To begin, imagineNATIVE is opening up the archives! Each Friday in June imagineNATIVE will present several award-winning films to enjoy including Indigenous-made classics such as Angry Inuk by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Sembradoras de vida (Mothers of the Land) by Alvaro Sarmiento and Diego Sarmiento, and Boy by Taika Waititi. We will be closing out with a retrospective screening and artist talk from our iNOriginals collection. All films will be available to watch online for one week
Every Sunday, as part of a special commissioning project entitled FLOW, imagineNATIVE will be releasing the works of six Indigenous artists who have created audio works that connect distant listeners to bodies of water through sonic storytelling. This special project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts features newly commissioned works by Casey Koyczan, Laura Ortman, Marc Fussing Rosbach, Pamela Palmater, Suzanne Morrissette and Tom McLeod. Meditating on sites such as lakes, rivers, bays, glaciers, ponds, and seas, these unique works use sound to explore ancestral ontologies at the intersections of water, geographies, and Indigenous bodies.
As we move into the end of the month, imagineNATIVE will be hosting the second iteration of LAND JAM, our very own Indigenous game jam. LAND JAM will take place over 5 days, from Wednesday, June 22 to Sunday, June 26. Much like a hack-a-thon, Indigenous creatives will team up to make original works from scratch. Make friends, get creative, and win prizes! Register by filling out this form by June 10
imagineNATIVE is also excited to announce a special partnership with support from Cineplex, featuring a co-presentation of two Indigenous films in cinema, Portraits from a Fire, directed by Trevor Mack and Kayak to Klemtu directed by Zoe Hopkins. Over the course of the month of June these films can be enjoyed in 20 select theatres across Canada. Additionally, these films can be enjoyed online, along with a special curated playlist of Indigenous films available through the Cineplex Store. To further support this initiative please visit a Cineplex Entertainment venue near you on June 21, 2022 as $1 for every purchase will be dedicated to imagineNATIVE!
2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
imagineNATIVE announces an expanded hybrid presentation for the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
The 23rd Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will welcome artists and audiences back to Toronto/Tkaronto for IN-PERSON screenings and events October 18 – 23, 2022. imagineNATIVE will then present the Festival ONLINE from October 24 – 30, 2022 to ensure they connect with those who aren’t yet able to attend in-person offerings.
The 2022 Festival will invite everyone to gather on the same ground in a celebration of current and contemporary Indigenous artistic works. Each year the Festival presentsfilm, digital + interactive media, audio works, exhibitions, and live performances. imagineNATIVE is thrilled to congruently present a series of artist talks, keynotes, panels, pitches, and other timely conversations as part of the Festival’s Industry Days series, an accumulation of presentations and work by the imagineNATIVE Institute. The 2022 presentation of Industry Days will continue to build on imagineNATIVE’s efforts as an organization to focus on and bolster narrative sovereignty within the film and media arts industry.
“imagineNATIVE has always been well-loved and supported by filmmakers, artists, audiences, funders, sponsors and many others. It has been a tremendous couple of years full of challenges, adjustments, and opportunities, and we have felt that love and support, and have truly appreciated it,” said Naomi Johnson, Executive Director of imagineNATIVE. “For those able to attend in-person, I know I speak for our Festival 2022 team when I say we cannot wait to see you once more. For those who can’t make it just yet, we haven’t forgotten you. We’ll do our best to make sure you can have a piece of the Festival with you in your home.”
Programming and ticket details for the 23rd annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will be announced in the coming months. Submissions for the Festival are now open until TODAY at 11:59 PM ET. For further information on qualifiers for submitting to the Festival, please visit here.
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest Indigenous festival showcasing film, video, audio, and digital + interactive media made by Indigenous screen-content creators. The Festival presents compelling and distinctive works from Canada and around the globe, reflecting the diversity of Indigenous nations and illustrating the vitality and dynamism of Indigenous arts, perspectives, and cultures in contemporary media.
