in their lives – teaching language, traditional beliefs, and significance, providing for family by learning how to harvest a moose.

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OCT 19

Program 3: Big Stars

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OCT 19

Bring Her Home

WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

waawiyebii’ige: She Draws a Circle

Director/Writer/Producer: Jaime Black (Anishinaabe)

Canada | 2021 | 5 min No Dialogue | Experimental Short

Jaime Black is a multidisciplinary artist of mixed Anishinaabe and European descent. Black’s art practice engages in themes of memory, identity, place, and resistance and is grounded in an understanding of the body and the land as sources of cultural and spiritual knowledge.

She Draws a Circle reflects on the work of generations of women to interrupt cycles of violence and oppression, looking to the ways in which our spiritual connections to the land and to one another help us hold space for regenerative healing, bringing the hidden to light, and drawing on that light to encircle each successive generation.

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OCT 19

Bring Her Home

WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Bring Her Home

Director: ​​Leya Hale (Dakota/Diné) Producer: Sergio Mata’u Rapu (Rapanui)

USA | 2021 | 56 min English & Dakota | Documentary Feature MMIW2S, Historical Trauma, Adult Themes

​​Leya Hale comes from the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Diné Nations. She is a producer for Twin Cities PBS and is best known for her first feature documentary, The People’s Protectors, a Vision Maker Media grant production and winner of the 2019 Upper Midwest Emmy Award for Best Cultural Documentary.

Bring Her Home follows three Indigenous women — an artist, an activist, and a politician — as they fight to vindicate and honour their missing and murdered relatives who have fallen victim to a growing epidemic across Indian country. Despite the lasting effects of historical trauma, each woman must search for healing while navigating the racist systems that brought about this very crisis.

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OCT 19

Program 4: Grandmother Moon

WEDNESDAY 9:15 PM - 10:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 19

Program 4: Grandmother Moon

WEDNESDAY 9:15 PM - 10:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Rose

Director/Writer: Roxann Karonhiarokwas Whitebean (Kanienkeha’ka) Producer: Jason Brennan (Anishinabe)

Program 4: Grandmother Moon

Just as Grandmother Moon cares for us, this program illuminates the care-taking women do as grannies, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, lovers, and friends.

The films in the program grapple with both joyous and painful issues, such as birth work, medicine teachings, domestic violence, the Sixties Scoop, MMIWG2S, and sexual liberation. We ARE strong, resilient Indigenous women.

Canada | 2022 | 25 min English & Mohawk | Dramatic Short Historical Trauma

​​Roxann Whitebean is a formidable media artist who hails from the Mohawk Territories of Kahnawà:ke and Akwesasne. She made her directorial debut in 2014 and is represented by Vanguarde Artists Management LTD.

Rose is the story of a sixteen-year-old, pregnant Indigenous girl pulled from her community and placed in a church to be overseen in her last weeks of pregnancy. When she delivers her child, it will be taken from her and put into a Canadian home by decree of an Indian Agent.

In Good Hands

Director/Writer/Producer: Vanda Fleury (Métis)

Canada | 2021 | 4 min English & Anishinaabemowin | Documentary Short

Vanda Fleury (Red River Métis) is a film and photovoice artist who weaves story work with memories, cultural knowledge, and documentary heritage. Her children and the narratives of her ancestors are enduring sources of creative motivation.

A Métis woman’s expression of birth sovereignty, punctuated by intimate experiences of motherhood and cultural knowledge. She traces the storylines of identity to ancestral birth work.

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OCT 19

Program 4: Grandmother Moon

WEDNESDAY 9:15 PM - 10:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

At Each Night

Director/Writer/Producer: Marie-Josée Tremblay (Anishinaabe)

Canada | 2020 | 3 min English | Experimental Short Sexual Assault

​​Marie-Josée Tremblay is Algonquin and originally from Montréal. She is a photographer, singer-songwriter, actress, and painter. Marie-Josée is passionate about repertory cinema. She has directed four short films in black and white: documentary, fiction, and animation.

At Each Night shares the haunting thoughts that go through the mind of someone who is living with the trauma of sexual assault.

Dogwood (Sipinikimm)

Director/Producer/Writer: Maya Rose Dittloff (Blackfeet/Mandan)

USA | 2021 | 15 min English & Blackfoot | Dramatic Short Coarse Language, Domestic Abuse

Maya Rose Dittloff (Many Pipes Woman) is a Mandan, Hidatsa, and Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet) writer, director, and producer. She has worked in independent film to AMC/AMC+. In 2022, Maya was chosen for The Indigenous List and works as a fellow for the Native American Media Alliance Showrunner Training Program.

Dogwood centres on the strength of Indigenous women and how families and communities find healing in traditional medicines when one of their own has experienced domestic violence.

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OCT 19

Program 4: Grandmother Moon

WEDNESDAY 9:15 PM - 10:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

No Spectators Allowed

Director/Writer/Producer: Kanani Koster (Kanaka Maoli) Co-producer: Chelsea Unsbee

USA | 2021 | 17 min English | Dramatic Short Violence, Torture, Historical Trauma

Kanani Koster is a director based in PDX/LAX and a 2024 American Film Institute Directing Fellow. Kanani is the 2020 Oregon Made Film Grant winner for the docushort Any Oregon Sunday and a 2020 Portland Arts Museum Re: Imagined Artist recipient.

A true-crime podcast host sits down with an Indigenous woman to record her sister’s cold case, but their intentions for telling the story come to a head as they examine the night in question.

The Daily Life of Mistress Red

Director/Writer: Peshawn Rae Bread (Comanche) Producer: Jhane Myers (Comanche)

USA | 2021 | 11 min English | Dramatic Short Nudity, Sexual Activity and Adult Themes, Coarse Language

Peshawn Bread is a Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee, queer filmmaker who likes to create films that touch on sexuality, humorous experiences, and Indigenous lifestyles.

The Daily Life of Mistress Red is a mockumentary that explores the world of kink, Indigenous women, and defeating white supremacy on one’s own terms.

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OCT 19

Bones of Crows

WEDNESDAY 9:30 PM - 11:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 5: Guiding Stars

THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 5: Guiding Stars

This program acknowledges adults taking on leadership roles, whether it be within their families or their communities, to pass on stories, teachings, traditions, and making practices to the next generation. As the relational bridge between Elders and youth, they play a pivotal role in cultural revitalization and Indigenous thrivance.

Bones of Crows

Director: Marie Clements (Métis) Producers: Marie Clements (Métis), Christine Haebler, Trish Dolman

Canada | 2022 | 127 minutes English, Cree, ʔayʔajuθəm & Italian | Dramatic Feature Residential Schools, Child Abuse, Sexual and Psychological Abuse + Racism

Marie Clements was born in Vancouver. A writer and showrunner, as well as a director, her works have screened at Cannes, TIFF, MOMA, WIFF, Whistler Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival, and imagineNATIVE. As a playwright, she has presented on some of the most prestigious stages, both nationally and internationally. She has garnered numerous awards and publications. Bones of Crows is her second feature film.

Bones of Crows is a psychological drama told through the eyes of Cree Matriarch Aline Spears, as she survives Canada's Residential School System to continue her family's generational fight in the face of systemic starvation, racism, and sexual abuse. Bones of Crows unfolds over one hundred years with a cumulative force that propels us into the future.

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OCT 20

OCT 20

Program 5: Guiding Stars

THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught)

Director/Writer: Brit Hensel (Cherokee) Producer: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

USA | 2022 | 9 min English & Tsalagi | Documentary Short Please be aware that this film contains the use of medicine masks

Brit Hensel is a Tulsa-based filmmaker whose work focuses on Indigenous storytelling and environmental justice. She directed and produced the documentary films Zibi Yajdan (2019) and Native and American (2017).

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an Elder and first language speaker. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ circles the intersection of tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance.

Ma’s House

Director/Writer: Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock) Co-Writer: Sauli Pillay Producer: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

USA | 2021 | 8 min English | Documentary Short Land Theft, Displacement

Jeremy Dennis is a contemporary fine art photographer and a tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, New York. In his work, he explores Indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation.

Ma’s House was once the heart of the community. Ma’s grandson, artist and photographer Jeremy Dennis, is on a quest to restore the family home to its central role in the community as a gathering place for a new generation of diverse artists.

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Program 5: Guiding Stars

THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Ts’oostsitsi (Years Ago)

OCT 20

Director/Writer/Producer: Adam Solway (Blackfoot)

Canada | 2022 | 14 min English | Documentary Short

Adam Solway is an emerging Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation, Alberta. He is working to become a writer, director, and cinematographer. His films feature Blackfoot perspectives, stories, and experiences.

Ts’oostsitsi is a Blackfoot word used to describe the past. The film profiles Ike Solway and his responsibility to continue storytelling in his family. Ike recounts a powerful experience had by his grandfather. What follows is a story that echoes through generations.

Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come)

Directors: Brianna Smith (Passamaquoddy), Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy) Producers: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

USA | 2022 | 12 min English | Documentary Short

Brianna Smith grew up in Sipayik. She is a mother, aunt, friend, youth mentor, and photographer well known for capturing memories of her friends, family, and community.

Revitalizing cultural practices kept from their elders, Peskotomuhkati young people lead an intergenerational process of healing through the reclamation of athasikuwi-pisun: tattoo medicine.

Geo Neptune is a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe from Indian Township, Maine, and is a master basketmaker, a drag queen, an activist, and an educator.

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OCT 20

Program 5: Guiding Stars

THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

The Barber

Director/Writer/Producer: Kathleen Mantel (Ngāti Kahungunu)

New Zealand | 2021 | 28 min English | Documentary Short Adult Themes, Suicide

Kathleen Mantel is a multiaward-winning documentary filmmaker. She is passionate about telling stories about the human condition and what makes people tick.

A documentary series about Barber Peleti OliAlainu’uese and the Māori and Pacific community of men who frequent his Hastings barbershop.

Heartbeat of a Nation

Program 5: Guiding Stars

THURSDAY 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Te Ringa a Turoa (The Hand of Turoa)

Director/Writer/Producer: Bella-Wai Tipene (Māori)

New Zealand | 2021 | 7 min Te Reo Māori & English | Documentary Short

Bella-Wai Tipene is a passionate storyteller who enjoys the odd and the diversity of life. She enjoys the challenge of finding unique stories, and she is a fluent bilingual speaker of English and Te Reo Māori, as well as a well-travelled globetrotter with an interest in languages like Spanish.

A rural master wood carver and his eager to learn whānaunga (relative) discuss the roots of whakairo (carving), where it comes from, how to develop it, the importance of it, and the whakairo process.

Director/Writer: Eric Janvier (Dene) Producer: Coty Savard (Metis)

Canada | 2022 | 20 min English | Documentary Short

Eric Janvier is a multihyphenate filmmaker who has found space in both the narrative and documentary fields. He trained at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California.

In the Northern Alberta community of Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation, a father teaches his son how to create a caribou drum.

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Artist Spotlight: Shelley Niro

THURSDAY 3:30 PM - 5:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 20

Artist Spotlight: Shelley Niro

Kissed by Lightning

Canada | 2009 | 89 min English | Dramatic Feature Trauma, Grief

Director/Writer: Shelley Niro (Mohawk)

Mavis Dogblood is a Mohawk painter from Canada haunted by the tragic death of her husband, who was hit by lightning. She paints the stories he used to tell her, but she can’t come to grips with her loss. It is only after she drives to New York City for an art opening, travelling across what were her ancestors’ tribal lands, that Mavis reconciles herself to her new life.

Shelley Niro was born in Niagara Falls, New York.

Shelley is a member of the Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk and Six Nations Reserve. Niro is a practicing artist, concentrating on painting, photography, and film. In 2017, Niro was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Governor General award in Visual Art, The Reveal Award from The Hnatyshyn Foundation, Dreamcatcher’s Visual Award, and the Scotiabank Photography Award. In 2020, Niro was presented with the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Foundation.

Exhibition: Calling Through the Trees pg. 159

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OCT 20

Program 6: Milky Way

THURSDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 6: Milky Way

THURSDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 20

Program 6: Milky Way

This program explores our relationship to the Spirit World by delving into how we grieve and mourn the loss of a loved one. Death looms in heavy and humourous ways in this program, illuminating that often there are a range of ways we cope with loss.

And while Death is a universal experience, it is one that often has the power to bring families together.

Night

Director/Writer: Ahmad Saleh (Bedouin)

Palestine | 2021 | 16 min Arabic | Dramatic Short Ongoing Historical Trauma, Grief

Ahmad Saleh is a Palestinian/German writer and director. His first film, House (2012), was nominated for the German Short Film Award and his second film, Ayny (2016), won the Student Academy Award. Recently he finished his third short film, Night, and is developing his first feature.

The dust of war keeps the eyes sleepless. Night brings peace and sleep to all the people in the broken town.

Only the eyes of the mother of the missing child stay resilient. Night has to trick her into sleeping to save her soul.

The Fire

Director/Writer: Roger Boyer (Saulteaux) Producer: Eva Thomas (Shawnee)

Canada | 2022 | 6 min English | Drama Short Grief

Roger Boyer is an Indigenous producer, writer, and director based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Colin & Marie are mourning the loss of their father/ husband, Bruce, but tonight he comes to visit Colin in a dream with an important message

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OCT 20

Program 6: Milky Way

THURSDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Good Grief

Director: Stefany Mathias (Squamish) Writer/Producer: Sarah Kelley (Anishinaabe) Co-producer: Jessie Anthony (Onondaga)

Canada | 2021 | 15 min English | Dramatic Short Coarse Language

Stefany Mathias is an actor/filmmaker with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia in theatre and is attending the Vancouver Film School for filmmaking.

Rebecca, an Indigenous woman, must return to her childhood home to repair past family relationships with her Caucasian family after she receives news that her grandmother has died.

Tooly

Director/Writer: Karla Hart (Noongar) Producer: Cody Greenwood (Noongar)

Australia | 2021 | 11 min English & Noongar | Dramatic Short Contains images and voices of deceased persons

Karla Hart is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, director, producer, Noongar dancer, teacher, singer, actor, event coordinator, Master of Ceremonies, public speaker, and workshop facilitator.

A young Indigenous girl learns of Tooly, the sign of impending death, in the family.

Program 6: Milky Way

THURSDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

He Takatāpui Ahau (I am Takatāpui)

Director/Writer: Alesha Ahdar (Samoa)

New Zealand | 2021 | 12 min English & Māori | Dramatic Short

Alesha Ahdar (she/they/he) is a multidisciplinary takatāpui storyteller with whakapapa that connects them to Ngāti Maniapoto and Te Arawa iwi, as well as the Pacific Island of Samoa.

He Takatāpui Ahau follows the story of a gentle nonbinary person, Blayke. Blayke returns to their Marae despite the homophobia and transphobia they’ve witnessed from family members in the past. To their relief, Blayke is met with support from an unexpected family member.

Disconnected

Director/Writer: Maruia Jensen (Māori) Producer: Angela Cudd (Māori)

New Zealand | 2021 | 17 min English & Māori | Dramatic Short Coarse Language

Maruia Jensen is a Māori filmmaker, scriptwriter, and actor from New Zealand. Maruia’s passion for te reo Māori me ōna tikanga (Māori values) is evident in her storytelling, and she is determined to showcase and promote positive stories about te ao Māori (the Māori world) through drama and comedy.

When a construction worker from South Auckland loses the last connection he has with his dead Mum, he spirals into a state of depression, prompting an intervention from beyond the grave.

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OCT 20

Program 6: Milky Way

THURSDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Giving Up The Ghost

Directors: Kiel McNaughton (Māori), Libby Hakaraia (Māori) Writer: Mei-Lin Te Puia Hansen (Māori) Producer: Kerry Warkia (Māori)

New Zealand | 2022 | 21 min English, Maori & Yue Chinese | Dramatic Short Use of illegal substances

Kiel McNaughton’s extensive work ranges from acting, writing, producing, and directing. McNaughton and his wife, Warkia, produced the anthology movies Waru and Vai. Kiel is currently in post-production on his second feature film.

Tony, a quiet history teacher, and Margaret, a kuia (older) poltergeist, have been sharing a rundown whare (house) on the “bad” side of town. Concerned about where Tony’s loyalties lie, Margaret draws on her meagre poltergeist skills to cast a mākutu which (fortunately for her) forces Tony to go through with his end of the bargain.

Libby Hakaraia has an overflowing kete of credits, covering subjects from Fat Freddy’s Drop to Apirana Ngata, Anzac Day to Anne Salmond. Based in Otaki, she now produces shows with partner Tainui Stephens under the Blue Bach banner, including the popular Māori Television reboot of It’s in the Bag.

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OCT 20

Broken Angel

THURSDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The Brylcreem Boys

Director/Writer: Rafer Rautjoki (Ngati Whakahemo/ Ngati Pikiao) Producer: Mark J Cassidy (Te Rarawa/Ngapuhi/ Ngai Te Rangi)

New Zealand | 2022 | 14 min English & Māori | Dramatic Short

Rafer Rautjoki is an emerging Māori filmmaker.

Inspired by the pioneering filmmaker mother, Merata Mita, Rafer wrote and directed his first short film, Reunion, in 2020. The Brylcreem Boys is his second film.

Kara is tasked with discovering why her Uncle’s first love abandoned him on the opening night of his band’s national tour.

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Broken Angel

THURSDAY 6:45 PM - 8:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Broken Angel

OCT 20

Director/Writer/Producer: Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (Cree) Co-producer: Patti Poskitt

Canada | 2022 | 96 min English | Dramatic Feature Adult Themes, Physical Abuse, Historical Trauma

Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin is Cree and a band member of Attawapiskat First Nation. She is a graduate of Concordia University’s Theatre Program and Toronto Metropolitan University's Documentary Media Master’s Program. Jules was awarded an Award of Distinction and an Academic Gold Medal for her thesis documentary film, Remembering Inninimowin. She is a published writer, performance artist, academic, and award-winning filmmaker.

Angel, mother to Tanis, escapes into the night from her abusive partner Earl to a women’s shelter on the reservation. As the prospect of a new beginning comes to light, he tracks her down, and she is forced to flee or fight.

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OCT 20

Powerful Chief

THURSDAY 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Cerro Saturno

Director/Writer/Producer: Miguel Hilari (Aymara)

Bolivia | 2022 | 13 min No Dialogue | Experimental Short

Miguel Hilari is a filmmaker based in La Paz, Bolivia.

His films focus on migration and colonial history. They have been shown at various international film festivals.

A mountain range in fog and snow. Human absence, ancient sacred places. Traces appear: Dirt roads, antennas, transmission lines. Human faces appear behind windows and rain. A city.

Powerful Chief

THURSDAY 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Powerful Chief

Director/Writer/Producer: Henry Vallejo (Quechua)

Peru | 2020 | 93 min Spanish & Quechua | Dramatic Feature Coarse Language

Henry Vallejo studied Communications at the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno. Then he specialized in directing actors at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV in Cuba and in production and screenwriting at the Universidad de Antioquía in Colombia.

Elisban arrives in the city of Puno too late to meet his friend Hermogenes, with whom he was going to work. Homeless and without money, he survives from unstable, small jobs in a city that sharpens his loneliness at every step. The inertia of continuing to walk may lead him to a better fate.

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OCT 20

Program 7: Interstellar

THURSDAY 9:00 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 7: Interstellar

THURSDAY 9:00 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 20

Program 7: Interstellar

Building out from Indigenous futurisms, this program explores the notion of the present as dystopic and cautions that, unless we change our ways of being, the future will be dystopian too. Combining spoken word, black and white cinematography, and retrofuturistic vibes, this program explores how we navigate “the spaces in-between.”

HIStory

Director: James Pakootas (Colville) Writer: Tony Louie (Colville) Producer: Ben-Alex Dupris (Colville)

USA | 2021 | 6 min English | Experimental Short Historical Trauma, Coarse Language

James “Just Jamez” Pakootas is a modern day story weaver who cultivates change in the world through the power of words. He leans on his experience as an influential, multi-award-winning artist and producer as he makes his directorial debut at this year’s LA SKINS FEST with HIStory.

A captivating spoken word piece poetically displaying the historical traumas of Indigenous Peoples through the lens of a Native American.

Firecracker Bullets

Director: Chad Charlie (Ahousaht) Producer: Ben-Alex Dupris (Colville)

USA | 2021 | 14 min English | Documentary Short Violence, Criminal Activity, Excessive Flashing/Strobing Lights

Chad Charlie is an Afro-Indigenous filmmaker from Ahousaht First Nation. He is also a writer and actor for the television series Reservation Dogs.

Through spoken word poetry, a young water protector from the Standing Rock occupation contemplates his PTSD while working at a Native firework stand on the 4th of July.

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OCT 20

Program 7: Interstellar

THURSDAY 9:00 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

E Mālama Pono, Will Boy

Director/Writer/Producer: Scott W. Kekama Amona (Kānaka Maoli) Producer: Justyn Ah Chong (Kānaka Maoli)

USA | 2022 | 17 min English & ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi | Dramatic Short Violence, Criminal Activity, Coarse Language

Scott W. Kekama Amona is an educator turned award-winning Kanaka Maoli filmmaker whose creative approach centres on the Hawaiian value of makawalu (eight-eyes), a multiple-perspective mindset.

A Native Hawaiian police officer is forced to choose between doing his duty and doing what is pono (culturally correct) when he is called in to evict the residents of a homeless settlement.

The Machine

Director: Isaac Bell (Ngapuhi) Producer: Mark J Cassidy (Te Rarawa/Ngai Te Rangi)

New Zealand | 2022 | 26 min English & Māori | Dramatic Short Sexual References and Slurs, Coarse Language, Excessive Flashing/Strobing Lights

Isaac Bell is a filmmaker and founder of Zakapotatoes.

He got his introduction to the TV industry in 2004 at 15 when he was cast on Shortland Street as Eti Kawaka.

Isaac has gone on to produce and direct around 50 music videos, a bunch of TV commercials, and two short films: A Gut Feeling (2020) and Space Invader (2021).

In a quiet corner of rural New Zealand, a teenage boy holds the key to the greatest discovery of our time.

What he doesn’t realize is that by building The Machine, he’s started a chain of events that could, if it works, change the course of history.

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Program 7: Interstellar

THURSDAY 9:00 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

LONGHOUSE

OCT 20

Writer/Director/Animator: ​​Erik Sanchez (Shoalwater Bay/Chinook/Chicano)

USA | 2021 | 1 min Chinook | Dramatic Short Excessive Flashing/Strobing Lights

​​Erik Sanchez is currently a senior studying Cinematic and Performing Arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

The spirit is awakened as a Chinookan longhouse becomes the vehicle for spiritual healing.

Mayfly

Director/Producer/Writer: Alexa “Rahe-wanitanama” Wynter (Yamaye Taino/Maroon) Co-writer: Neal Marshall Stevens

USA | 2022 | 9 min English & Island Arawak Wahiyani | Experimental Short Historical Trauma

Rahe-wanitanama (Alexa Wynter) is an Indigenous Caribbean artist/filmmaker who is a mix of Yamaye Taíno and Maroon descent. Her work has been screened at several respected cinematheques and libraries.

A woman scientist of Indigenous descent creates a new life through artificial intelligence with hopes for freedom and maternal resolution.

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OCT 20

Program 7: Interstellar

THURSDAY 9:00 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

MisTik

Director/Writer/Producer: Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (Cree)

Canada | 2022 | 26 min English & Cree | Dramatic Short

Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin is a published writer, performance artist, academic, and award-winning filmmaker. Jules completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia. She is the voice of Layla on the award-winning animated series Molly of Denali.

MisTik follows Cree twins who carry the last of the healthy trees on their backs, hoping to save the world they once knew.

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OCT 20

Seven Ridges

THURSDAY 9:45 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The Lost Crystals of Jessica’s Room

Director: Gary Hamaguch (Jaru/Noongar) Producer: Jodie Bell (Butchella/Jagera)

Australia | 2021 | 10 min English | Dramatic Short Use of Illegal Substances, Coarse Language

Gary Hamaguchi is a Japanese/First Nations man.

He is an emerging screenwriter/director. He has written and directed three short films and two short documentaries. He is currently in post-production on a documentary series.

Two kids play a game where they use a treasure map to find crystals in their backyard, but the treasure is not what it seems.

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Seven Ridges

THURSDAY 9:45 PM - 11:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Seven Ridges

OCT 21

Director/Producer: Antonio Coello (Chiapaneca) Writer: Valentina Torres (Seri)

Mexico | 2022 | 75 min Spanish & Cmiique Iitom | Experimental Feature Use of Illegal Substances

Antonio Coello is a filmmaker and visual anthropologist. Seven Ridges is his first full-length feature film.

In a desert by the sea, an ancient culture endures modernity. A grandmother and her granddaughter intertwine in estrangement over memory. The myth sheds controversy; time falls in dreams of sand, old songs, and rock music

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OCT 21

Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode

FRIDAY 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Tibi Canada | 2022 | 13 min English & Îethka | Documentary Short Colonialism

This short story demonstrates the process of teaching Îethka culture through the making of a tipi under the supervision of knowledge keepers.

Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode

Director/Writer: Jarret Twoyoungmen (Stoney Nakoda)

Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode

Jarret Twoyoungmen is a storyteller whose passion is community. He co-founded the Nakoda AV Club arts and storytelling collective based in Mînî Thnî. He is a director, animator, writer, and musician.

Canada | 2022 | 68 min English | Documentary Feature Use of Illegal Substances, Historical Trauma

FRIDAY 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Director/Producer: Colin Van Loon (Blackfoot) Writer/Producer: Trevor Solway (Blackfoot)

Filmmaker Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon) is Blackfoot and Dutch, originally hailing from The Piikani Nation. Currently, Ahnahktsipiitaa is the Operations Manager for the Indigenous Matriarchs 4 AR/VR media lab (IM4-Lab).

This POV documentary narrated by director Trevor Solway begins with his earliest memories of his grandfather Sonny Solway, a lifelong rancher and “Indian Cowboy.” Whether these memories are of doing chores around the ranch or sipping coffee in the early hours of the morning, they show how “work” shaped Trevor’s relationship with his grandfather. Brought to life by present-day footage of Trevor as he reflects on his Grandpa’s ranch, archival photos, and videotapes shot both by Trevor and Grandpa Sonny.

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OCT 21

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OCT 21

Pakucha

FRIDAY 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Program 8: Mothership I

FRIDAY 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 8: Mothership I

This program highlights our relationship to our one and only home, Mother Earth. The films celebrate individual and collective efforts to protect and preserve the lands and the waters that sustain us by highlighting global iterations of the LANDBACK movement. This program is a love letter to our fragile "pale blue dot" carrying us through space-time, and a call to action for better stewardship.

Pakucha

Director/Writer: Tito Catacora Lope (Aymara) Producer: Oscar Catacora (Aymara)

Peru | 2021 | 83 min Aymara | Documentary Feature Tito Catacora is a filmmaker, scriptwriter, and film producer living in southern Peru. Besides his work in filmmaking, he has a Bachelors in Education, a Masters in Intercultural Education, and has concluded his PhD in Education. He has worked on the production of several films, shorts and features, in fiction films as well as documentaries and experimental films.

In an Aymara community in the Peruvian southern Andes, an alpaquera family gathers to celebrate the ritual of “uywa ch´uwa,” an ancient custom that consists of evoking ritual acts to the “Pakucha” (the alpaca soul).

During the celebration, the whole family is guided through the worldview of the Andean culture and enters a universe filled with mysticism, where the final destination is the genesis of a new life.

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OCT 21

OCT 21

Program 8: Mothership I

FRIDAY 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Beach Heart

Director: Glenn Gear (Inuk)

Canada | 2021 | 2 min English | Documentary Short

Glenn Gear is a Canadian Indigiqueer filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist of Inuit and settler descent. He is originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and has family ties to Nunatsiavut.

Beach Heart is an animated love letter to the artist’s late mother and to the sea, shoreline, and sky near where she lived. It was recorded in and around the many beaches and coves throughout Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland) during the summer of 2021.

Ava Kuña, Aty Kuña: Indigenous Woman, Political Woman

Director/Writer: Fabiane Medina (Guarani Kaiowá) Writers: Guilherme Sai (​​Kaiowá Guarani), Julia Zulian Producer: Julia Zulian

Brazil | 2021 | 25 min Guarani | Documentary Short Historical Trauma

Fabiane Medina is a Guarani researcher and university professor from Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil). Fabiane Medina has Portuguese as her third language, with Spanish and Guarani being her first references.

A portrait of the Kuñangue Aty Guasu, an assembly of Guarani Kaiowá women, this short documentary is a poetic approach to Indigenous Brazilian women’s political resilience.

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Program 8: Mothership I

FRIDAY 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Stories From Land Back Camp

OCT 21

Directors: Amy Smoke (Mohawk), Bangishimo Johnston (Anishinaabe), Erik O’Neill

Canada | 2021 | 26 min English | Documentary Short

Amy Smoke is from Six Nations. They have worked at the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre as staff and student. They are also one of the co-founders of Land Back Camp, a reclamation space for the Queer Indigenous community.

Over 100 days after being placed in a busy urban park, a large tepee remains standing, with the space around it transformed into a camp of queer, Two-Spirit, trans, and/or nonbinary youth learning and practicing their Indigenous cultural heritages and demanding Land Back.

Bangishimo Johnston is originally from Couchiching First Nations located on Treaty 3 territory. They now reside in Kitchener and are also one of the co-founders of Land Back Camp.

Distance

Director/Writer/Producer: Sydney Pickering (Māori)

Canada | 2022 | 6 min Ucwalmícwts | Experimental Short

Sydney Frances Pickering is a member of the Lílwat Nation. Her multidisciplinary practice includes hide tanning, video, sound, and poetry.

Distance is about reflecting on the past to make way for moving forward in the future. It is thinking through the histories of displacement of First Nations peoples and how it continues to affect us today.

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OCT 21

Program 8: Mothership I

FRIDAY 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Bill Reid Remembers

The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson

FRIDAY 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 21

Director/Writer/Producer: Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Canada | 2021 | 24 min English | Documentary Short

A member of the Abenaki Nation and 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.

Bill Reid Remembers is a beautiful tribute from Alanis Obomsawin to her friend’s life, his legacy, and his connection to his homeland.

The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson

Director/Writer: Leah Purcell (Goa-Gungarri-Wakka Wakka Murri) Producer: Bain Stewart (Ngugi/Goenpul)

Australia | 2021 | 107 min English | Dramatic Feature Historical Trauma

Leah Purcell is one of Australia’s most admired and respected creative artists. She has acted in, written, directed and produced Iconic Australian theatre, film, TV and literature such as Box the Pony, Lantana, The Proposition, Redfern Now, Cleverman, Black Chicks Talking and The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. Leah recently released her debut feature film, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, and will soon be seen in the Amazon Prime Premier Limited Series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

Molly Johnson’s husband is away droving sheep, leaving her alone to care for their children at their remote Snowy Mountains homestead. Despite being heavily pregnant, Molly keeps various threats, from nature and other people, at bay. But when Yadaka, an Aboriginal man on the run from white law enforcement, intrudes on the sanctuary she has carved out, the brutal hardships and secrets that have followed them both throughout their lives must be confronted with the question: How far do you go to protect the ones you love?

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OCT 21

Program 9: Mothership II

FRIDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Program 9: Mothership II

FRIDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

OCT 21

Program 9: Mothership II

Indigenous food sovereignty and seed rematriation are intimately and inextricably tied to the LANDBACK movement. The films in this program critique and call out the ways in which settler-colonialism has impacted our relationship with traditional foodways and call for us to honour our plant and animal relations that sustain us.

Lyed Corn with Ash (Wa’kenenhstóhare’)

Director/Writer/Producer: Candace Maracle (Kanien’kehá:ka)

Canada | 2021 | 2 min Kanien’kéha | Documentary Short

Candace Maracle is Wolf Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. An award-winning filmmaker and journalist, she currently freelances for the CBC and is studying Kanien’kéha, her native language.

Made completely in Kanien’kéha, an endangered language, discover this traditional process of "washing" or processing white corn to increase its nutrients.

Seed Mother: Coming Home

Director: Rowen White (Mohawk) Producer: Mateo Hinojosa (Mestizo Quechua)

USA | 2021 | 7 min English | Documentary Short

As a farmer, mentor, leader, and storyteller in Indigenous Food and Seed Sovereignty movements, Rowen White is deeply committed to embodied prayer to cultivate a culture of belonging and nourishing ourselves.

A poetic embodiment of the Indigenous Seed Rematriation movement. Across Turtle Island, seed keepers carry the message of the grand rematriation of seeds and foods back into their communities.

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OCT 21

Program 9: Mothership II

FRIDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (Buffalo Wolf Memory)

Director/Writer/Producer: Dianne Ouellette (Métis) Dianne Ouellette is a filmmaker, multimedia artist, and curator. Her films have been screened and awarded internationally. She has focused her lens on family, history, and identity throughout her career.

USA | 2022 | 5 min English, Michif & Métis | Experimental Short Gun Shots lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (Buffalo Wolf Memory) honours the memory of the “buffalo wolves,” also known as the “prairie wolves,” who at one time thrived in the North American grasslands. Wolfers hunted the wolves to extinction by the turn of the Twentieth century.

Our Ways

Directors: Amanda Lickers (Seneca), Autumn Angelique Godwin (Cree)

Canada | 2022 | 9 min English | Dramatic Short Historical Trauma

Amanda Lickers is building a life-affirming multimedia art practice while supporting land-based pedagogy through experiential learning initiatives that embody responsibility and reciprocity while undertaking their Master’s at Concordia University.

Four (4) badass Indians embark on a moose hide tanning journey in the urban jungle. As their worldviews intertwine, they collectively imagine a sovereign future.

Program 9: Mothership II

FRIDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Chatham Islanders

Director: Kathleen Mantel (Ngāti Kahungunu)

New Zealand | 2021 | 26 min English & Māori | Documentary Short Historical Trauma

Kathleen Mantel is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker. She is passionate about telling stories about the human condition, what makes people tick, get angry, and love.

Chatham Islanders is about the history and people who live on the remote archipelago, the first place in the world to see the sun.

Salmon Reflection

Director/Writer/Producer: Anna Hoover (Unangax̂)

USA | 2021 | 4 min English | Documentary Short

​​Anna Hoover is a Norwegian/Unangax̂ writer, director, and filmmaker, who produces documentary, fiction and art films in her home state of Alaska. Her art and videos share honest Alaskan stories with global audiences.

A respectful contemplation on the role of salmon in creating a salmon culture and salmon people.

Autumn Godwin is pursuing research at Concordia University (Masters) about Indigenous cultural resurgence. In sharing land-based ways of doing, she is creating generative spaces for Urban Indigenous peoples.

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OCT 21

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OCT 21

Program 9: Mothership II

FRIDAY 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

The Politics of Toheroa Soup

Director: Tiana Trego Hall (Māori) Producers: Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Kapu), Madeleine Hakaraia de Young (Ngāti Kapu), Matilda Poasa (Samoa)

New Zealand | 2022 | 8 min English | Documentary Short

Tiana Pēwhairangi Trego-Hall is a mokopuna of Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua and Tainui iwi and of the Numangatini people from the Island of Mangaia in the Cook Islands. They are in their final year at the Auckland University of Technology, studying a BA in Māori Development in Māori Media.

The Politics of Toheroa Soup is a pūkōrero (story) about the slow depletion of the toheroa, the Foreshore Resource Management act and the impacts on one west coast Northland Māori whānau.

Pili Ka Moʻo

Director: Justyn Ah Chong (Kānaka Maoli) Writer: Kaʻolonānalapaʻa Ah Chong (Kānaka Maoli) Producer: Taylor Hensel (Cherokee), Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector

Canada | 2022 | 9 min English | Dramatic Short Historical Trauma

Justyn Ah Chong is an award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose films have been screened at festivals around the world. He continues to share culturally inspired, place-based stories through his company, Olonā Media.

The Fukumitsus are tossed into a world of complex real estate and judicial proceedings when nearby Kualoa Ranch, a large settler-owned corporation, destroys their familial burials to make way for continued development plans.

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OCT 21

iN Original + Harmonize

FRIDAY 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

iN Original + Harmonize

FRIDAY 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 21

iN Original + Harmonize

The iN Originals program includes the premiere of four short films created through imagineNATIVE Institute's commissions and partnerships with artist-run centres.

This year the iN Originals program also includes two music projects created through the Harmonize Mentorship!

Annie

All of the projects in the iN Originals program have been supported through the imagineNATIVE Institute's yearround offerings.

Directed By: Tim Myles

Canada | 2022 | 5 min English | Music Video

Actors: Drives the Common Man, Kali Kennedy, Haley Robinson, Nishina Loft, Julianne Blackbird, Paishence Johnston, Michael Thompson, Colten Roberts

A young diner waitress, Annie, is stuck working overnight at a local roadside diner. Things take a turn when she falls into her fantasy world as she tries to get through the lonely graveyard shift.

Music/Composer: Drives the Common Man Vocals By: Drives the Common Man Edited By: Leah Lalich

Gidiskin

Director/Writer/Producer: Lindsay Sarazin

Canada | 2022 | 7 min Anishnaabemowin (Singing) | Music Video Historical Trauma (Residential Schools, Indian Act, Sixties Scoop, MMIWG2S

Drawing inspiration from his life and culture, Joshua “Classic Roots” DePerry developed his original sound through integration of traditional Anishinaabe drumming and singing, with unique sound of techno/ house.

Gidiskin is a word that implies "free," "disconnect," or "off something." The story character notices that the world is changing and attempts to restore it through Baskodejiibik "sage" and smudging. The music was created using REASON 11 and Logic Pro. Vocals provided

by Rosary Spence recorded at Lynx Music Studios.

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OCT 21

iN Original + Harmonize

FRIDAY 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

My Roommate Makayla Canada | 2022 | 6 min English | Dramatic Short Nudity; Sexual Activity; Sexual References and Slurs; Use of Illegal Substances; Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis; and Historical Trauma (Residential Schools, Indian Act, Sixties Scoop, MMIWG2S

iN Original + Harmonize

Director/Writer/Producer: Jonelle Belcourt

Convicted

Jonelle Belcourt is an award-winning Cree filmmaker based in Calgary, Alberta.

Canada | 2022 | 13 min English | Dramatic Short Course Language, Trauma

FRIDAY 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 21

Director: Bruce Miller

After Joseph is released from jail, he faces inner demons that stand in the way of true freedom.

Bruce Miller is from the Matachewan First Nation and has been living in Calgary, Alberta, for the past 15 years.

He studied film and theatre production but found himself doing social work at Canada's largest homeless shelter. His film Convicted has returned him into the industry.

Next Year

Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Carrier

A fun girl's night in is turned upside down when a latenight phone call alerts a group of friends that one of their roommates is alone and in danger but how can they help her when they don't know how to find her?

Mold

Director/Writer/Producer: Shelby Strangling Wolf

Canada | 2022 | 10 min English | Dramatic Short Use of Illegal Substances; Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis; and Course Language Use of Illegal Substances; Harmful Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis; and Course Language

Shelby Strangling Wolf is a Blackfoot and Scottish filmmaker from Lethbridge, Alberta. He is a member of the Blood tribe which is situated on Treaty 7 territory.

He currently lives in Vancouver.

An Indigenous man’s life takes a dark turn when a mysterious fungus begins infesting his home…and mind.

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Canada | 2022 | 8 min English | Dramatic Short Course Language

​​Sarah Carrier is an emerging Cree filmmaker from Regina, Saskatchewan, and is a registered member of Piapot First Nation. She has a diploma in film production from the Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon.

Clary, a soon-to-be high school graduate, has a lessthan ideal birthday as she deals with her ignorant high school guidance counsellor and uncertainty about her future.

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OCT 21

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

FRIDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The Original Shareholder Experience USA | 2022 | 13 min English | Experimental Short Adult Themes, Historical Trauma, Coarse Language

An Indigenous telepresenter must contend with her career and her credibility when her superiors ask her to sell a genocidal product on live television.

FRIDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Director/Writer/Producer: Petyr Xyst (Laguna Pueblo) Producers: Autumn Billie (Diné), Lauren Begay (Diné)

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

Director/Writer/Producer: Ben West (Cheyenne)

Petyr Xyst is a Laguna Pueblo human who has been making movies since the age of five and, for some reason, has kept with it

USA | 2022 | 95 min English | Documentary Feature Historical Trauma

Ben West is a freelance writer, producer, director, and consultant with the Ciesla Foundation. He spent many years in television production at Carsey-Werner Mandabach LLC and has worked on feature films for companies like Telenova Productions and outlets such as the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. He is currently developing content for television and film.

A comprehensive examination of the movement to eradicate the words, images, and gestures many Native Americans and their allies find demeaning and offensive. The film takes a deep dive into the issues through archival footage and interviews with those involved in the fight.

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OCT 21

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

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OCT 21

432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies

FRIDAY 9:15 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies

FRIDAY 9:15 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

OCT 21

432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies

Exploring the universe inside and around us, this music video program vibrates with love, peace, and good medicine. Riding wavelengths through chants, spoken word, rock, R&B, and prayer, this program emits a frequency for our ancestors to witness our healing journey.

MUJER ESPÍRITU (Spirit Woman)

Director: Adriana Ronquillo (Rarámuri)

Mexico | 2021 | 6 min Spanish | Music Video

Adriana Ronquillo is a multidisciplinary artist who found her passion for drawing at a very young age. She has made several films including: Mujer Espíritu (2020) Fosca Liebre (2014), Ticho (2017), and La llorona (2019) as well as documentaries, TV shows, and other visual projects.

Spirit Woman is an animation inspired by the ceremonial chants of Maria Sabina, Mazateca sage, connoisseur of Indigenous medicine based on the understanding of flora and fauna.

Te Hā Te Kā (The breath, The fire)

Director/Producer: Kelly Nash (Ngā Puhi/Ngāi Te Rangi), Nancy Wijohn (Te Rarawa/Ngai Tūhoe)

New Zealand | 2021 | 9 min Māori | Music Video

Kelly Nash is a queer, cross-cultural, movement-based artist and director with a long career as a performer, teacher, and choreographer in New Zealand.

Two Māori dancers engage in the abstract circlings of Te Hā Te Kā, the breath and the fire, seen here as many fangled creatures who whip around the various landscapes of Aotearoa (New Zealand) together.

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Nancy Wijohn is known for her powerhouse performances, strength, grace, and athleticism.

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OCT 21

432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies

FRIDAY 9:15 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Mixed Blood Girls by Miesha and the Spanks

Director/Writer: Alex Manitopyes (Muskowekwan) Producer: Angel Aubichon (Peepeekisis)

English | Music Video Coarse Language

Alex Manitopyes is a Calgary-based graphic designer, photographer, and film director. They are co-founder of Indi City Studios’ in-house productions for the brand Indi City.

A music video with Miesha and the Spanks, “Mixed Blood Girls” and a variety of “Mixed Blood Girls” rocking out to the anthem.

Runnin’

432 Hz: Cosmic Frequencies

This Is How I Know You Canada | 2022 | 5 min English | Music Video Historical Trauma A prayer for our missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls…and a prayer for Truth and Reconciliation.

FRIDAY 9:15 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

Director/Producer: Sarah Houle-Lowry (Métis) Sarah Houle-Lowry is a Métis multidisciplinary artist and performer originally from the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in Northern Alberta and currently based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), Alberta.

Director/Writer/Producer: Luna Red (Mi’kmaq)

Canada | 2021 | 3 min English | Music Video Historical Trauma

Toronto-born Teineisha Richards (aka Luna Red) is an Afro-Indigenous, Mi’kmaq from Bear River First Nations, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a charismatic performing and recording artist and an emerging film director.

This tantalizing visual and song bring you on a journey through the process of becoming one with your fears.

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OCT 21

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OCT 21

We Are Still Here

FRIDAY 9:30 PM - 11:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Exploring the Treaty Relationship

We Are Still Here

FRIDAY 9:30 PM - 11:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 21

Director/Writer/Producer: Michelle Sylliboy (Mi’kmaq)

Canada | 2021 | 5 min Mi’kmaw | Experimental Short

Three-time award-winning author & interdisciplinary artist Michelle Sylliboy is a Two-Spirit (Mi’kmaq) L’nu artist who gathers much of her inspiration from personal tales, the environment, and her Komwejwi’kasikl language.

An experimental animation about the filmmaker’s experience of the Treaty Relationship.

We Are Still Here New Zealand/Australia | 2022 | 83 min English, Māori, Samoan & Turkish | Dramatic Feature

Six Strings

Director: Bawaadan Collective (Various Nations) Writer/Producer: Tsi Tyonnheht Onkwawenna

Canada | 2022 | 7 min Mohawk | Documentary Short

Weaving eight powerful tales to tell a sweeping story of hope and survival, We Are Still Here traverses 1000 years into the past, present, and future to explore stories of kinship, loss, grief, resilience, but ultimately the strength of love and hope to overcome shared colonial traumas that Indigenous people from Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific continue to face.

Directors: Beck Cole (Luritja), Chantelle Burgoyne (Samoan), Danielle MacLean (Warumungu/Luritja), Dena Curtis (Warrumungu/Warlpiri), Mario Gaoa (Samoan), Miki Magasiva (Samoan), Renae Maihi (Ngāti Whakaue/Ngāpuhi), Richard Curtis (Ngāti Rongomai/ Ngāti Pikiao), Tim Worrall (Ngāi Tūhoe), Tracey Rigney (Wotjobaluk/Ngarrindjeri)

Ten Indigenous filmmakers from Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) deliver a cinematic response to the anniversary of James Cook landing on their shores and a strident reminder that after 250 years of colonialism, We Are Still Here.

The Bawaadan Artist Collective was formalized in 2019. Utilizing close friends and familial ties, they quickly began to self-produce their Indigenous content.

They continue to explore and expand their membership to incorporate new skills and relationships.

Six Strings is a compelling, revealing, and true account of how the Mohawk people conducted their own system of justice long before the Indian Act.

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OCT 22

Program 10: Aurora Borealis

SATURDAY 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 10: Aurora Borealis

SATURDAY 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 22

Program 10: Aurora Borealis

This program centres on visualizing Arctic land and life, featuring films from the circumpolar region. From Inuit creation stories and the awe-inspiring auroras to freshwater protection and snowmobile racing, from land-based teachings to cultural reclamation, we learn that the land of snow and ice heals Arctic Peoples.

Arctic Song

Directors: Germaine Arnattaujuq (Inuit), Louise Flaherty (Inuit), Neil Christopher Writers: Celina Kalluk (Inuit), Germaine Arnattaujuq (Inuit), Neil Christopher Producers: Nadia Mike (Inuit), Alicia Smith, David Christensen, Neil Christopher

Canada | 2021 | 6 min English & Inuktitut | Dramatic Short Arctic Song tells stories of how the land, sea, and sky came to be in beautifully rendered animation. Telling traditional Inuit tales from the Iglulik region of Nunavut through song, the film revitalizes ancient knowledge and shares it with future generations.

Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok) is an Inuit artist, writer, and illustrator from Iglulik, Nunavut. She is best known for her prints and etchings depicting Inuit myths, traditional ways of life, and feminist narratives.

Kimmirut Race

Director/Writer/Producer: Nadia Mike (Inuit)

Canada | 2022 | 22 min English | Documentary Short

Nadia Mike is a filmmaker from Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Kimmirut Race is her short documentary directorial debut. She previously directed the children’s series Anaana’s Tent for APTN and CBC Gem and the animated short films Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing and Leah’s Mustache Party.

Davidee Qaumariaq, an experienced hunter and snowmobile enthusiast, is about to embark on the annual Kimmirut Race, where snowmobilers race from Iqaluit, Nunavut, to Kimmirut, Nunavut, at high speeds.

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OCT 22

Program 10: Aurora Borealis

SATURDAY 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Imalirijit

A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu

SATURDAY 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

OCT 22

Director: Tim Anaviapik Soucie (Inuit)

Canada | 2022 | 27 min English & Inuktitut | Documentary Short

Tim Anaviapik Soucie graduated from the Environmental Technology Program in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, in 2012 and became a local Hamlet councillor shortly afterwards. In 2014, Tim started his own research program on water quality in the community of Pond Inlet and ran the project until 2018. In 2021, he was hired

by Qikiktani Inuit Association as Water Specialist.

The inspired journey of a young Inuit community researcher.

A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa’amoana John Luafutu

Director: Nina Nawalowalo (Fiji) Writer: Fa’amoana John Luafutu (Samoa)

New Zealand | 2021 | 57 min English, Samoan & Te reo Maori | Documentary Feature Historical Trauma

Breathe me back to life

Director/Writer: Sunná Nousuniemi (Sámi)

Finland | 2021 | 24 min English & Sámi | Documentary Short Sexual Violence, Mental Health Issues

Sunná Nousuniemi (she/they) is a Sámi and Finnish artist and cultural worker born and raised in Anár, Sápmi. Using film, discussion, music, and memes as her tools, Nousuniemi explores different ways of participating in building more livable communities through art.

Breathe me back to life is an individual’s story of a universal phenomenon and ultimately a depiction of how much access and resources it takes to seek justice and recovery.

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In a career spanning more than 30 years, internationally acclaimed theatre director Nina Nawalowalo has created a platform for the telling of Pacific stories across the globe. Artistic Director and Co-founder of Wellington-based theatre company The Conch, she is a performer, mentor, and teacher who has presented at over 40 international festivals.

Arriving in New Zealand from Samoa as a young child in the 1950s, Fa’amoana was taken from his family and placed in state care, suffering terrible abuse alongside thousands of other Pacific and Maori children. This documentary explores his journey through state care, prison, and gang membership, as well as the intergenerational impacts of these experiences, and ultimately, healing for Fa’amoana and his Family through harnessing the power of his voice as a storyteller.

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OCT 22

Program 11: Aurora Australis

SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 11: Aurora Australis

SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

OCT 22

Program 11: Aurora Australis

For Pasifika (Pacific Islanders), the popular adage “Water is Life,” takes on a deeper meaning: The Great Ocean is their inter-island highway, the means by which they move and migrate between disparate islands, constellating each one by one. The films in this program explore the powerful force of water to shape our relationship with land.

WASHDAY

Director: Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou) Co-producer: Julian Arahanga (Ngāti Rangi), Verity Mackintosh

New Zealand | 2021 | 14 min English & Māori | Dramatic Short Use of Illegal Substances

Kath Akuhata-Brown is a New Zealand filmmaker of Māori descent. Kath is a graduate of the Binger Film School in Amsterdam (2003). Kath is renowned for telling stories that are deeply authentic to her Māori cultural heritage.

A father turns his car into a water pump while his young daughter becomes a force of nature.

Waihere - The Waters that Bind

Director/Producer/Writer: Matiu Hamuera (Te Arawa/Te Rarawa) Writer: Sophie Williams (Te Arawa/Ngapuhi) Producer: Renae Maihi (Te Arawa/Ngapuhi)

New Zealand | 2021 | 10 min Māori | Experimental Short Waihere are the binding waters that connect us to our ancestors. We bathe and cook in these same waters utilized by our people all the way back to our ancient Māori ancestors from the sacred homeland of Hawaiki.

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Matiu Hamuera is a dancer, actor, filmmaker, and multimedia journalist specializing in all things Māori.

With his cultural upbringing and background in performing arts, Matiu is passionate about Indigenous issues and telling stories in unique and creative ways as a journalist and an artist.

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OCT 22

Program 11: Aurora Australis

SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

E Rangi Rā (Things Are Different Now)

Director/Writer: Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne (Tūhoe/Ngāti Porou)

New Zealand | 2022 | 12 min Maori | Dramatic Short Violence, Bloodletting

Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne is of Ngati Porou and Tūhoe descent. She was accepted into Toi Whakaari (New Zealand Drama School) and majored in Acting.

During her studies, she was cast in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Cousins. In 2020 she graduated with a degree in performing arts.

E Rangi Rā is set in the early 1800s following Ngāpuhi’s attack on Te Whānau a Hinerupe. Armed with European muskets, this attack had a devastating, longlasting impact on Te Whānau a Hinerupe and their descendants.

fire in the water, fire in the sky

Director/Writer: Mīria George (Te Arawa/Ngāti Awa) Producer: Hone Kouka (Ngāti Porou/Ngāti Raukawa/ Ngāti Kahungunu)

New Zealand | 2021 | 13 min English & Maori | Dramatic Short

Mīria George (Te Arawa/Ngāti Awa; Tumutevarovaro, Enuamanu, Cook Islands) is an Indigenous writer, director, and producer of film and theatre. An awardwinning playwright, Mīria’s work has toured New Zealand, Australia, Hawai‘i, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

To live is to dance. Tia has always survived — but in turn, she has forgotten how to dance. A story of migration, fire in the water, fire in the sky is a statement inspired by climate change.

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Program 11: Aurora Australis

SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

E Lele Le Toloa (The Toloa Bird Soars)

OCT 22

Director: Selu-Kian Faletoese (Somoa) Producer: Bai Buliruarua (Fiji)

New Zealand | 2021 | 8 min English & Samoan | Documentary Short

Selu-Kian Faletoese is a New Zealand-born Samoan director, community builder, and AUT Screen Production student based in Ponsonby, Auckland.

Her deep love for her community has pushed her into spaces that advocate for Pasifika representation and equity.

A portrait documentary that follows the life and heartfelt journey of a son of the Pacific who migrated to Aotearoa in the pursuit of education and the promise of a greater life.

Survivors of Wadjemup

Director/Writer/Producer: Dr. Glen Stasiuk (MinangWudjari Noongar)

Australia | 2022 | 9 min English | Documentary Short Historical Trauma

A Western Australian, award-winning director, Dr. Glen Stasiuk is a maternal descendent of the MinangWadjari Noongar of the southwest of Western Australia whilst his paternal family emigrated from post-war Russia.

For almost 100 years, Wadjemup was a prison for at least 3,670 Aboriginal men and boys. More than 370 men never made it off the island. Their spirits are part of this island, and for those that got off the island, their descendants now proudly tell their story.

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OCT 22

Program 11: Aurora Australis

SATURDAY 5:30 PM - 7:45 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

A Crying Shame

ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great Grandmother’s Hat

SATURDAY 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

OCT 22

Director/Producer: Dr Glen Stasiuk (Minang-Wudjari Noongar) Writer: Graeme “Bindari” Dixon (Minang-Kaneang Noongar) Producer: Tjalaminu Mia (Minang-Kaneang Noongar)

Australia | 2021 | 34 min English | Documentary Short Historical Trauma The untold story of the harrowing period of Western Australia’s Stolen Generations and institutionalization from their own memoryscape and recollections. A Crying Shame highlights the next steps of healing and the return to the bush block to begin this hopeful journey.

A Western Australian, award-winning director, Dr. Glen Stasiuk is a maternal descendent of the MinangWadjari Noongar of the southwest of Western Australia whilst his paternal family emigrated from post-war Russia.

ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great-Grandmother’s Hat

Directors/Writers/Producers: Anstein Mikkelsen (Sámi), Harry Johansen (Sámi)

Norway | 2022 | 60 min North Sámi, Skolt Sámi, Finnish & Norwegian | Documentary Feature

Anstein Mikkelsen is the only filmmaker in the world continuously making Kveni films, but also some Sámi films. Most of the films are about people living in the northern areas of Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia, but also nature films, experimental films, and fiction.

For a long, long time, perhaps since the dawn of time, the Pasvik Sámi managed their small borderless area in harmony with nature. Then Norway, Russia, and Finland divided the area between them. The language and culture were almost obliterated. But they never managed to eradicate the East Sámi genes. ŠAAMŠIǨ follows Venke Tørmænen, who wants to learn to sew the Skolt Sámi women’s hat her great-grandmother wears in an old picture.

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Harry Johansen has worked in Swedish Sámi television and is now a freelancer for Norwegian Sámi television.

He has also directed and photographed a lot of Sámi documentary films.

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OCT 22

Dark Nature

SATURDAY 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Program 12: Dark Matter

SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Program 12: Dark Matter

Time travellers and celestial voyagers beware! We are going on a journey to the dark side of Indigenous cinema, with a collection of shorts exploring new dimensions in Native noir. From traditional ritual sacrifice to the haunting anxieties elicited by other life forms lurking in the shadows, the films in this program reveal the struggle for survival. Take care as you traverse this forest of film, lest you get bit by the horror genre bug!

Dark Nature

Director/Writer/Producer: Berkley Brady (Métis)

Canada | 2022 | 85 min English | Dramatic Feature Domestic Abuse, Coarse Language

Berkley Brady is a Métis writer, director, and producer based out of Treaty 7 territory in Calgary, Alberta. Her creative work in film has premiered at festivals across the world, including the Berlin Biennale and Sundance.

Joy Higgins — a survivor of domestic abuse — invites her friend Carmen Bazzoli on an Indigenous-led women’s weekend retreat in the Canadian wilderness, a mixture of land-based ways of being/knowing and Western psychology. As the weekend progresses, the border between reality and delusion shatters when Joy suspects they are being stalked by her abuser; in truth, all the women will be forced to confront a threat even more terrifying than the demons of their past.

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OCT 22

OCT 22

Program 12: Dark Matter

SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

IMAJUIK (Still Water)

Director/Writer/Producer: Marc Fussing Rosbach (Inuit)

Greenland | 2022 | 19 min Kalaallisut | Dramatic Short Violence, Bloodletting, Torture

Marc Fussing Rosbach is an Indigenous Inuk filmmaker based in Nuuk, Greenland. Rosbach has produced and directed two well-received feature films and one short film. Alongside directing, he also works on the creative side of films: Visual effects, editing, sound design, and music composition.

In this sci-fi horror, Imajuik is the only person left in Nuuk. It’s 2060, and the once busy capital has been deserted due to a uranium mine explosion nearby.

Suddenly Imajuik’s device detects one life form — but is that a good thing?

SAVJ

Director/Writer: Tank Standing Buffalo (Potawatomi/ Black/Mixed)

Canada | 2022 | 7 min English | Dramatic Short Violence, Bloodletting, Torture

Tank Standing Buffalo is an accomplished animation creator and has worked on numerous self-directed film projects as well as many commissions.

Tank, the eldest of eight siblings, grapples with the memory of the moment his family was torn apart.

Foraging for survival alone in a forest, the children fear a dangerous force. But what lurks in the darkness is true evil.

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Program 12: Dark Matter

SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Soli Bula

OCT 22

Director/Producer/Writer: Tumeli Tuqota Jr. (iTaukei)

Fiji | 2021 | 7 min Fijan | Dramatic Short Violence

Tumeli Tuqota Jr. hails from Fiji with maternal ties to Tonga. Being a graphic designer all his professional life, he’s just now realizing that filmmaking is a better fit.

In an alternate reality Fiji, where tradition and culture were never eroded by colonialism, a new Drua (ship) is about to be put to sea and will demand a steep toll for the final stage of its launch.

Ko Au (I am)

Director/Writer/Producer: Mii Taokia (Samoan)

Cook Islands | 2022 | 6 min Maori | Dramatic Short Violence, Bloodletting, Torture

Mii Taokia is a multidisciplinary Indigenous creative and accomplished musician who is from and lives in the beautiful Cook Islands in the South Pacific

Ko Au is an animated short film that retells the classic Cook Island legend of Katikatia, the old lady who lives in a cave and eats children.

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OCT 22

Program 12: Dark Matter

SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Koo (Serpent)

Program 12: Dark Matter

Director/Writer/Producer: Nicolás Rojas Sánchez (Mixtec) Producer: Casandra Casasola (Zapotec), Gustavo Cienfuegos (Zapotec), Luis E. García (Zapotec), Luna Marán (Zapotec), Óscar Tanat, Pablo Márquez

Terror/Forming

On the date 11 death (Year 10 flint), 9 Serpent “Eagle Fire” entered the temazcal determined to fulfill his last assignment.

Nicolás Rojas Sánchez is a Mixtec filmmaker who made his debut in 2008. In 2020, he directed Ñuu Kanda (Move) and in 2021, Koo (Serpent). He is a producing partner at SinFoko Films, a production company dedicated to dissident cinema since 2006.

Shot in one continuous take, Terror/Forming will show paranoia, anxiety, and tension bubbling to the surface in real-time as the situation escalates and devolves into chaos.

Obscheenies

Director/Writer/Producer: Barry Bilinksy (Métis/Cree)

Mexico | 2021 | 5 min Mixtec | Dramatic Short Violence, Bloodletting, Torture

Canada | 2022 | 12 min English & Cree | Dramatic Short Excessive Flashing/Strobing Lights

SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Director/Writer/Producer: Rylan Friday (Saulteaux) Co-producers: Cole Vandale (Métis), Jordan Waunch (Métis)

Canada | 2022 | 23 min English | Dramatic Short Coarse Language

Rylan Friday is an emerging filmmaker. He has produced Portraits From a Fire, spearheaded the 2020 iteration of the VIFF’s Catalyst Mentorship Program, and curated the #Indigeneity series for Reel Causes and the Who We Are Indigenous film series with VIFF and the MOV.

Barry Bilinksy is a professional theatre creator of Cree, Métis, and Ukrainian heritage. Based in Montréal, he has worked across Canada on projects centred primarily around the proliferation of Indigenous arts, artists, and collaborations.

A new roster of camp counsellors arrive at a lakeside resort for the summer, but they quickly learn that the stories are true: there is more in the woods than you know.

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OCT 22

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OCT 23

Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle

SUNDAY 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle

SUNDAY 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 23

Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle

Comprised of colourful and joyful animations, the films in this program visualize Indigenous cosmovision.

They celebrate how we relate to the cosmos and the teachings embedded within Indigenous creation stories about our responsibilities to all living beings on Mother Earth. Curated specifically for little ones!

Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun

Director/Writer: Justin Genora (Hawaiian)

USA | 2022 | 2 min Hawaiian | Dramatic Short

Justin Genora is a Hawaiian creative that enjoys making art and telling stories in a variety of mediums such as video games, films, comic books, writing, and paintings.

When the days are too short for life to survive, a Hawaiian boy fights the sun to slow it down and save his people.

SEK BUY - The Ritual to the Sun - El Ritual al Sol

Director: William Cayapur Delgado (Nasa) Writer: Joaquín Viluche (Nasa)

Colombia | 2021 | 8 min Nasa Yuwe | Dramatic Short

William Cayapur Delgado is an audiovisual producer and community teacher at the Kwe´Sx Uma Kiwe INFIKUK Community Intercultural Training Educational Institution in Caldono, Cauca.

Aurora investigates the meaning of sacred calendars and the way they govern community life in harmony and balance with Mother Earth.

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OCT 23

Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle

SUNDAY 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Məca

Director: Ritchie Hemphill (‘Nakwaxda’xw) Writer: Ida Smith (’Nakwaxda’xw)

Canada | 2021 | 8 min English & Kwa’kwala | Dramatic Short A stop motion representation of the late Elder Ida Smith telling her grandson the legend of the Mink.

Ritchie Hemphill grew up on Tsulquate reserve and was raised by his community, the Gwa’sala’Nakwaxda’xw people. Ritchie’s goal is to create art that honours his identity as a modern Indigenous individual.

Sina ma Tinirau

Director/Writer/Producer: Vilsoni Tausie Hereniko (Fiji)

USA | 2021 | 8 min English & Rotuman | Dramatic Short When a prince is cursed to become an eel and has to win the love of a beautiful woman to become human again, he gifts her with his body in the form of a coconut palm tree in a seductive display.

Vilsoni Hereniko is the first native of Fiji to make a narrative feature film. Titled Pear ta Ma ‘On Maf (The Land Has Eyes), it won Best Dramatic Feature at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in 2004. Sina Ma Tinirau is his first animated film.

Program 13: Twinkle Twinkle

Kariwa (Snake) Australia | 2022 | 2 min English | Documentary Short A young Indigenous woman must face her shame: her pride. Challenged by the views of others, she must come to terms with her own shame and relearn to love and be proud of her culture.

Tsi Tiotonhontsatáhsawe - Tsi Nihotirihò:ten Ne Ratironhia Kehró:non (When the Earth Began: The Way of the Skydwellers) Canada | 2022 | 33 min Mohawk | Dramatic Short Tsi Tiotonhontsatáhsawe is an animated version of the first part of the epic Haudenosaunee Creation Story in which we learn the origins of Skywoman and the forces at play leading up to her fall to earth.

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SUNDAY 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

OCT 23

Director/Writer: Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall (Wonnarua) Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall is a First Nations director, illustrator, and 2D/3D animator. She hopes to create animations and illustrations that tempt people into viewing the world in the same wide-eyed and curious way that she does.

Directorial Collaboration: Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace, Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Centre The Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Centre was created to preserve and enrich the language and culture of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawà:ke.

Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace is an Aboriginally determined research-creation network whose goal is to ensure an Indigenous presence in the web pages, online environments, video games, and virtual worlds that comprise cyberspace.

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OCT 23

SPECIAL SCREENING: PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE’S CHOICE

SUNDAY 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

BELOVED

Director: Yaser Talebi (Mazandarani)

Iran | 2020 | 54 min Persian | Documentary Feature

Yaser Talebi is a film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor who has also made his name as a creative director. Yaser is a member of the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association (IRDFA), and his films have screened at festivals worldwide and won numerous awards.

Eighty-two-year-old Firouzeh is not afraid of hard work.

From dawn to dusk, the fiercely independent herder takes care of her beloved cows in the mountains of Northern Iran with no access to electricity, gas, or phone. No matter the difficulties, this indomitable woman will always choose her life in harmony with nature over retiring.

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Slash/Back

SUNDAY 3:15 PM - 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3

Slash/Back

OCT 23

Director: Nyla Innuksuk (Inuk) Writers: Nyla Innuksuk (Inuk), Ryan Cavan

Canada | 2022 | 86 min English | Dramatic Feature Violence

Originally from Igloolik, Nunavut, Nyla Innuksuk studied film at Toronto Metropolitan University before working as a producer at the Indigenous-owned Big Soul Productions. She explores emerging technologies and interactive works through her company Mixtape VR and is a writer for Marvel Comics, where she cocreated the teenage superhero Snowguard.

When Maika and her ragtag friends discover an alien invasion in their tiny Inuit hamlet, it's up to them to save the day. Utilizing their makeshift weapons and horror movie knowledge, the aliens realize you don't mess with girls from Pang (Pangnirtung, Nunavut). Slash/Back presents a promising young cast and a vibrant portrait of resilience, friendship, and what it means to fight for community.

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OCT 23

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

SUNDAY 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Zaagidiwin

Director/Writer/Producer: Denise Bolduc (Anishinaabe)

Canada | 2021 | 23 min English & Anishinaabemowin | Experimental Short Denise Bolduc is an established creator, creative director, and producer who programs to transform perspectives and activate change.

Zaagidiwin reflects on our social responsibilities and our relationship with nature. Through spoken word, music, and song, healing is found as Nanabozo returns to the land, discovering its precious gifts and healing through dance.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

SUNDAY 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

ROSIE

Director/Writer/Producer: Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Canada | 2022 | 100 min English, French & Cree | Dramatic Feature Adult Themes, Use of Illegal Substances, Historical Trauma, Coase Language

Gail Maurice is a fluent Cree/Michif-speaking actor and an award-winning independent filmmaker and Arts Laureate. Her films have screened at Sundance, Traverse City Film Festival, the Smithsonian Institution, and imagineNATIVE. They have also aired on CBC, APTN, and Air Canada’s enRoute. Rosie is her feature debut and was supported by the imagineNATIVE Institute’s inaugural screenwriting lab.

A film about family, love, and misfits, Rosie tells the story of a young, orphaned, Indigenous girl who is forced to live with her reluctant, street-smart Aunty Fred. Fred introduces Rosie to Flo and Mo, her two best friends, glamorous, gender-bending street workers. Rosie transforms the lives of these colourful characters and finds love, acceptance, and a true HOME with her newly chosen family of glittering outsiders.

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OCT 23

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OCT 18-23

Digital + Interactive Media

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Acorn AR

Artists: Casey Koyczan (Dene), Chi Thai

Canada | 2022 English | Augmented Reality

Casey Koyczan is a Tlicho Dene interdisciplinary artist from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. He works with various mediums to communicate a crossroads of culture and technology alongside the political, economic, and environmental challenges in the world.

Acorn AR is an interactive learning component in a larger initiative inspired by the New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year The Promise. Supplemented by the book, a film, print materials, and more Acorn AR draws all the pieces together for an interactive learning experience that explores the growth of an acorn seed.

Chi Thai is a filmmaker who works across fiction, documentary, and immersive media. She is a threetime Cannes Lions finalist and is a BFI Vision awarded producer. She is currently producing Raging Grace for AMC Networks.

all roads lead home

Artist: Sophie Dow (Métis-Assiniboine/settler)

Canada | 2022 English | Interactive Web all roads lead home is a series of dance film meditations that navigate an Indigenous approach to storytelling.

Set in a circular form, the five bite-sized films can be witnessed in any order and experienced as visual films or audio meditations.

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Sophie Dow is a Winnipeg-born multidisciplinary creative with Métis-Assiniboine and settler/stranger roots. She is inspired by dance, music, film,and collaboration. As a creator, Sophie is consistently nurturing and evolving an inventive voice.

Digital + Interactive Media

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Hajichi

OCT 18-23

Artist: Naomi Gina Peñafiel Kaneshiro (Uchinaanchu/ Okinawan)

Peru | 2021 English | Video Game

Naomi Gina Peñafiel Kaneshiro is an illustrator and game designer of Peruvian and Indigenous Okinawan descent (Ryukyuan) who is raising awareness of indigeneity in Okinawa with the recent release of Hajichi.

After waking up, you find strange, dark markings on your hands — how did they appear and what is their purpose? Hajichi is a point-and-click exploration game about an Uchinaanchu descendant who explores their Okinawan heritage by discovering cultural objects in an old family home.

Here I Stand, Still Guarded

Artist: Melissa Johns (Kanien’kehá:ka/French Canadian)

Canada | 2022 English | Virtual Reality

Melissa Johns is a new media artist and educator based in Toronto, Ontario. Her visual practice manifests at the convergence of contemporary media, using interdisciplinary methods to collect, preserve, and transform fragments of the stories around her.

Here I Stand, Still Guarded is a virtual reality installation filled with multigenerational voices and shifting temporalities. Filled with 3D “translations” of sentimental furniture and belongings, this space acts as an experimental archive for the lived experiences of French Canadians and Kanien’kehá:ka diaspora. Viewers are invited to explore, listen to family stories, and reflect on their own relationships with Canadian culture.

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OCT 18-23

Digital + Interactive Media

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Manawa Hau

Artists: Cathay Livermore (Waitaha/Kāti Māmoe/Kāi Tahu), Jess Feast (Ngāti Raukawa)

New Zealand | 2020 English & Maori | 360

Cathay Livermore is an artist, educator, activist, and healer whose creative practices are rooted in intercultural spaces of dialogue and collaboration between land, people, and the potentialities of new media technologies.

Manawa Hau experiments with the connective potential of our humanity through VR technology. The 360 performance piece invites you into a sacred void where movement, sound, and presence introduce you to the energetic centres of your manawa line.

Jess Feast is the co-director of Storybox, a creative production studio in Wellington, Aotearoa (New Zealand). She has been working in documentary research, writing, and directing for over 20 years.

Mikiwam: Chapter Two

Artists: Caeleigh Lightning (Samson Cree Nation), Keara Lightning (Samson Cree Nation)

Canada | 2022 English | Video Game

Caeleigh and Keara Lightning are the two sisters that make up Studio Ekosi, an independent indigiqueer games and animation studio. In addition to their first game, Mikiwam, they are also developing an animated short, eco-apocalyptic love story titled Kimotiwin: The Act of Stealing.

In the latest chapter of this visual novel game, players take on the role of Awâsis, the community healer’s apprentice, as they embark on a journey to connect with an estranged home while discovering inner gifts through the blending of magical elemental teas.

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Digital + Interactive Media

Raspberry Almanack Canada | 2022 No Sound | Digital Media This innovative mixed media installation weaves a story by pushing boundaries in the way we consume digital media. Utilizing 3D prints, clay figures, and a projection of animated content, Raspberry Almanack brings us back to when Grandmama made her jam from the raspberry bushes at the cabin.

This Is Not a Ceremony Canada | 2022 English, French & Other | Virtual Reality Darkly humorous and occasionally caustic, This Is Not a Ceremony offers contemporary insights into growing up as an Indigenous man. With two trickster poets as guides, be transported to a place free from time, where baskets of buffalo tongue and community protocols confront our modern notions of empathy and personal responsibility. Part performance, part participatory media, this 360 film asks us to consider our role in witnessing social injustice.

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

OCT 18-23

Artist: Nadine Chantal Marie Leclerc (Mi’kmaw) Nadine Chantal Marie Leclerc is an artist, designer, and maker with a background in visual arts, web, and design. Translating technical skills to multidimensional and transmedia works, Nadine produces a variety of print, digital, and interactive media.

Artist: Ahnahktsipiitaa (Blackfoot/Dutch) Filmmaker Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon) originally hails from the Piikani Nation. During his upbringing, he resided alongside his mother in Lethbridge and many other dusty Southern Alberta towns.

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OCT 18-23

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Valley of the Rougarou

Digital + Interactive Media

Artist: Jordan Waunch (Métis)

Canada | 2022 Augmented Reality

Jordan Waunch is a Vancouver-based Métis artist, producer, and content creator. Inspired by seeing the richness of history, folklore, and language that exists in all cultures, he hopes to foster cross-cultural collaborations that bring untold stories to life.

Valley of the Rougarou is a location-based augmented reality survival game steeped in Métis oral tradition, culture, history, and folklore. Users explore the realworld, harvest materials, and craft tools to survive long enough to banish the Rougarou, the ominous creatures who hunt them.

Audio Works

Stolen: The Search for Jermain - Season 1 USA | 2021 | 9 Episodes, 369 min English | Podcast In 2018, a young Indigenous mother named Jermain Charlo left a bar in Missoula, Montana, and was never seen again. We go inside the investigation, tracking down leads and joining search parties through the dense mountains of the Flathead Reservation. As we unravel this mystery, the podcast examines what it means to be an Indigenous woman in America.

Native Seed Pod, Season 2 - The Poetry of Sacred Food Culture: Conversations with Simon Ortiz USA | 2022 | 53 min English | Podcast

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Artist: Connie Walker (Cree) Connie Walker has been a journalist focused on the plight of women and Indigenous people for several years. She is the creator of Missing & Murdered, a CBC podcast that has been downloaded globally more than 30 million times.

Artist: Melissa Nelson (Anishinaabe/Cree/Métis/Norwegian) Melissa K. Nelson is an Anishinaabeg/Métis ecologist, writer, media maker, and scholar-activist. She is the Chair of the Board of The Cultural Conservancy.

The final episode of Season 2 of The Native Seed Pod examines many topics of varying depths, from the intricacies of traditional tribal identities to the wonder of our traditional foods and our role as Indigenous peoples in the future of “green” urban development on our traditional territories.

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OCT 18-23

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OCT 18-23

Audio Works

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

CBC Podcasts: Buffy

Artist: Falen Johnson (Mohawk/Tuscarora)

Canada | 2022 | 7 Episodes, 226 min English | Podcast

​Falen Johnson, Mohawk and Tuscarora (Bear Clan) from Six Nations Grand River Territory, is the host of the new CBC Podcast, Buffy, which explores the life and legacy of prolific singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Buffy Sainte-Marie is one of the most prolific singersongwriters of the past century. For 60 years, her music has quietly reverberated throughout pop culture and provided a touchstone for Indigenous resistance. In this five-part series, Mohawk and Tuscarora writer Falen Johnson explores how Buffy’s life and legacy are essential to understanding Indigenous resilience.

CBC Podcasts: Kuper Island

Artist: Duncan McCue (Anishinaabe)

Canada | 2022 | 8 episodes, 325 minkai English | Podcast

Investigative reporter Duncan McCue exposes buried police investigations, confronts perpetrators of abuse, and witnesses a community trying to rebuild — literally — on top of the old school’s ruins and the unmarked graves of Indigenous children.

Kuper Island is an eight-part series that tells the stories of four students: three who survived and one who didn’t. They attended one of Canada’s most notorious residential schools — where unsolved deaths, abuse, and lies haunt the community and the survivors to this day. Hosted by Duncan McCue.

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Audio Works

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Colonize This

OCT 18-23

Artist: Howie Miller (Cree)

Canada | 2022 | 36 mins English | Comedy Album

Howie Miller is an accomplished comedic actor and writer and has been nominated for Geminis, Canadian Comedy Awards, and Canadian Screen Awards.

He can also be heard on CBC’s popular radio show The Debaters.

Recorded live in Calgary with legendary stand-up comedian Howie Miller, Colonize This is a debut 12-track comedy album featuring Howie Miller’s quick wit and unique ability to read a crowd.

Sabikeshiinh

Artist: Brydon King (Anishinabek/Wasauksing)

Canada | 2022 | 6 min English | Experimental Audio

Brydon King makes and records sounds in his spare time, using guitars, synths, drum machines, tape loops, homemade microphones, and whatever sounds he finds interesting in the moment.

As an experimental track, Sabikeshiinh is a mix of semimodular synthesizers and FM synthesizers using loops through synths for added sound manipulation.

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OCT 18-23

Audio Works

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

The Aunties Dandelion Podcast: Paige Bethmann

Artist: Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore (Mohawk) Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore is a Six Nationsenrolled Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) filmmaker, podcaster, educator, and Mohawk language speaker with 25+ years of experience creating films. Moore is a 2022 BANFF Spark Accelerator fellow for women-owned media businesses.

Canada | 2022 | 69 min English | Podcast On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion Podcast, we visit with Paige Bethmann: filmmaker and storyteller from the Mohawk and Oneida Nations. Paige spent years working in mainstream media in New York City and was recently compelled to move across the country to create her first feature documentary, titled Remaining Native.

Warrior Kids Podcast: We Are All Connected

Audio Works

Spilling Labrador Tea Under Cedar Trees, Season 1, Episode 11: We Understood the Assignment Canada | 2022 | 40 min English | Podcast Our work explores relationships between people, history, experiences, and land. We aim for our podcasts to be lighthearted and informative. We believe that through the art of storytelling folks can enjoy hearing from others and feel inspired to share their stories.

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

Artists: Katelynne Herchak (Inuit), Madeleine Bégin (Mi’kmaq) Madeleine Bégin is Mi’kmaq and French Canadian and a second-generation Sixties Scoop survivor, born and raised on the traditional, unceded territories of the lək̉Wəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples.

Katelynne Herchack, co-host, is an Inuk located on the traditional territory Lkwungen. Kate is passionate about decolonizing education and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives into spaces to create meaningful relationships and change.

Artist: Pamela Palmater (Mi’kmaw) Pamela Palmater is a Mi’kmaw lawyer, professor, and digital media artist. She przoduces and hosts the Warrior Life Podcast and the award-winning Warrior Kids Podcast — both a celebration of everything Indigenous.

Canada | 2022 | 16 min English | Podcast This episode of Warrior Kids was inspired by all the First Nation teachers and Elders in schools who work hard to educate our children about our cultures to instill pride and self-love. Learn new knowledge, hear messages about the importance of family, and enjoy Indigenous stories.

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OCT 18-23

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OCT 18 - 23

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

iNdigital Space

iNdigital Space

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM DAILY TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

OCT 18 - 23

iNdigital Days We want to acknowledge the support we've received from the Indigenous Screen Office and Ontario Creates which has allowed us to present iNdigital Days in a new and expanded form.

Formerly Indigenous Digital Development Day (iDDD), funding from the Indigenous Screen Office has allowed us to significantly expand this unique and timely programming. iNdigital Days is an intensive event held during our imagineNATIVE Festival geared specifically to Indigenous creatives in the digital and interactive sector. As part of our commitment to developing ecosystems where new media practitioners can thrive, iNdigital Days creates opportunities to address specific gaps for Indigenous artists within the film and media arts industry.

iNdigital Space Sponsors: East Side Games, Indigenous Screen Office FREE The iNdigital Space is back and bigger than ever! Join us inside the TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery for a large-scale presentation of imagineNATIVE’s curated Digital + Interactive and Audio Works! We invite you to see, listen, and play with our diverse official selection, which includes VR, 360, AR, video games, and interactive web and digital media. Celebrated alongside these works is a showcase of games made during our summer LAND JAM and Biindigen! (Come in!) by the iNdigital Youth Collective.

This work exists to serve and empower Indigenous artists working in virtual reality, augmented reality, video game development, web development, and experimental applications of new media. By bringing Indigenous folks from the digital sector together, we strive to make space for knowledge exchange and production, bringing innovative forms of media to new audiences and allowing Indigenous perspectives to impact emergent platforms.

The entire iNdigital Space is free to visit and explore, and we’ve worked hard to make it accessible and inclusive for all — trained volunteers and staff will be on hand to support your enjoyment of these unique works. Come experience the iNdigital Space at your own pace any time from October 18 - 23 or join us from October 19 - 20 for iNdigital Days, our jam-packed, two-day professional development event!

We love new media and look forward to sharing it with you!

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OCT 19

iNdigital Days

WEDNESDAY 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

DAY 1

iNdigital Days

THURSDAY 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery

OCT 20

DAY 2 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Calling all developers, digital artists, and dreamers: iNdigital Days is here!

Formerly Indigenous Digital Development Day (iDDD), iNdigital Days is an extended two-day event packed with opportunities to grow your practice and connect with other digital creatives! Join us at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery on October 19 for a full day of programming tailored to artists working and experimenting with new media! Kicking off iNdigital Days is an Elder address followed by a keynote with a senior artist in the industry, panels, a masterclass, a collaborative making session, and our youth showcase! Whether you’re learning new tricks in Tilt Brush or sharing ideas with industry pros at our Tech Talks, iNdigital Days has something for digital practitioners of all levels.

Taking place October 20 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Gallery, the second day of our event further explores digital skill-building and relationality. Get to know other makers in your field over our Welcome Breakfast, then swing by for a screening and artist talk on Hawaiian video games. Speaking of video games, we’re showcasing all the gaming works made during this year’s LAND JAM with an arcade style exhibition and deep dive. After a second round of our celebrated Tech Talks, we invite you to grab your kokums and cousins to plant trees with Acorn AR followed by a masterclass on getting the whole family to code.

Whether you’re curious about digital creation or you’re an old pro, iNdigital Days has something for everyone.

Level up with us at your pace, make new connections, and get inspired!

Welcome Breakfast TBA

Panel: Collaborative Game Making TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

LAND JAM Showcase TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Catered Lunch + Tech Talk TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Hands on Activity + Artist Talk: Acorn AR TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

Community Mural with Tilt Brush TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Masterclass: Family Tech (Registration Required) TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

2:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Panel: Digital Gestures TIFF Bell Light Box, Gallery

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Closing Party TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

iNdigital Youth Collective Showcase and Party TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

Keynote TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

10:45 AM - 12:30 PM

Panel: Remixing TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

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11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Welcome to Day 2 of iNdigital Days!

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date iNdigital Days schedule information, please refer to the Festival website.

Elder Opening Ceremony and D + I Presentation TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

Tech Talk Lunch (Registration Required) TBA

Masterclass: Painting in VR TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gallery

Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date iNdigital Days schedule information, please refer to the Festival website.

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AUDIO INSTALLATION: SEEDCAST

Photo credit: Felipe Contreras

Seedcast

Host: Jessica Ramirez (Indigenous Mexican American) Executive Producer: Tracy Rector (Choctaw/ Black/Jewish)

USA | 2022 | 5 - 7 min English | Podcast October 18–23, TIFF Bell Lightbox, 1st Floor

Seedcast is a story-centred podcast digging up, nurturing, and rooting global stories of Indigenous experience. Listen to excerpts from the first two seasons, including stories created with Indigenous Peoples across the Boreal, Amazonia, Pasifika, and Turtle Island. Hosted by Jessica Ramirez and Executive Producer Tracy Rector. Produced on Coast Salish land (Seattle, Washington), Seedcast is a project of Nia Tero.

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OCT 19

Industry Days

WEDNESDAY 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Artscape Sandbox

DAY 1

Industry Days

THURSDAY 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4 + Artscape Sandbox

OCT 20

DAY 2 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Wednesday, October 19 is Day 1 of the imagineNATIVE Institute’s Industry Days!

We will open with a ceremony and a song grounding us in the importance of storytelling, followed by a discussion around community, culture, and the care that goes into creating. Industry Days attendees will be asked to share their thoughts on growing the Indigenous screen industry. Working with Indigenous industry leaders, Part 1 of this two-part event will work to identify barriers and needs specific to Indigenous creatives in the film and television industry. Part 2 will strategize solutions to move forward together in positive ways. After a one-hour lunch break, Industry Days will return with the Access to spaces panel where we invite Industry leaders to discuss the various avenues Indigenous film + television creatives can present their works. Day 1 of Industry Days will wrap up with a Pitch Workshop led by IF/Then Doc Shorts in partnership with Kin Theory.

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

10:45 AM - 12:30 PM

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Industry Days Opening Artscape Sandbox

We welcome Industry Days attendees and leaders in the film industry to a full day of Pitch events!

Access to Stories: Panel + Q&A Artscape Sandbox

The day will start with film and television pitches from imagineNATIVE Institute Alumni and Indigenous creatives active in the industry. This event will allow filmmakers to hone their pitches and receive feedback from industry leaders.

Growing an Industry: A Guided Group Discussion Artscape Sandbox

The Pitch Day will cumulate with the APTN Lumi: from Pitching to Production panel and showcase. After the panel, there will be a special screening from APTN Lumi and will finish with the world premiere of the 2021 APTN/imagineNATIVE Web Series Pitch winner, The Feather News.

Lunch Break

9:15 AM - 12:30 PM

imagineNATIVE Institute Pitch Day TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch Break

Access to Spaces Artscape Sandbox

The Feather News, Episode 1: Casino Industrial Complex Canada | 2022 English | Web Series What’s with all the casinos in Indigenous country? Our news team is deployed to find out how the economy actually works on reserves and how we generate revenue elsewhere. And as an added bonus, we tackle taxes and provide truth on how these are paid in Indigenous communities. Yes, we do pay those.

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imagineNATIVE Institute Pitch Day TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

3:30 PM - 6:00 PM

APTN Lumi: From Pitching to Production Panel + Showcase TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Industry Days Networking Night Artscape Sandbox

Pitching Workshop Artscape Sandbox

Pitch Workshop in partnership with IF/THEN, Kin Theory and Nia Tero

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Morning Remarks TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Please note: Schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date Industry Days schedule information, please refer to the Festival website.

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

OCT 21

Industry Days

FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox + Artscape Sandbox

DAY 3 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

While Micro Meetings are taking place at TIFF Bell Lightbox from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Industry Days will host a series of events at Artscape Sandbox, starting with a Case Study on music and licensing in feature films in partnership with Music Publishers of Canada.

The second event of the day is Access to Funding, a panel discussion and Q&A with representatives from funding bodies that support Indigenous creatives.

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

The imagineNATIVE Institute will offer complimentary headshots for Indigenous Creatives.

In the afternoon, the creatives behind this year’s imagineNATIVE Original Short Films will join us to discuss the process, mentorship, and films they’ve created. The final panel of the day is Access On Set which focuses on creating accessible productions.

Be sure to check out the imagineNATIVE Originals Program Screening in the evening and The Beat, where the participant of the 2023 Harmonize Mentorship will be announced!

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Industry Days Morning Remarks Artscape Sandbox

9:15 AM - 11:15 AM

Access to Music: A Case Study on Music in Film Artscape Sandbox

Micro Meetings: Meet with Festival Programmers and Curators TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studios A & B Micro Meetings: Meet with Buyers, Acquisitions, and Distribution TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studios A & B Lunch Break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Micro Meetings: Meet with Production & Development TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studios A & B

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Micro Meetings: Meet with Agents and Representation TIFF Bell Lightbox, Learning Studios A & B

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Saturday, October 22 is Day 4 of the imagineNATIVE Institute’s Industry Days!

We kick off the final day of Industry Days with a panel discussion on Directing for film to television. Followed

by Part 2 of Growing an Industry, where we strategize, identify solutions, and make plans to move forward together in a good way. After breaking for a onehour lunch, we will hold the final event of Industry Days, the imagineNATIVE Institute’s Screenwriting Features Lab Table Read, where the participants from imagineNATIVE Institute’s Screenwriting Features Lab choose a scene from their scripts to be read and directed by professional actors in front of a live audience. To wrap up the 2022 Industry Days in person events, our Elder will return for the Industry Days closing ceremony.

OCT 22

Institute Offerings: Complimentary Headshots TIFF Bell Lightbox, Green Room

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

imagineNATIVE Originals Shorts: Panel Discussion Artscape Sandbox

9:00 AM - 9:15 PM

Opening Remarks Artscape Sandbox

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

From Film to TV Artscape Sandbox

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Micro Meetings Networking Event Artscape Sandbox

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Access to Funding: Panel Discussion + Q&A Artscape Sandbox

11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

SATURDAY 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Artscape Sandbox

DAY 4

Friday, October 21 is Day 3 of the imagineNATIVE Institute’s Industry Days!

11:15 AM - 12:30 PM

Industry Days

Access On Set : Panel Discussion + Q&A Artscape Sandbox 152

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Growing an Industry, Part 2: A Guided Group Discussion Artscape Sandbox

Lunch Break

imagineNATIVE Institute Screenwriting Features Lab Table Read Artscape Sandbox

Industry Days Closing Party Artscape Sandbox

SPECIAL EVENTS We are excited to announce the return of our live performance special events! Grab your ticket or register as required.

Welcome Gathering

Opening Night Party

Art Crawl

The Beat

Tuesday, October 18, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Daniels Spectrum, Ada Slaight Hall 585 Dundas St. E

Tuesday, October 18, 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Ricarda’s Restaurant 134 Peter St.

Thursday, October 20, 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Start: 401 Commons, Bachir/Yerex, 6:00 PM End: Onsite Gallery, 10:00 PM

Friday, October 21, 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Rivoli Backroom 334 Queen St. W

FREE! Open to the public

$15 or FREE for Package Holders with advanced booking at our online Box Office. At the door sales are subject to availability.

An evening of insightful and dynamic curatorial art with the artists themselves! imagineNATIVE’s Art Crawl is a guided exhibition tour featuring a fantastic lineup of video, audio, installation works and artist talks.

This is a concert you don’t want to miss! Be captivated by extraordinary Indigenous performing artists presenting diverse genres of music.

Welcome to the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Welcome Gathering! We are eager to celebrate with you in person again as we enjoy traditional singing, dance performances, and an opening prayer from our cultural advisor, plus a delicious community feast.

Celebrate the annual Festival launch with some of the top Indigenous DJs in the city! Arrive early to enjoy a variety of free culinary delectables and create lasting memories with our glam 360 photo booth. The red carpet awaits you!

There's more! We will be announcing the Toronto Arts Foundations Artist Award Winner, following a special performance.

Don’t skip a Beat! Join us live at the Rivoli where extraordinary Indigenous performing artists take the stage and captivate the audience.

This year’s Art Crawl will take place in two accessible public spaces for art, 199 Richmond St W and 401 Richmond St W.

We will also be announcing the participant for the 2023 Harmonize Mentorship Program! In partnership with Slaight Family Foundation, this opportunity is for an Indigenous musician to bring together film and music by creating a commissioned project to premiere at the Festival in 2023.

ART CRAWL TIMETABLE Featured Artists: DJ Shub, DJ Ziibiwan, DJ Aerial, and DJ Fawn Big Canoe!

Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM 401 Richmond St. W, Suite 450 Press the Record Button

$15 or FREE for Package Holders with advanced booking at our online box office. At the door sales are subject to availability.

A Space Gallery 6:40 PM - 7:10 PM 401 Richmond St. W, Suite 110 FLOW

Featured Artists: The Ra11n, Tia Wood, Drives the Common Man, and more! Hosted by stand-up comedian Stephanie Pangowish.

Trinity Square Video 7:20 PM - 7:50 PM 401 Richmond St. W, Suite 121 Seeing Is Believing

Thank you to the Department of Canadian Heritage for their continued support of all live-performance events.

YYZ Artist Outlet Gallery 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM 401 Richmond St. W, Suite 140 Calling Through the Trees Onsite Gallery Closing Ceremony 8:45 PM - 10:00 PM 199 Richmond St. W, Ground Floor Souvenir

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TRINITY SQUARE VIDEO October 7–November 12 401 Richmond St. W

EXHIBITIONS

EXHIBITIONS

Every year imagineNATIVE collaborates with local artist-run galleries in the Toronto area to present national and international exhibitions featuring Indigenous artists who continue to push the boundaries and expectations of what Indigenous storytelling is. The Art Crawl began unofficially in the early 2000s and has been a staple since 2012.

For this year’s Art Crawl, imagineNATIVE has put together a fantastic lineup featuring newly commissioned video works, audio works, installations, and walkthroughs!

Press The Record Button

Seeing Is Believing

Curator: Lisa Myers Retrospective | Mike McDonald

Suzanne Kite | Devin Ronneberg TRINITY SQUARE VIDEO October 7–November 12 401 Richmond St. W

Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space October 6–November 5 401 Richmond St. W

Identities Through The Archive

FLOW

Casey Koyczan | Laura Ortman | Marc Fussing Rosbach Pamela Palmater | Suzanne Morrissette | Tom McLead

Curator: Jesse King Alec Butler | Rob Fatal | Terry J. Jones

A Space Gallery October 7–November 12 401 Richmond St. W

CANADIAN FILM DISTRIBUTION CENTRE October 20–30 Online Only

Calling Through the Trees

Souvenir

Curator: Franchesca Herbert-Spence Shelley Niro

Curator: Ryan Rice | Jordan Bennett Onsite Gallery June 15–December 10 199 Richmond St. W

YYZ ARTIST OUTLET GALLERY September 17–December 17 401 Richmond St. W

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Seeing is Believing

Artists: Devin Ronneberg, Suzanne Kite

In Seeing is Believing, musician and multimedia artists Devin Ronneberg (Kanaka Maoli/Okinawan) and Suzanne Kite (Oglala Lakota) focus on histories and narratives of uranium extraction and nuclear technological development in tandem with the history of colonialism and Western imperialist warmaking. Inspired by the writings of Lou Cornum, they are interested in illuminating the shared radioactive realities of Indigenous communities in North America and the Japanese descendants from WWII. They plan to produce the works by using AI creative technologies for image generation and style transfer effects and mined datasets related to uranium extraction.

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A SPACE GALLERY October 18–Novemeber 12 401 Richmond St. W

EXHIBITIONS

Casey Koyczan is a Tlicho Dene, an interdisciplinary artist from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, who works with various mediums to communicate how culture and technology coincide alongside the world’s political, economic, and environmental challenges. A portion of his large-scale installation work utilizes earth materials to evoke the idea of nature reclaiming architectural space. Inspired by sci-fi and the future, Koyczan implements various techniques of interactivity, audiovideo, VR/360/XR, and the engagement of the bodily senses within his creations.

Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache, lives and works in Brooklyn, New York) is a soloist and vibrant collaborator who performs across recorded albums, live performances, filmic and artistic soundtracks, and is versed in Apache violin, piano, electric guitar, keyboard, and pedal steel guitar. She often sings through a megaphone and is a producer of capacious field recordings. She has performed at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Toronto Biennial, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among countless other established and DIY venues in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

FLOW

Artists: Casey Koyczan, Laura Ortman, Marc Fussing Rosbach, Pamela Palmater, Suzanne Morrissette, Tom McLeod imagineNATIVE Commisioned Project

We come from nations of storytellers. FLOW seeks to provide opportunities for Indigenous artists to explore ancestral ontologies concerning water through sonic storytelling.

FLOW is a commissioned project featuring six durational audio works by Indigenous artists that connect distant listeners to site-specific bodies of water. Meditating on sites such as lakes, rivers, bays, glaciers, ponds, and seas, these original works explore intersections of water, Indigenous geographies, and bodies. Collectively, these methods instigate pathways toward the transformation of inherited oppression, shifting toward fully rounded ancestral embodiment.

Audiences are encouraged to engage with these works on the land, communing with water safely and socially distanced ways.

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Suzanne Morrissette (Cree/Métis) is an artist, curator, and scholar currently based out of Toronto. She is guided in this work by her roles as a daughter, partner, mother, sister, niece, aunt, granddaughter, friend, and colleague. Her father’s parents were Michif- and Cree-speaking Métis with family histories tied to the Interlake and Red River regions and Scrip in the area now known as Manitoba. Her mother’s parents came from Canadian-born farming families descended from United Empire loyalists and Russian Mennonites.

Morrissette was born and raised in Winnipeg and is a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. As an artistic researcher, Morrissette’s interests include family and community knowledge, translation methods, telling in-between histories, and practices that support and sustain life.

Marc Fussing Rosbach (Greenlandic) Tackling directing, producing, animation, composition, and sound design alone in a film takes immense ability and talent. Up-and-coming and self-taught filmmaker Marc Fussing Rosbach fearlessly and artfully takes on all of these roles in his practice. He is the Founder and CEO of FUROS IMAGE. His short animation NAJA received the Award for New Voice in Storytelling at the 2020 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

NAJA offers a unified vision, exploring how the natural world cares for the heroine on her journey, a fitting and beautiful perspective from this multi-hyphenate, Indigenous filmmaker.

Pam Palmater (Mi’kmaw) produces and directs various online content focused on Indigenous Peoples. She has her Warrior Life podcast, which focuses on grassroots warriors all over Turtle Island defending our lands, protecting our waters, and advocating for Native rights in a wide variety of ways. In addition, she produces a new Warrior Kids podcast, the kid-friendly spin-off of the adult Warrior Life. She also has a weekly YouTube video where she helps educate the public on issues impacting Indigenous Peoples.

Tom McLeod is an Inuvialuk storyteller and multimedia artist based in Ottawa, Ontario, and Aklavik, Northwest Territories, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. He is also a Canadian Best author and Silver Birch Express nominated author for his book The Delta is My Home.

Tom is a former CBC radio personality with a show on CBC Northbeat, where he would tell stories of on-the-land and traditional Inuvialuit and Gwich’in activities, such as hunting, trapping, fishing, and travelling his traditional lands across the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

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YYZ ARTIST OUTLET GALLERY 401 Richmond St. W September 17–Decemeber 17

EXHIBITIONS

Calling Through the Trees

Curator: Franchesca Hebert-Spence Artist: Shelley Niro

Shelley Niro’s work has long been lauded for her pops of humour, re-envisioning of stories that have been shared with her, and retellings of historical and ongoing colonialism that affect our communities today. Her work is extraordinary in how she approaches and considers youth — specifically Kanien’kehá:ka youth — as an audience. In doing so, Shelley’s work remains powerful, nodding to visual cues that other Indigenous folks will appreciate while not taking itself too seriously.

Currently residing in the unceded Algonquin territory of Ottawa, Franchesca Hebert-Spence is an Anishinaabe from Winnipeg, Manitoba; her grandmother Marion Ida Spence was from Sagkeeng First Nation on Lake Winnipeg. Her creative practice stems from Ishkabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg, Brandon University’s Visual and Aboriginal Arts program.

She is a curator, writer, cultural producer, and a PhD student in Cultural Mediations (Visual Culture) at Carleton University.

Calling Through the Trees is a multimedia installation/ exhibition featuring thirteen short films, including Suite: INDIAN, Sky Woman With Us, Hunger, Niagara, The Flying Head, and My Heart is in the Forest. The installation takes a novel approach to gallery-based film experiences with elements of theatres and gatherings, challenging how we’ve come to expect to consume cultural production. Calling Through the Trees engages with how Shelley’s work wields power, resonating within community members’ hearts and serving as a touchstone of storytelling.

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Shelley Niro was born in Niagara Falls, New York.

She is a member of the Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk and Six Nations Reserve and a practising artist, concentrating on painting, photography, and film. In 2017, Niro was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Governor General award in Visual Art, The Reveal Award from The Hnatyshyn Foundation, Dreamcatcher’s Visual Award, and the Scotiabank Photography Award. In 2020, Niro was presented with the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Foundation.

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CANADIAN FILM DISTRIBUTION CENTRE October 20–30 Online Only

EXHIBITIONS

Jesse King is an emerging two-spirited Anishinaabe artist based in Toronto, Canada. They have obtained a BFA in Photography from OCAD University and have started their Master’s in Design at York University.

Jesse frequently explores the many facets of identity, including queerness, gender, the importance of cultural representation, and how art can be immersed into society and culture.

Rob Fatal (they/them) is a filmmaker, storyteller, story keeper. They come from Rarámuri/Southern Ute/ Spanish ancestors and Mexican American culture.

Their Queer, gender fluid, Mestize/Mixed identity informs the sci-fi and apocalyptic films they make.

Their work centres on humans who sit at the intersections of time, space, and culture. Fatal is a Sundance Film Institute Native Film Fellow Alumni.

Their work is distributed by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre and has been screened internationally at festivals including BFI Flare, Outsider Fest, Fringe! Queer Arts and Film Festival, and Frameline.

Alec Butler (they/them) is a Two-Spirit, Nonbinary, Intersex activist and an award-winning playwright, author, and filmmaker; they write, direct, edit, and perform in their videos and champion the DIY (DoIt-Yourself) and DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) aesthetic.

Author of the queer novella Rough Paradise and the plays Black Friday, Medusa Rising, Cradle Pin, and Shakedown, Butler is a scholar in Indigenous Studies and Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto. Their research centres on Two-Spirit Queer Indigenous Literatures, Cultures, Communities, and Politics. Alec is of Indigenous (Mi’kmaq) and Settler (French/Irish) descent, originally from Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia).

Identities Through The Archive

Terry J. Jones (he/him) is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. He grew up and is currently living on the Seneca territory in western New York State and is a Wolf Clan member. Jones has a passion for sharing his Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history and culture through his film works. He strives to find a balance between entertaining and educating his audiences. Terry’s film works have been screened all over the world, including the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto, where his films Empire State, Soup for My Brother, [untitled & unlabeled], and Ode to the Nine had their international premieres.

Curator: Jesse King Filmmakers: Alec Butler, Rob Fatal, Terry J. Jones

Identities Through the Archive demonstrates identities that are rarely given a voice. These short and experimental films are an unapologetic and raw depiction of identities that have faced criticism simply based on their existence. The visuals and audio expand on the theme of voyeurism that surrounds identities in the queer space and the public sphere. The viewer is made to feel uncomfortable by the invasiveness of specific clips — to question the inherent presence of societal normalities regarding identity and deconstruct and abolish gender roles through the expression of fragmented sensory, gentle, raw, and thoughtprovoking imagery.

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401 COMMONS | BACHIR-YERIX October 11–November 16 401 Richmond St. W

EXHIBITIONS

Press the Record Button

Curator: Lisa Myers Artist: Mike McDonald

A Mike McDonald Retrospective

Lisa Myers is a curator and artist whose work focuses on the varied values and functions of elements such as medicine plants, language, sound, and knowledge.

Myers is a member of Beausoleil First Nation and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University.

Press the Record Button considers the video and material archive of the late artist Mike MacDonald.

Known for his multichannel video installations, in-situ Butterfly Gardens, and online project, Digital Gardens (1997), Mi’kmaq, Beothuk, and Euro-Canadian artist Mike MacDonald’s art practice emerged from an extended engagement in documentary video from the late 1970s where he worked with anti-nuclear activists.

After 1980, he began documenting demonstrations, testimonies, conferences, and meetings for the Native Brotherhood and First Nations in the land we know as British Columbia. Shot during key political contestations between the state, First Nations, and industry, much of his work represents important cultural and governance histories valuable to communities today.

Born in Nova Scotia, Mike MacDonald (1941–2006) was a multimedia artist of Mi’kmaq ancestry. Principally self-taught, his works have been featured in exhibitions internationally. He received the prestigious Jack and Doris Shadbolt Prize from the Vancouver Institute for Visual Arts and the first Aboriginal Achievement Award for New Media presented at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Through viewing and listening stations featuring selections from MacDonald’s archive, this exhibition examines MacDonald’s commitment to video work and documentation, asking the viewer/listener to consider questions about artists’ archives: How do the stories and information within artist’s and filmmaker’s archive hold and enrich an understanding of First Nation’s governance and histories? How should archives be accessed and cared for? And by whom?

As a viewer and consumer of television and video, MacDonald’s archive signals his concern with mass media and his process of learning through a range of programs he recorded off the television. His archive reveals the many forms and subjects of his documentation practice and reflects an eclectic mix of the sources he drew from and the communities he moved through with his camera. From shooting video of punk rock shows in Vancouver and documenting protests for anti-nuke activists, testimonies for court cases, and protests for the Native Brotherhood, MacDonald created a web of relations with many stories.

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ONSITE GALLERY June 15–December 10 199 Richmond St. W

EXHIBITIONS

Souvenir

Curator: Ryan Rice Artist: Jordan Bennett

Jordan Bennett’s solo exhibition Souvenir draws upon his inspired intentions to visit, activate and respond to the innovative heritage embedded, woven, and veiled in the richness of Mi’kmaq material culture and design.

His interdisciplinary and intuitive approach grants new vitality to overlooked cultural expressions that carry elaborate Mi’kmaq cosmologies interpreted through customary geometric motifs embellished in a highly valued era of porcupine quillwork and basketry souvenir trade commodities that was thriving in the nineteenth century. The exhibition brings together Bennett’s newly designed site-specific work, museum collection loans, and installation to celebrate the vitality and influence of Indigenous aesthetics as contemporary practice.

Ryan Rice, Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawake, is the Curator of Indigenous Art at OCAD University’s Onsite Gallery. His curatorial career spans 30 years in community, museums, artist-run centres, and galleries.

Complementing his curatorial practice, Rice’s critical writing on contemporary Onkwehón:we art is published in periodicals, journals, and exhibition catalogues.

​​Jordan Bennett is a Mi’kmaq visual artist from Stephenville Crossing, Ktaqamkuk (Newfoundland). He lives and works on his ancestral territory of Mi’kma’ki in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Bennett’s ongoing practice utilizes painting, sculpture, textiles, video, installation, public art, and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, familial histories, and challenging colonial perceptions of Indigenous histories and presence with a focus on exploring Mi’kmaq and Beothuk visual culture.

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2022 FESTIVAL DELEGATE BAG

Every year, imagineNATIVE commissions an Indigenous artist to create an image for our Festival Tote Bag. The Tote Bag is offered to all our delegates attending the Festival and is also available as part of our Official Festival Merchandise. The production of the bag is supported by Miziwe Biik.

This year’s Festival theme is based on the imagery of the auroras and the guiding words of “Light Will Win.” Artist Tyler Rushnell has created an image based on these themes and principles.

Hello my name is Tyler Tabobondung Rushnell. I’m from the Beaver Clan, 22 years of age, and born in Belleville, Ontario. My community Wasauksing First Nations is in Parry Sound, Ontario. I work in acrylic mediums and in the digital field of creating unique pieces with my own Indigenous twist.

Thank you, Tyler, for your beautiful artwork!

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AUGUST SCHELLENBERG AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

imagineNATIVE is honoured to present the 2022 August Schellenberg Award to Gary Farmer.

2022 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.

where he studied photography and film production.

Farmer’s first acting role was in On The Rim of a Curse, the 1976 play about the Beothuk. His first major television role was on CBC’s Spirit Bay (1984). He subsequently played police captain Joe Stonetree on the syndicated TV series Forever Knight (1992 - 1994) and Chief Tom in the CBC First Nations TV series The Rez (1996). Farmer is best known for his role as the spiritual, Native American guide Nobody in Dead Man (1995) directed by Jim Jarmusch. Farmer reprised the role for a cameo in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), also directed by Jarmusch. Recent credits include Resident Alien, as a series regular, for NBC Universal/ Syfy Network, Reservation Dogs for FX/Hulu and the independent films Cowboys, Border House Reach, First Cow, Blood Quantum, and The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw. Farmer is a long-time resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is an actor and musician whose career has spanned more than four decades. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the development of First Nations media in Canada and is the founding director of the urban, Indian radio network Aboriginal Voices Radio Network. He has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Male.

Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, into the Cayuga Nation and the Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/ Iroquois Confederacy. He grew up in Buffalo where his father worked as a crane operator. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Toronto Metropolitan University

This award is supported by ACTRA National and individual donations.

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The imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation is a celebration of excellence in Indigenous film and media arts.

imagineNATIVE is proud to be able to provide annual cash awards to artists spanning over fourteen awards categories. We have four different juries to select the award winners across our Film + Video, Digital + Interactive, and Audio Official Selection.

We’d like to thank Telefilm Canada, the Presenting Partner of the Awards, for all their support.

Moon Jury

Sun Jury

Dana Claxton (Hunkpapa Lakota) Tanu Gago (Samoa)

David Hernández Palmar (Wayuu) Pauline Clague (Yaegl)

The Moon Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Dramatic Feature, Live Action Short, Animated Short, Innovation in Storytelling, Indigenous Language Production, and the Moon Jury Award.

The Sun Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, New Voice in Storytelling, and the Sun Jury Award.

Water Jury

Land Jury

With support from ACTRA National $2,500

Susan Blight (Anishinaabe) Hexe Fey (Oglala Lakota)

Kathleen Doxtater (Oneida)

Audience Choice Feature Award

The Water Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: New Artist in Digital + Interactive and the Digital + Interactive Award.

The Land Jury is responsible for adjudicating the following awards: Experimental Audio and Narrative Audio.

Innovation in Storytelling Award

New Voice in Storytelling Award

With support from Kent Monkman and Sobeys $7,500

With support from Humber College $2,500

Animated Short Award

Sun Jury Award

With support from Blue Ant Media $2,500

With support from the DGC $2,500

Documentary Short Award

Moon Jury Award

With support from TVO $5,000

With support from the DGC $2,500

Documentary Feature Award

Live Action Short Award

With support from CBC $5,000

With support from Vtape and Jason Ryle $7,500

Experimental Audio Award

Dramatic Feature Award

$2,500

$7,500

Narrative Audio Award $2,500

The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence

New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award With support from the Indigenous Screen Office $2,000 Digital + Interactive Award With support from the Indigenous Screen Office $2,500

With support from Shutterstock $2,500 Audience Choice Short Award With support from BMO $2,500

Indigenous Language Production Award $7,500

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PRINT SOURCE # ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) (p. 60) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski printtraffic@reciprocity.org A A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu (p. 113) Print Source: Katherine Wyeth katherine@theconch.co.nz A Crying Shame (p. 118) Print Source: Glen Stasiuk g.stasiuk@murdoch.edu.au A Morning with Aroha (p. 33) Print Source: Nicholas Riini nicholasriini@gmail.com A Winter Love (p. 44) Print Source: Rhiana Yazzie rhiana.yazzie@yahoo.com Acorn AR (p. 134) Print Source: Sidii Media Inc. / The Last Conker caseykoyczan@gmail.com all roads lead home (p. 134) Print Source: Sophie Caroline Dow sophie.caroline.d@gmail.com Annie (p. 99) Print Source: Autumn Godwin, Amanda Lickers buckskinbabes@gmail.com Arctic Song (p. 111) Print Source: National Film Board of Canada festivals@nfb.ca

PRINT SOURCE Braided Together (p. 39) Print Source: Kyle @ Wrapped Productions Inc kyle@wrappedproductionsinc.com Breath me back to life (p. 112) Print Source: Sunna Nousuniemi snousuniemi@gmail.com Bring Her Home (p. 53) Print Source: Leya Hale lhale@tpt.org Broken Angel / MaaShwaKan MaNiTo (p. 73) Print Source: Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin visjuelles@gmail.com C CBC Podcasts: Buffy (p. 140) Print Source: Emily emily.maclean@cbc.ca

E Rangi Rā (p. 116) Print Source: Madeleine de Young @ Maoriland Film maddy@maorilandfilm.co.nz Exploring the Treaty Relationship (p. 108) Print Source: Antoinette Karuna antoinettekaruna@gmail.com F

Cerro Saturno (p. 74) Print Source: Miguel Hilari miguelhilari@gmail.com

fire in the water, fire in the sky (p. 116) Print Source: Miria George miria@tawataproductions.com

Chaac and Yum (p. 41) Print Source: Roberto Fatal robfatal@gmail.com

Firecracker Bullets (p. 77) Print Source: Chad Charlie rez2rezcomedy@gmail.com

Chatham Islanders (p. 95) Print Source: Autumn Godwin & Amanda Lickers buckskinbabes@gmail.com

First Time Home (p. 37) Print Source: Seth Holmes sethmholmes@berkeley.edu

Colonize This (p. 141) Print Source: Barry bt@comedyrecords.ca

Ava Kuña, Aty Kuña: indigenous woman, political woman (p. 88) Print Source: Julia Zulian juliazulian@zsfilmes.com.br

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Dark Nature (p. 120) Print Source: Isabelle Legault @ Film Option ilegault@filmoption.com

Beach Heart (p. 88) Print Source: Glenn Gear glenngear@gmail.com

Dead Bird Hearts (p. 43) Print Source: Ryan Redcorn ryanredcorn@gmail.com

Beloved (p. 130) Print Source: Yaser Talebi talebi.yaser@gmail.com

Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors) (p. 30) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski @ Reciprocity printtraffic@reciprocity.org

Bones of Crows (p. 58) Print Source: Elevation Pictures stimlick@elevationpictures.com

E Mālama Pono, Will Boy (p. 78) Print Source: Scott W. Kekama Amona makawalufilms@gmail.com

FEYENTUAFIYIÑ (Our Path) (p. 34) Print Source: Marie-Soleil Joyal @ Wapikoni mariesoleiljoyal@wapikoni.ca

Convicted (p. 101) Bruce Miller bruc3_mill3r@outlook.com

Bill Reid Remembers (p. 90) Print Source: National Film Board of Canada festivals@nfb.ca

E Lele Le Toloa (The Toloa Bird Soars) (p. 117) Print Source: Bai Buliruarua bbuliruarua30@gmail.com

CBC Podcasts: Kuper Island (p. 140) Print Source: Emily emily.maclean@cbc.ca

At Each Night (p. 56) Print Source: Marie-Josée Tremblay mariejoseemjtremblay@gmail.com

Better At Texting (p. 39) Print Source: Mary Galloway brightshadowinc@gmail.com

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Disconnected (p. 69) Print Source: Angela Cudd angelamarioncudd@gmail.com distance (p. 89) Print Source: Sydney Pickering sydney.pickering6@gmail.com Dogwood (Sipinikimm) (p. 56) Print Source: Kanani Koster @ Cherry Street Films kanani@cherrystreetfilms.com

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G Gidiskin (p. 99) Joshua DePerry bookings@classic-roots.com Giving Up The Ghost (p. 70) Print Source: Kerry Warkia @ BSAG Productions kerry@bsagproductions.com

Hi, My Name is Lilliana (p. 33) Print Source: Lilliana Rice lillirice2004@gmail.com I Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting (p. 103) Print Source: Yancey Burns yancey.cieslafdn@gmail.com IMAJUIK (p. 122) Print Source: Sébastien Merckling diffusion@spira.quebec Imalirijit (p. 112) Print Source: Sébastien Merckling diffusion@spira.quebec In Good Hands (p. 55) Print Source: Vanda Fleury vandafleury@gmail.com K Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode (p. 85) Print Source: Colin Vasn Loon @ Blackfoot Nation Films cvl@blackfootnationfilms.com Kariwa (p. 129) Print Source: Vilsoni Tausie Hereniko vili@hawaii.edu Kicking the Clouds (p. 47) Print Source: Sky Hopinka skyhopinka@gmail.com Kikino Kids (p. 35) Print Source: Brock Mitchell brock@ddg.tv Kimmirut Race (p. 111) Print Source: Nadia Mike nadia.mike@umik.ca Ko Au (p. 123) Print Source: Mii Taokia xiikstudios@gmail.com

Good Grief (p. 68) Print Source: Sarah Kelley sarahjanekelley@gmail.com

Kokum, with love. (p. 49) Print Source: Kim Stadfeld kstadfeld@hotmail.com

H

Koo (Serpent) (p. 124) Print Source: Nicolás Rojas Sánchez sinfoko.films@gmail.com

Hajichi (p. 135) Print Source: Naomi Gina Peñafiel Kaneshiro rustyweirdness@hotmail.com He Takatāpui Ahau (p. 69) Print Source: Alesha Ahdar alesha.ahdar@gmail.com Heartbeat of a Nation (p. 62) Print Source: Danielle Viau @ National Film Board of Canada festivals@nfb.ca Here I Stand, Still Guarded (p. 135) Print Source: Melissa Johns melissajohnsart@gmail.com HIStory (p. 77)

Print Source: James Pakootas james@newagewarriors.com

L Li HiNG MUi (p. 42) Print Source: Kanani Koster @ Cherry Street Films kanani@cherrystreetfilms.com

M Ma’s House (p. 60) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski @ reciprocity printtraffic@reciprocity.org Manawa Hau (p. 136) Print Source: Jess Feast jess@storybox.co.nz Manu Masters (p. 36) Print Source: Madeleine de Young @ Maoriland Films maddy@maorilandfilm.co.nz Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun (p. 127) Print Source: Jus G. geronajk@gmail.com

No Spectators Allowed (p. 57) Print Source: Kanani @ Cherry Street Films kanani@cherrystreetfilms.com Noongom (p. 48) Print Source: Madeline Bogoch @ Videopool madeline@videopool.org Nukum Mary (My grandmother Mary) (p. 50) Print Source: Marie-Soleil Joyal mariesoleiljoyal@wapikoni.ca O Obscheenies (p. 124) Print Source: Brock Mitchell brock@ddg.tv

Mayfly (p. 79) Print Source: Alexa Wynter awynter@sva.edu

Once Upon a Time in the Bay (p. 40) Print Source: Renae Maihi patuaproduction@gmail.com

Məca (p. 128) Print Source: Ritchie Norman Hemphill ritchiehemphill@gmail.com

Our Ways (p. 94) Print Source: Autumn Godwin & Amanda Lickers buckskinbabes@gmail.com

Mikiwam: Chapter Two (p. 136) Print Source: Keara Lightning keara.lightning@gmail.com MisTik (p. 80) Print Source: Jules Arita Koostachin visjuelles@hotmail.com

P Pakucha (p. 86) Print Source: Sergio García Locatelli sergiogarcia@quechuafilms.com

Mixed Blood Girls (p. 106) Print Source: Alex Manitopyes Indicityalex@gmail.com

Pili Ka Moʻo (p. 96) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski @ Reciprocity printtraffic@reciprocity.org

Mold (p. 100) Shelby Atwood shelbyatwood23@gmail.com

Powerful Chief (p. 75) Print Source: Sergio García Locatelli sergiogarcia@quechuafilms.com

MUJER ESPÍRITU (p. 105) Print Source: ADRIANA RONQUILLO VÁSQUEZ, AMPERSAN adrianaronquillomx@gmail.com

Proowa (Yucca) (p. 35) Print Source: Pilar Pedraza sayaskywalker@gmail.com

My Roommate Mykayla (p. 100) Jonelle Belcourt jonelle.belcourt@gmail.com N Native Seed Pod - The Poetry of Sacred Food Culture: Conversations with Simon Ortiz (p. 139) Print Source: Mateo mateo@nativeland.org Next Year At This Time (p. 101) Sarah Carrier sc_sobey_12@hotmail.com

lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (p. 94) Print Source: Dianne Ouellette difilms@hotmail.com

Ngaluk Waangkiny (p. 51) Print Source: Michelle White admin@can.org.au

L O N G H O U S E (p. 79) Print Source: erik Sanchez eriksanchez5@gmail.com

Night (p. 67) Print Source: Ahmad Saleh film.ahmad@gmail.com

Lyed Corn with Ash (p. 93) (Wa’kenenhstóhare’) Print Source: Candace Maracle candacemaracle@gmail.com

Nimeshkanaminan (Our way) (p. 40) Print Source: Marie-Soleil Joyal mariesoleiljoyal@wapikoni.ca nimosôm - my grandfather (p. 50) Print Source: Bruce Giizhig Barry bruceb@achimok.com

173

R Raspberry Almanack (p. 137) Print Source: Nadine Chantal Marie Leclerc leclercnadinec@gmail.com Rose (p. 55) Print Source: Jason Brennan @ Nish Media Jason@nishmedia.tv ROSIE (p. 133) Print Source: Photon Films and Media marisa.Friesen@photonfilms.ca Runnin' (p. 106) Print Source: Teineisha Richards teineisharichards@gmail.com S ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great Grandmother's hat (p. 119) Print Source: Anstien Mikkelsen siivet@siivet.no Sabikeshiinh (p. 141) Print Source: Brydon bnking016@gmail.com

PRINT SOURCE Salmon Reflection (p. 95) Print Source: Anna Hoover anna@annahoover.net SAVJ (p. 122) Print Source: Xstine Cook xpandora@shaw.ca Seed Mother: Coming Home (p. 93) Print Source: Mateo Hinojosa mateo@nativeland.org Seedcast (p. 148) Print Source: Nia Tero jramirez@niatero.org Seeds (p. 41) Print Source: Morningstar Angeline morningstarangeline@gmail.com SEK BUY - The Ritual to the Sun - El Ritual al Sol (p. 127) Print Source: William Cayapur Delgado fototropicas@gmail.com Seven Ridges (p. 83) Print Source: Antonio Coello antuntul@gmail.com Sina ma Tinirau (p. 128) Print Source: Vilsoni Tausie Hereniko vili@hawaii.edu Six Strings (p. 108) Print Source: Callie Hill callieh@kenhteke.org Slash/Back (p. 131) Print Source: Olivia Parsons oliviaparsons@gmail.com Soli Bula (p. 123) Print Source: Meli Tuqota Jr tumelituqota@gmail.com Spilling Labrador Tea Under Cedar Trees (p. 143) Print Source: Katelynne spillinglabteaundercedartrees@gmail. com Spirit Emulsion (p. 47) Print Source: Siku Allooloo sikuallooloo@gmail.com Stellar (p. 31) Print Source: Darlene Naponse Darlenenaponse@gmail.com Stolen: The Search for Jermain (podcast) (p. 139) Print Source: Adrianna kimu@spotify.com Stories From Land Back Camp (p. 89) Print Source: Bangishimo Johnston bangishimo@outlook.com SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) (p. 48) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski @ Reciprocity printtraffic@reciprocity.org Survivors of Wadjemup (p. 117) Print Source: Glen Paul Stasiuk g.stasiuk@murdoch.edu.au

ARTIST INDEX T Te Ringa a Turoa (p. 63) Print Source: Bella-Wai Tipene bellaxwai@gmail.com Terror/Forming (p. 125) Print Source: Rylan Friday r.friday@live.ca The Aunties Dandelion Podcast Paige Bethmann (p. 142) Print Source: Aunties theauntiesdandelion@gmail.com The Barber - 2 (p. 62) Print Source: Kathleen Mantel kathleen@blackiris.co.nz The breath, The fire (p. 105) Print Source: Kelly Nash kellygarnhamnash@gmail.com The Brylcreem Boys (p. 72) Print Source: Rafer Rautjoki rafer172@outlook.com The Daily Life of Mistress Red (p. 57) Print Source: Peshawn Bread redambitionproductions@gmail.com The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson (p. 91) Print Source: Bain Stewart bainstewart@optusnet.com.au The Fire (p. 67) Print Source: Roger Boyer kojbfilms@gmail.com The Lost Crystals of Jessica's Room (p. 82) Print Source: Jodie Bell jodie.bell@gme.com.au The Machine (p. 78) Print Source: Mark J Cassidy cassidy.mj@hotmail.com The old man next door (p. 42) Print Source: Aidan aidanotenedickens@gmail.com

Tooly (p. 68) Print Source: Cody Greenwood cody@rushfilms.com.au Ts'oostsitsi (Years Ago) (p. 61) Print Source: Adam Solway asolway12@gmail.com

V

Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon) This Is Not a Ceremony (p. 137)

Valley of the Rougarou (p. 138) Print Source: Jordan Waunch fromtheshadows.tv@gmail.com W waawiyebii'ige: She Draws a Circle (p. 52) Print Source: Madeline Bogoch madeline@videopool.org Waihere - The Waters that Bind (p. 115) Print Source: Renae Maihi patuaproduction@gmail.com Warrior Kids Podcast: We Are All Connected (p. 142) Print Source: Pamela myraraworld@hotmail.com WASHDAY (p. 115) Print Source: Verity verity@kraftyproductions.co.nz We are not speaking the same language (p. 49) Print Source: Marie-Soleil Joyal mariesoleiljoyal@wapikoni.ca We Are Still Here (p. 109) Print Source: hayley weston hayley.weston@nzfilm.co.nz Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come) (p. 61) Print Source: Jonah Kozlowski printtraffic@reciprocity.org

The Politics of Toheroa Soup (p. 96) Print Source: Madeleine de Young maddy@maorilandfilm.co.nz

Whetū Mārama - Bright Star (p. 45) Print Source: Toby Mills taweraproductions@gmail.com

The Voyager's Legacy (p. 36) Print Source: Madeleine de Young maddy@maorilandfilm.co.nz

Z

Tibi (p. 84) Print Source: Jarret Twoyoungmen jrtymen@gmail.com

174

Adriana Ronquillo Vásquez MUJER ESPÍRITU (p. 105) Ahmad Saleh Night (p. 67)

When the Earth Began: The Way of the Skydwellers (p. 129) Print Source: Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace info@obxlabs.ne

This Is Not a Ceremony (p. 137) Print Source: Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon), NFB festivals@nfb.ca

Adam Solway Ts'oostsitsi (Years Ago) (p. 61)

Tsiiyééł (Hair Bun) (p. 34) Print Source: Oakley Anderson-Moore oakley.anderson.moore@gmail.com

The Original Shareholder Experience (p. 102) Print Source: Petyr Xyst petyr@hey.com

This Is How I Know You (p. 107) Print Source: Sarah Houle-Lowry houlelowrysarah@gmail.com

A

Zaagidiwin (p. 132) Print Source: Denise Bolduc d.m.bolduc@gmail.com

Aidan Otene Dickens The Old Man Next Door (p. 42) Ajuawak Kapashesit, Morningstar Angeline Seeds (p. 41) Alanis Obomsawin Bill Reid Remembers (p. 90) Alesha Ahdar He Takatāpui Ahau (p. 69) Alex Manitopyes Mixed Blood Girls (p. 106) Alexa "Rahe-wanitanama" Wynter Mayfly (p. 79) Amanda Lickers, Autumn Angelique Godwin Our Ways (p. 94) Anna Hoover Salmon Reflection (p. 95) Anstein Mikkelsen, Harry Johansen ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great Grandmother’s Hat (p. 119) Antonio Burgos Hajichi (p. 135) Antonio Coello Seven Ridges Weak Things (p. 83) Aviva Kempner, Ben West Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting (p. 103) B

Bella-Wai Tipene Te Ringa a Turoa (p. 63)

Erik Sanchez L O N G H O U S E (p. 79)

Jess Feast Manawa Hau’ (p. 136)

Berkley Brady Dark Nature (p. 120)

ESCUELA DE CINE Y COMUNICACIÓN MAPUCHE DEL AYLLA REWE BUDI FEYENTUAFIYIÑ (Our Path) (p. 34)

Jonelle Belcourt My Roommate Makayla (p. 100)

Brianna Smith, Geo Neptune Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come) (p. 61)

Esmeralda Ventura, Esmirna Librado, Heriberto Ventura, Noemi Librado Sanchez First Time Home (p. 37)

Brit Hensel ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) (p. 60)

F

Bruce Giizhig Barry nimosôm - my grandfather (p. 50) Bruce Miller Convicted (p. 101)

Fabiane Medina Ava Kuña, Aty Kuña: Indigenous Woman, Political Woman (p. 88)

Brydon King Sabikeshiinh (p. 141)

Falen Johnson CBC Podcasts: Buffy (p. 140)

C

G

Candace Maracle Lyed Corn with Ash (Wa’kenenhstóhare’) (p. 93)

Gail Maurice ROSIE (p. 133) Gary Hamaguch The Lost Crystals of Jessica's Room (p. 82)

Chad Charlie Firecracker Bullets (p. 77) Chi Thai, Casey Koyczan Acorn AR (p. 134)

Germaine Arnattaujuq, Louise Flaherty, Neil Christopher Arctic Song (p. 111)

Colin Van Loon Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode (p. 85)

Dr. Glen Stasiuk A Crying Shame Survivors of Wadjemup (p. 117)

Connie Walker Stolen: The Search for Jermain (podcast) (p. 139)

Glenn Gear Beach Heart (p. 88)

D

H

Danika St-Laurent We are not speaking the same language (p. 49)

Henry Vallejo Powerful Chief (p. 75)

Darlene Naponse Stellar (p. 31)

Howie Miller Colonize This (p. 141)

David Hernández Palmar SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) (p. 48)

I Ian Wilkes, Poppy van OordeGrainger Ngaluk Waangkiny (p. 51)

Denise Bolduc Zaagidiwin (p. 132)

Isaac Bell The Machine (p. 78)

Bailey Poching The Voyager's Legacy (p. 36)

Dianne Ouellette lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (p. 94)

Barry Bilinsky Kikino Kids (p. 35) Obscheenies (p. 124)

Duncan McCue, Martha Troian CBC Podcasts: Kuper Island (p. 140)

Jaime Black waawiyebii'ige: She Draws a Circle (p. 52)

Bawaadan Collective Six Strings (p. 108)

E

James G. Pakootas HIStory (p. 77)

Beck Cole, Chantelle Burgoyne, Danielle Maclean, Dena Curtis, Mario Gaoa, Miki Magasiva, Renae Maihi, Richard Curtis, Tim Worrall, Tracey Rigney We Are Still Here (p. 109)

J

Eric Janvier Heartbeat of a Nation (p. 62)

Jarret Twoyoungman Tibi (p. 84)

Amy Smoke, Bangishimo Johnston, Erik O'Neill Stories From Land Back Camp (p. 89)

Jeremy Dennis Ma’s House (p. 60)

175

Jordan Waunch Valley of the Rougarou (p. 138) Judith Kanatahawi Schuyler Once Upon a Time in the Bay (p. 40) Jules Arita Koostachin Broken Angel (p. 73) MisTik (p. 80) Jus G. Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun (p. 127) Justyn Ah Chong Pili Ka Moʻo (p. 96) K Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore The Aunties Dandelion Podcast: Paige Bethmann (p. 142) Kanani Koster Li HiNG MUi No Spectators Allowed (p. 57) Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace Tsi Tiotonhontsatáhsawe - Tsi Nihotirihò:ten Ne Ratironhia Kehró:non (When the Earth Began: The Way of the Skydwellers) (p. 129) Karla Hart Tooly (p. 68) Katelynne Herchak, Madeleine Begin Spilling Labrador Tea Under Cedar Trees (p. 143) Kath Akuhata-Brown WASHDAY (p. 115) Kathleen Mantel Chatham Islanders The Barber (p. 62) Keara Lightning Mikiwam: Chapter Two (p. 136) Kelly Nash, Nancy Wijohn The breath, The fire (p. 105) Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall Kariwa (p. 129) Kiel McNaughton, Libby Hakaraia Giving Up The Ghost (p. 70) Kim Stadfeld Kokum, with love. (p. 49)

ARTIST INDEX L

N

Laura Fontaine, Yasmine Fontaine Nimeshkanaminan (Our way) (p. 40)

Nadia Mike Kimmirut Race (p. 111)

Leah Purcell The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson (p. 91)

Nadine Chantal Marie Leclerc Raspberry Almanack (p. 137) Nathan Adler Noongom (p. 48)

Leya Hale BRING HER HOME (p. 53)

Nia Tero Seedcast (p. 148)

Lilliana Rice Hi, My Name is Lilliana (p. 33)

Nicholas Riini A Morning with Aroha (p. 33)

Lindsay Sarazin Gidiskin (p. 99)

Nicolás Rojas Sánchez Koo (Serpent) (p. 124)

M

Nina Nawalowalo A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu (p. 113)

Marc Fussing Rosbach IMAJUIK (p. 122) Marie Clements Bones of Crows (p. 58) Marie-Josée Tremblay At Each Night (p. 56) Maruia Jensen Disconnected (p. 69) Mary Galloway Better At Texting (p. 39) Matiu Hamuera Waihere - The Waters that Bind (p. 115) Maya Rose Dittloff Dogwood (Sipinikimm) (p. 56) Meli Tuqota Jr Soli Bula (p. 123) Melissa Johns Here I Stand, Still Guarded (p. 135) Melissa K. Nelson Native Seed Pod - The Poetry of Sacred Food Culture: Conversations with Simon Ortiz (p. 139) Michelle Sylliboy Exploring the Treaty Relationship (p. 108) Miguel Hilari Cerro Saturno (p. 74) Mii Taokia KO AU (p. 123) Mīria George fire in the water, fire in the sky (p. 116)

Normand Junior Tshirnish Nukum Mary (My grandmother Mary) (p. 50) Nyla Innuksuk Slash/Back (p. 131) P Pamela Palmater Warrior Kids Podcast: We Are All Connected (p. 142) Peshawn Rae Bread (p. 57) The Daily Life of Mistress Red Petyr Xyst The Original Shareholder Experience (p. 102)

COUNTRY INDEX Rylan Friday Terror/Forming (p. 125)

Tito Catacora Pakucha (p. 86)

S

Toby Mills, Aileen O'Sullivan Whetū Mārama - Bright Star (p. 45)

Sarah Jane, Terri HouleLowry This Is How I Know You (p. 107) Sarrah Carrier Next Year At This Time (p. 101)

Vanda Fleury In Good Hands (p. 55)

Scott W. Kekama Amona E Mālama Pono, Will Boy (p. 78)

Victoria Anderson-Gardner, Kyle Schmalenberg Braided Together (p. 39)

Selu-Kian Faletoese E Lele Le Toloa (The Toloa Bird Soars) (p. 117)

Vilsoni Tausie Hereniko Sina ma Tinirau (p. 128)

Shanique Yazzie, Hailee Bekis, Austin Jimmy Tsiiyééł (Hair Bun) (p. 34) Shelby Atwood Mold (p. 100) Siku Allooloo Spirit Emulsion (p. 47) Sky Hopinka Kicking the Clouds (p. 47)

Stefant Mendinueta Proowa (Yucca) (p. 35) Stefany Mathias Good Grief (p. 68) Sunna Nousuniemi Breathe me back to life (p. 112) Sydney Frances Pickering distance (p. 89)

R

Tank Standing Buffalo SAVJ (p. 122)

Rhiana Yazzie A Winter Love (p. 44) Ritchie Norman Hemphill, Ryan Edward Haché Məca (p. 128) Roberto Fatal, XAV S-F Chaac and Yum (p. 41) Roger Boyer The Fire (p. 67) Rowen White, Mateo Hinojosa Seed Mother: Coming Home (p. 93) Roxann Whitebean Rose (p. 55)

A Crying Shame (p. 118) The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson (p. 91)

T

Te Waiarangi Ratana Manu Masters (p. 36) Teineisha Richards Runnin' (p. 106) Thomas Ryan RedCorn Dead Bird Hearts (p. 43) Tiana Trego Hall The Politics of Toheroa Soup (p. 96) Tim Anaviapik Soucie, Vincent L'Hérault Imalirijit (p. 112) Tim Myles Annie (p. 99) Tioreore Ngatai Melbourne E Rangi Rā (p. 117)

176

Six Strings (p. 108) Slash/Back (p. 131)

Gidiskin (p. 99)

Spilling Labrador Tea Under Cedar Trees (p. 143)

Lost Crystals of Jessica's Room, The (p. 82)

Heartbeat of a Nation (p. 62)

Spirit Emulsion (p. 47)

Here I Stand, Still Guarded (p. 135)

Stellar (p. 31)

Imalirijit (p. 112)

Stories From Land Back Camp (p. 89)

Ngaluk Waangkiny (p. 51) Survivors of Wadjemup (p. 117) Tooly (p. 68)

In Good Hands (p. 55) Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode (p. 85)

Terror/Forming (p. 125) This Is How I Know You (p. 107)

Bolivia

Kikino Kids (p. 35)

This Is Not a Ceremony (p. 137)

Cerro Saturno (p. 74)

Kimmirut Race (p. 111)

Tibi (p. 84)

Kokum, with love. (p. 49)

Ts'oostsitsi (Years Ago) (p. 61)

lii bufloo aen loo kishkishiw (p. 94) Lyed Corn with Ash (Wa’kenenhstóhare’) (p. 93)

Tsi Tiotonhontsatáhsawe - Tsi Nihotirihò:ten Ne Ratironhia Kehró:non (When the Earth Began: The Way of the Skydwellers) (p. 129)

Məca (p. 128)

Valley of the Rougarou (p. 138)

Mikiwam: Chapter Two (p. 136)

waawiyebii'ige: She Draws a Circle (p. 52)

Y Yaser Talebi BELOVED (p. 130)

The Fire (p. 67)

SAVJ (p. 122)

Good Grief (p. 68)

W William Cayapur Delgado SEK BUY - The Ritual to the Sun - El Ritual al Sol (p. 127)

Exploring the Treaty Relationship (p. 108)

Kariwa (p. 129)

Brazil Ava Kuña, Aty Kuña: Indigenous Woman, Political Woman (p. 88)

Sophie Caroline Dow all roads lead home (p. 134)

Princess Daazhraii Johnson Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors) (p. 30)

Rafer Rautjoki The Brylcreem Boys (p. 72)

V

Australia

Canada Acorn AR (p. 134) all roads lead home (p. 134) Annie (p. 99) Arctic Song (p. 111) At Each Night (p. 56) The Aunties Dandelion Podcast: Paige Bethmann (p. 142) Beach Heart (p. 88) Better At Texting (p. 39) Bill Reid Remembers (p. 90)

MisTik (p. 80) Mixed Blood Girls (p. 106) Mold (p. 100) My Roommate Makayla (p. 100)

Warrior Kids Podcast: We Are All Connected (p. 142) We are not speaking the same language (p. 49) Zaagidiwin (p. 132)

Next Year (p. 101) Nimeshkanaminan (Our way) (p. 40) nimosôm - my grandfather (p. 50) Noongom (p. 48)

Chile FEYENTUAFIYIÑ (Our Path) (p. 34)

Bones of Crows (p. 58)

Nukum Mary (My grandmother Mary) (p. 50)

Colombia

Braided Together (p. 39)

Obscheenies (p. 124)

Proowa (Yucca) (p. 35)

Broken Angel (p. 73)

Once Upon a Time in the Bay (p. 40)

SEK BUY - The Ritual to the Sun El Ritual al Sol (p. 127)

Our Ways (p. 94)

SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) (p. 48)

CBC Podcasts: Buffy (p. 140) CBC Podcasts: Kuper Island (p. 140)

Raspberry Almanack (p. 137)

Colonize This (p. 141)

Rose (p. 55)

Convicted (p. 101)

ROSIE (p. 133)

Dark Nature (p. 120)

Runnin' (p. 106)

distance (p. 89)

Sabikeshiinh (p. 141)

Cook Islands KO AU (p. 123)

177

COUNTRY INDEX

GIVEAWAY

Fiji

The Old Man Next Door (p. 42)

Soli Bula (p. 123)

The Politics of Toheroa Soup (p. 96)

Finland Breathe me back to life (p. 112)

Te Ringa a Turoa (p. 63) The Voyager's Legacy (p. 36) Waihere - The Waters that Bind (p. 115)

Greenland

WASHDAY (p. 115)

IMAJUIK (p. 122)

We Are Still Here (p. 109)

Iran

Whetū Mārama - Bright Star (p. 45)

BELOVED (p. 130) Norway Mexico

ŠAAMŠIǨ – Great Grandmother’s Hat (p. 119)

Koo (Serpent) (p. 124) MUJER ESPÍRITU (p. 105)

Palestine

Seven Ridges (p. 83)

Night (p. 67)

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting (p. 103) Kicking the Clouds (p. 47) Li HiNG MUi (p. 42) L O N G H O U S E (p. 79) Ma’s House (p. 60) Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun (p. 127) Mayfly (p. 79) Native Seed Pod - The Poetry of Sacred Food Culture: Conversations with Simon Ortiz (p. 139)

The Original Shareholder Experience (p. 102)

Salmon Reflection (p. 95) Seed Mother: Coming Home (p. 93)

New Zealand

Peru

Seedcast (p. 148)

The Barber (p. 62)

Hajichi (p. 135)

Seeds (p. 41)

A Boy Called Piano - The Story of Fa'amoana John Luafutu (p. 113)

Pakucha (p. 86)

Sina ma Tinirau (p. 128)

Powerful Chief (p. 75)

Stolen: The Search for Jermain (p. 139) Tsiiyééł (Hair Bun) (p. 34)

Brylcreem Boys, The (p. 72)

United States

Chatham Islanders (p. 95)

BRING HER HOME (p. 53)

Disconnected (p. 69)

Chaac and Yum (p. 41)

E Lele Le Toloa (The Toloa Bird Soars) (p. 117)

The Daily Life of Mistress Red (p. 57)

E Rangi Rā (p. 116)

Dead Bird Hearts (p. 43)

fire in the water, fire in the sky (p. 116)

Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors) (p. 30)

Giving Up The Ghost (p. 70) He Takatāpui Ahau (p. 69) The Machine (p. 78) Manawa Hau (p. 136) Manu Masters (p. 36) A Morning with Aroha (p. 33)

For the third year in a row, imagineNATIVE will be conducting a Giveaway! The Giveaway is an opportunity for us to reflect on all the support we receive throughout the year and to offer gifts of reciprocity to our community.

Good Minds Books In person @ Welcome Gathering, iNdigital Space, and Industry Days

Massy Books In person @ Welcome Gathering, iNdigital Space, and Industry Days

We would like to thank and highlight all of our Giveaway Partners, who have provided gift cards to their online stores to be won by audiences throughout our Festival.

Please see below for a list of each partner and where and when you can win!

Tuscarora Woodworks In person @ Welcome Gathering, Opening Night Party, and iNdigital Space

Sky-Eagle Collection In person @ Welcome Gathering and Opening Night Party

The 2022 imagineNATIVE Giveaway is presented by Sobeys.

Beam Paints In person @ iNdigital Space and Industry Days

Spirit Bear Coffee In person @ iNdigital Space and Industry Days

Nativelovenotes In person @ Opening Night Party, The Beat, and iNdigital Space

UasaU Soaps In person @ The Beat and Industry Days

Yukon Soaps Online Exclusive

Iron Dog Books Online exclusive

Kokom Scrunchies Online Exclusive

Medicine Garden Society Online Exclusive

No Spectators Allowed (p. 57)

Pili Ka Moʻo (p. 96)

breath, The fire, The (p. 105)

Sobeys Online and in person at all Giveaway locations

Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come) (p. 61) ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) (p. 60) A Winter Love (p. 44)

Dogwood (Sipinikimm) (p. 56) E Mālama Pono, Will Boy (p. 78) Firecracker Bullets (p. 77) First Time Home (p. 37) Hi, My Name is Lilliana (p. 33) HIStory (p. 77)

178

179

FESTIVAL PARTNERS

FESTIVAL PARTNERS

Presenting Partner

Awards Presenter

Institute Partners Public Funders

Foundations

Giveaway Partner

Major Partners

Festival Partners ACTRA National

Kodak

Bizable Media

Indigenous Media Initiatives

Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF) Capilano University Charles Street Video (CSV) CMPA DOC Institute Entro

University of Toronto Centre for Indigenous Studies Vtape

Indspire

WIFT - Toronto

Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT)

William F. White International Inc.

Long & McQuade

York University

Photographers Without Borders

Youth Media Alliance

Shutterstock Streamland Media

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The imagineNATIVE Institute Screenwriting Features Lab

EFM Producer Fellowships The Harmonize Mentorship

imagineNATIVE/Capilano Mentorship

The imagineNATIVE Institute Screenwriting Series Lab

imagineNATIVE/LIFT Mentorship

Northern Ontario Below The Line Mentorship

The imagineNATIVE Institute Screenwriting Shorts Lab

imagineNATIVE/CSV Mentorship

Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area Below the Line Mentorship

The imagineNATIVE Institute Directors Mentorship

imagineNATIVE/CSIF Mentorship

imagineNATIVE Institute Industry Days

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