imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival,[1] held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Aboriginal and First Peoples from around the world. The festival includes screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events.
As an organization, imagineNATIVE supports the creation of new works through their commissioning program, and national outreach to and for Indigenous communities through various off-site programs throughout the year. ImagineNative also commissions industry reports on the status of Indigenous film production in Canada.[2]
History
The festival was founded in 1998 by Cynthia Lickers-Sage in her capacity as the Aboriginal outreach coordinator for Vtape as a venue for the exhibition of short film and video work by Aboriginal artists. While initially operated through Vtape, the festival subsequently became an independent organization.[3] An early programmer for the festival was Ojibway critic and journalist Jesse Wente,[4] who continued in his role as programmer through 2010.[5] In 2010, Jason Ryle took on the role of the festival's executive director.[6]
Awards
The 2001 winner for Best Film went to Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner by Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk.[7] This film was the first feature dramatic film in an Indigenous language by an Inuit director.[8]
The 2016 festival focused on Inuit and northern films, with a special focus on films from Greenland.[9] Award winners for that year included Bonfire, a film by Russian Sakha director Dmitry Davydov, for Best Dramatic Feature; Maliglutit by Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk for Best Indigenous Language Production; and Angry Inuk, directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, which won Best Documentary Feature.[10]
Best Short Drama (2000–2016)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Moccasin Flats | Randy Redroad |
| 2004 | Memory | Cedar Sherbert |
| 2005 | There's No 'I' in Hockey | Dennis Jackson |
| 2006 | Hawaikii | Mike Jonathan |
| 2007 | Shooting Geronimo | Kent Monkman |
| 2008 | Sikumi (On the Ice) | Andrew Okpeaha MacLean |
| 2009 | Tungijuq | Zacharias Kunuk |
| 2010 | Redemption | Katie Wolfe |
| 2011 | Salar | Nicholas Greene |
| 2012 | Throat Song | Stacey Aglok MacDonald |
| 2013 | Abalone | Tracey Rigney |
| 2014 | The Underground | Michelle Latimer |
| 2015 | Stoerre Vaerie (Northern Great Mountain) | Amanda Kernell |
| 2016 | UFO | Gregory King |
Best Canadian Short Drama (2006–2016)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 133 Skyway | Randy Redroad |
| 2007 | The Colony | Jeff Barnaby |
| 2008 | A Small Thing | Adam Garnet Jones |
| 2009 | Shi-Shi-Etko | Marilyn Thomas |
| 2010 | Lumaajuuq | Alethea Arnaquq-Baril |
| 2011 | Amaqqut Nunaat (The Country of Wolves) | Neil Christopher |
| 2012 | A Red Girl's Reasoning | Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers |
| 2013 | Mohawk Midnight Runners | Zoe Hopkins |
| 2014 | Indigo | Amanda Strong |
| 2015 | Clouds of Autumn | Trevor Mack |
| 2016 | God's Acre | Kelton Stepanowich |
Best Short Work (Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award, 2017–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | I Will Always Love You Kingen | Amanda Kernell |
| 2018 | Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) | Amanda Strong |
Best Indigenous Language Production (2007–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Nikamowin (Song) | Kevin Lee Burton |
| 2008 | L'Amendement | Kevin Papatie |
| 2009 | Burwa Dii Ebo (The Wind and the Water) | Vero Bollow Igar Yala Collective |
| 2010 | File Under Miscellaneous | Jeff Barnaby |
| 2011 | Samson & Delilah | Warwick Thornton |
| 2012 | Throat Song | Stacey Aglok MacDonald |
| 2013 | Baybayin (The Script) | Kanakan Balintagos |
| 2014 | This May Be the Last Time | Sterlin Harjo |
| 2015 | Bulunu Milkarri | Sylvia Nulpinditj |
| 2016 | Maliglutit (Searchers) | Zacharias Kunuk Natar Ungalaaq |
| 2017 | Bowhead Whale Hunting With My Ancestors | Carol Kunnuk |
| 2018 | Wiñaypacha (Eternity) | Oscar Catacora |
Best Experimental (Kent Monkman Award)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Thorn Grass | Robin Hammer |
| 2004 | Wagon Burner | Terrance Houle |
| 2005 | Su naa (My Big Brother) | Helen Haig-Brown |
| 2006 | Women in Canada: A Trilogy | Marnie Parrell |
| 2007 | Nikamowin (Song) | Kevin Lee Burton |
| 2008 | Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan 1 | Nicholas Galanin |
| 2009 | Horse | Archer Pechawis |
| 2010 | Burnt | Alejandro Valbuena |
| 2011 | The Gift | Terril Calder |
| 2012 | Her Silent Life | Lindsay McIntyre |
| 2013 | He Who Dreams | Dana Claxton |
| 2014 | Covered | Tara (Beier) Browne |
| 2015 | Tai Whetuki - House of Death | Lisa Reihana |
| 2016 | Dolastallat | Marja Helander |
| 2017 | Three Thousand | Asinnajaq |
| 2018 | Eatnanvuloš Lottit (Birds in the Earth) | Marja Helander |
Best Documentary - Short Format (2005–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Wirriya (Small Boy) | Beck Cole |
| 2006 | Coureurs de nuit | Shanouk Newashish |
| 2007 | The Vanishing Trace | Keesic Douglas |
| 2008 | Le rêve d'une mère | Cherilyn Papatie |
| 2009 | How People Got Fire | Christopher Auchter |
| 2010 | Ne le dis pas (Do Not Tell) | Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush |
| 2011 | Spirit of the Bluebird | Jesse Gouchey
Xstine Cook |
| 2012 | Songline to Happiness | Danny Teece-Johnson |
| 2013 | Inuit Cree Reconciliation | Neil Diamond |
| 2014 | Treading Water | Janelle Wookey
Jérémie Wookey |
| 2015 | Nowhere Land | Bonnie Ammaq |
| 2016 | Cree Code Talker | Alexandra Lazarowich |
| 2017 | Lelum' | Asia Longman |
| 2018 | Fast Horse | Alexandra Lazarowich |
Best Documentary - Long Format (Alanis Obomsawin Award)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole | Gil Cardinal |
| 2004 | The Ghost Riders | V. Blackhawk Aamodt |
| 2005 | Mohawk Girls | Tracey Deer |
| 2006 | Waban-aki: People from Where the Sun Rises | Alanis Obomsawin |
| 2007 | Water Flowing Together | Gwendolen Cates |
| 2008 | March Point | Cody Cayou Nick Clark Tracy Rector Annie Silverstein Travis Tom |
| 2009 | C.B.Q.M. | Dennis Allen |
| 2010 | Y el R'io Sigue Corriendo (And the River Flows On) | Carlos Pérez Rojas |
| 2011 | The Tall Man | Tony Krawitz |
| 2012 | My Louisiana Love | Monique Verdi |
| 2013 | Who Will Be A Gurkha? | Kesang Tseten |
| 2014 | My Legacy | Helen Haig-Brown |
| 2015 | The Price of Peace | Kim Webby |
| 2016 | Angry Inuk | Alethea Arnaquq-Baril |
| 2017 | Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier | Shane Belcourt |
| 2018 | Marks of Mana | Lisa Taouma |
Best Music Video (2000–2016)
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Music is the Medicine | Randy Redroad |
| 2004 | Slangblossom: Possibly | Daybi
Slangblossom |
| 2005 | Tamara Podemski: Meegwetch | Bruce McDonald |
| 2006 | The Dust Dive: A Minor Disturbance | Blackhorse Lowe |
| 2007 | Punassiun | Spencer St-Onge
Francis Grégoire Carl Grégoire Jean-Christophe Gabriel James Chescappin Marco Bentz Jonathan Germain Wendy Germain Nicolas Paradis Jean Philippe Robertson |
| 2008 | Warrk Warrk | Tommy Lewis
Julia Morris |
| 2009 | Ariana Tikao: Tuia (Stitched) | Louise Potiki Bryant |
| 2010 | Haunted | Shane Ghostkeeper |
| 2011 | I Lost My Shadow | Nanobah Becker |
| 2012 | Sides | Mosha Folger |
| 2013 | Row | Houston R. Cypress |
| 2014 | Haida Raid 3: Save Our Waters | Amanda Strong |
| 2015 | Nitahkôtân (I Have Arrived) | Moe Clark |
| 2016 | We Are Still Here | Sofia Jannok |
Best Radio (2000–2013)
| Year | Genre | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | |||
| 2001 | |||
| 2002 | |||
| 2003 | The Aboriginal Music Experience: A Radio Documentary Series | ||
| 2004 | Great Indian Bus Tour | Andre Morriseau | |
| 2005 | Red Album Radio Show | Richard Hunter | |
| 2006 | Charles Shoots the Enemy | Native Vibes | |
| 2007 | Red Moon | Dawn Dumont | |
| Documentary, Current Affairs & Talk | Good Medicine Radio Show: Tobacco Show | Rita Chretien
Wanbdi Wakita | |
| 2008 | Arts & Entertainment | The Plex Show | Doug Bedard |
| Documentary, Current Affairs & Talk | ReVision Episode on Alcohol | Kim Ziervogel | |
| 2009 | ReVision Quest | Wab Kinew | |
| 2010 | ReVision Quest: What's So Funny About Being Native? | Kim Ziervogel | |
| 2011 | Bring Your Drum | Janet Rogers | |
| 2012 | Trailbreakers: Cindy Blackstock | Angela Sterritt | |
| 2013 | Native Waves Radio: Resonating Reconciliation | Janet Rogers |
Best Television (2000–2004)
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Moccasin Flats | Stacey Stewart Curtis |
| 2004 | Kunuk Family Reunion | Zacharias Kunuk |
Best New Media (2000–2014)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | Daybi | |
| 2004 | Fire This Time | Kokonda Dub |
| 2005 | HorizonZero Issue 17: Tell | Cheryl L'Hirondelle |
| 2006 | Wepinasowina | Cheryl L'Hirondelle |
| 2007 | An Indian Act: Shooting the Indian Act | Archer Pechawis |
| 2008 | Rabbit and Bearpaws | Chad Solomon |
| 2009 | Time Traveller | Skawennati Fragnito |
| 2010 | Otsì:! Rise of the Kanien'kehá:ka Legends | Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) |
| 2011 | God's Lake Narrows | Kevin Lee Burton |
| 2012 | Sense of Home | Leena Minifie |
| 2013 | Skahiòn:hati / Rise of the Kanien'kehá:ka Legends | Skins 3.0 Collective |
| 2014 | Uhke | Cheyenne Scott |
Best Audio Work (2014–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Soul of Darwin: The Centenary of the Kahlin Compound | Lorena Allam |
| 2015 | Reach For the Stars | Crystal Favel |
| 2016 | The Story She Carries | Angela Sterritt |
| 2017 | Elcrys | Michael Wilson |
| 2018 | Trans Mountain Pipeline, B.C. Wolf Cull and Dog Sled Massacre | Crystal Favel |
Best Digital Media Work (2015–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sky Pets | Shandiin Woodward |
| 2016 | Ch’aak’ S’aagi (Eagle Bone) | Tracy Rector |
| 2017 | Thunderbird Strike | Elizabeth LaPensée |
| 2018 | Aeasi | Amie Batalibasi |
Best Interactive Work (2018–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Biidaaban: First Light | Lisa Jackson |
Emerging Talent (Cynthia Lickers-Sage & Jane Glassco Awards)
| Year | Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | ||
| 2001 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | ||
| 2002 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | ||
| 2003 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Geoffery Parenteau | |
| 2004 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Swallow | Ariel Lightningchild |
| 2005 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Meskanahk (My Path) | Kevin Lee Burton |
| 2006 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Eggs Instead | Lena Recollet |
| 2007 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Fighter | Erica Lepage |
| 2008 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Mémere Métisse | Janelle Wookey |
| 2009 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Nia's Melancholy | S.F. Tusa |
| 2010 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Redemption | Katie Wolfe |
| 2011 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Amaqqut Nunnat (The Country of Wolves) | Neil Christopher |
| 2012 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Scar | Tiffany Parker |
| 2013 | Cynthia Lickers-Sage | El Último Consejo (The Last Council) | Itandehui Jansen |
| 2014 | Jane Glassco | Sumé - Mumisitsinerup Nipaa (Sume - The Sound of a revolution) | Inuk Silis Høegh |
| Cynthia Lickers-Sage | |||
| 2015 | Jane Glassco | The Routes | James McDougall |
| Cynthia Lickers-Sage | Le Dep | Sonia Boileau | |
| 2016 | Jane Glassco | Ohero:kon – Under the Husk | Katsitsionni Fox |
| 2017 | Jane Glassco | Morit Elena Morit | Inga-Wiktoria Påve
Anders Sunna |
| 2018 | Jane Glassco | ANORI (Wind) | Pipaluk Kreutzmann Jorgensen |
Best Youth (Ellen Monague Award, 2010–Present)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Kurt-E: In My Blood | Kurt Filiga |
| 2011 | The Dimming | Ippiksaut Friesen |
| 2012 | Le Joie De Vivre | Jérémy Vassiliou |
| 2013 | Før Hun Kom, Etter Han Dro (Before She Came, After He Left) | Marja Bål Nango |
| 2014 | #nightslikethese | Amber Midthunder
Shay Eyre Hannah Macpherson |
| 2015 | Lo Que Quiero Decirte | Raquiel Palomino Ochoa |
| 2016 | Smoke That Travels | Kayla Briët |
| 2017 | RAE | Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs |
| 2018 | A World of Our Own | Morningstar Derosier |
Sun & Moon Jury Prizes
| Year | Jury | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sun | Sunday Fun Day | Dianna Fuemana |
| Moon | Birth of a Family | Tasha Hubbard | |
| 2018 | Sun | Sgaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife) | Gwaai Edenshaw |
| Moon | My Friend Michael | Ian Leaupepe
Samson Rambo |
Commissions
NFB/imagineNATIVE Interactive Partnership
NFB/imagineNATIVE Interactive Partnership was started in 2012 for the commissioning and production of new digital and interactive works by established Indigenous artists. Works produced through this program include De Nort (2012) by the ITWE Collective, Similkameen Crossroads (2013) by Tyler Hagan, Ice Fishing (2014) by Jordan Bennett and Red Card (2016) by Cara Mumford. Ice Fishing was subsequently selected to represent Canada at the 2015 Venice Biennale.[11]
Stolen Sisters Digital Initiative
The Stolen Sisters Digital Initiative (SSDI) was a 2012 imagineNATIVE artistic commission and national exhibition of four, one-minute digital works by award-winning Canadian Indigenous filmmakers. The commissioned works were created to reflect and respond to the Stolen Sisters, a term adopted by the Aboriginal community and larger social justice organizations of the struggle to find answers for the hundreds of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women across Canada. The four commissioned works were:
- Like it Was Yesterday by Calgary-based artists Jesse Gouchey and Xstine Cook
- Snare by Vancouver-based Anishinaabe artist Lisa Jackson
- When it Rains by the Métis/Chippewa Cree filmmaker Cara Mumford
- Your Courage Will Not Go Unnoticed by the Gitxsan/Lax Gibu artist and journalist Angela Sterritt
This was the first time the Festival partnered to present a simultaneous national exhibition. Working with Amnesty International Canada and Pattison Onestop, a national media company, the short videos were exhibited throughout Toronto's subway system, on display screens in 33 shopping centres across Canada, at the Calgary International Airport, and at the TIFF Bell Lightbox leading up to and during the 2012 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.[12][13]
Zwei Indianer Aus Winnipeg
In 2009, the festival commissioned Zwei Indianer Aus Winnipeg, a short film by Saulteaux filmmaker Darryl Nepinak. The film subsequently screened at the 2009 Berlinale.[14][15]
Embargo Collective
In March 2008, imagineNATIVE formed the Embargo Collective, an international group of seven Indigenous artists for the purposes of collaborating and challenging one another to create seven new films. Collective members included Helen Haig-Brown, Heiltsuk/Mohawk filmmaker and actress Zoe Leigh Hopkins and Anishnaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson. The resulting films were subsequently screened at the 2010 Berlinale. Following this, Brown's The Cave was awarded a top-ten recognition at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was screened at the 2011 Sundance Festival, while Jackson's Savage won a 2011 Genie Award for best live action short drama.[16]
In 2014, Embargo Collective II focused on women filmmakers. It was curated by Danis Goulet, and included Hopkins, Blackfoot/Sami filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and filmmaker Caroline Monnet. Among the films produced that year was Roberta.[6]
Other Programs
imagineNATIVE Film + Video Tour
The imagineNATIVE Film + Video Tour provides regional and remote communities access to Indigenous-made film and video from Canada and abroad. In addition to bringing a Festival-favourite feature presentation to these communities, the Tour encourages youth to explore the creation of film and video through a Youth-focused film and video program, discussion and hands-on video-making workshops. The video-making workshops assist and lead youth to create and edit short videos using readily-available technology such as cellphones and webcams. The videos are featured on imagineNATIVE's website and open to public voting, sending the winner to Toronto for the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
indigiFLIX Community Screening Series
The indigiFLIX Community Screening Series, presented by imagineNATIVE, is hosted in cultural and community centres to reach a broader First Nations, Métis, Inuit and non-Native audience beyond the annual Festival in Toronto. Films are selected from past imagineNATIVE Festivals in an effort to keep these important films alive and accessible to the Indigenous community. imagineNATIVE is committed to supporting artists through payment of industry-standard artist fees for all works presented.
Canadian Indigenous Film Producer Mini-Lab
The Canadian Indigenous Film Producer Mini-Lab was started as a program to develop skills and talent for emerging Indigenous producers. Among its alumni are Cara Mumford, Michelle Latimer and Jeremy Torrie.[17]
References
- "Jesse Wente on the cultural importance of Indigenous film festivals". CBC. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "imagineNATIVE Study on Indigenous Film". IsumaTV. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- Quanz, Katherine (2014). "Preserving Aboriginal Films and Videos: The Archival Practices of Vtape and ISUMATV". In Druick, Zoë; Cammaer, Gerda (eds.). Cinephemera : archives, ephemeral cinema, and new screen histories in canada. [S.l.]: Mcgill-Queens Univ Press. ISBN 9780773544475.
- "Indigenous filmmakers need to control storytelling, says Jesse Wente". CBC Radio. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "CBC.ca | Metro Morning | About Jesse Wente". www.cbc.ca.
- Das, Prerana. "Evolution in Indigenous filmmaking | Toronto Film Scene". thetfs.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- McIntosh, Andrew. "Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "Atanarjuat/The Fast Runner | National Museum of the American Indian". filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- Zerehi, Sima Sahar. "Greenland films in the spotlight this year at imagineNATIVE festival". CBC News. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- CBC News. "Inuit, Arctic films big winners at 2016 imagineNATIVE festival". CBC News. CBC. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- National Film Board, Government of Canada (25 October 2016). "Canada News Centre - Métis filmmaker Cara Mumford's Red Card chosen for NFB/imagineNATIVE Interactive Partnership program. Peterborough-based artist will work with the NFB's Digital Studio in Vancouver". news.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "STOLEN SISTERS | ARTORONTO". www.artoronto.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "imagineNATIVE's Stolen Sisters Digital Initiative". NationTalk. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "Darryl Nepinak | National Museum of the American Indian". filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "Winnipeg Film Group : History". Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "Special short film program spotlighting Canadian Aboriginal women filmmakers to close imagineNATIVE 2014 | National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)". National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI). 14 October 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "OSM Member Jeremy Torrie Selected for Canadian Indigenous Film Producer Mini-Lab | On Screen Manitoba". onscreenmanitoba.com. Retrieved 5 March 2017.