Indigenous Culture & Media Innovations - ICMI

12/15/2025

What does the future look like when history is reimagined?

In this episode of InDigital Insights, Mel Izanami explores speculative art, alternate histories, and the use of augmented reality to challenge colonial narratives. Drawing from their project Portals to Pasts to Come, Mel reflects on identity, language, technology, and how artists can reclaim digital tools to imagine non-hegemonic futures.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp-dcY4Eeq8

Explore more conversations at icmi.ca/insights.

Mel Izanami was born and raised in Mexico, where he became aware of deep contradictions in his identity—contradictions that, over time, shaped not only his a...

12/12/2025

Jules Koostachin – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 11

Jules Koostachin speaks candidly about storytelling as responsibility, not content. Drawing from her lived experience as a Cree filmmaker, scholar, and mother, she reflects on Indigenous protocols, consent, and accountability in filmmaking, research, and cultural work. Jules explores how stories carry obligations to community, Elders, and future generations, emphasizing reciprocity, care, and the long-term impact of media when stories leave their original context. Her reflections challenge extractive practices and reaffirm Indigenous storytelling as relational, ethical, and grounded in lived responsibility.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHqBqlbB2H4

🌐 Explore more episodes:
icmi.ca/insights

12/08/2025

✨ New InDigital Insights Episode! ✨
This week, we sit down with filmmaker, writer, mom, and scholar Dr. Jules Koostachin for an honest and heartfelt conversation about storytelling protocols, community accountability, gender teachings, language revitalization, and navigating the worlds of film and academia.

Jules shares powerful reflections on how stories are carried, who has the right to share them, and why reciprocity and respect must guide all creative work. She also speaks about humour, healing, and stepping into “auntie energy” as we challenge harmful norms and reclaim our teachings.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHqBqlbB2H4

🔗 icmi.ca/insights

Dr. Jules Koostachin is an award-winning producer & director who has created numerous documentaries and original narrative films. In this episode, she chats ...

12/05/2025

Liz Barron – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 10
Liz Barron reflects on decades of art-based cultural work, diving into Indigenous protocols, identity affirmation, and the responsibilities that come with curating and creating within community. She speaks about the labour behind policy, the importance of “do no harm” when supporting Elders, and the ongoing challenges Indigenous arts administrators face from burnout to navigating institutional expectations. Through stories of mentorship, sector growth, and the evolution of Indigenous arts spaces, she shares a powerful look at how relationships, accountability, and community care shape the arts landscape today.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wq748E8YPw

Explore more episodes at:
icmi.ca/insights

12/04/2025

Clayton Windatt – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 9
Clayton Windatt shares his journey through art-making, advocacy, and community leadership — reflecting on burnout, rediscovering balance, and how an unexpected turn into professional wrestling reshaped his sense of joy, performance, and connection. He speaks openly about holding space in the arts, raising a family while traveling for national work, and finding renewed energy through creative expression in all its forms.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYj1E62D06M

Explore more episodes at:
icmi.ca/insights

12/01/2025

Arts leader Liz Barron discusses Indigenous arts protocols, identity, and community care. The conversation explores the protocols that guide the use of culturally significant designs, how to support elders without creating financial barriers, and what compassionate leadership can look like within Indigenous arts organizations. Learn how policy, funding, and daily decisions shape the Indigenous arts ecosystem.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube:

Liz Barron joins Monique to discuss issues faced by Indigenous artists relating to the creation of their art and the protocols around art-making. Liz is a P...

11/24/2025

Artist, arts administrator, and pro wrestler Clayton Windatt joins host Monique Manatch to reflect on a life lived in the arts—from saving an artist-run centre from closure and leading national Indigenous arts advocacy, to navigating burnout, funding politics, and discovering unexpected joy performing as Rusty Blackwell in the wrestling ring.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube:

Clayton Windatt is a curator, multi-arts performer and filmmaker living and working in Ontario. As the former Executive Director of the White Water Gallery, ...

11/21/2025

Dr. Jonathan Dewar – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 8
Dr. Jonathan Dewar unpacks First Nations data sovereignty — from OCAP® principles to the responsibilities that guide ethical research. He and Monique Manatch explore how Indigenous governance, cultural protocols, and artificial intelligence intersect in shaping the future of information stewardship.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlX7o3WAKqc

Explore more episodes at:
icmi.ca/insights

11/17/2025

New Episode of InDigital Insights with Dr. Jonathan Dewar

Host Monique Manatch speaks with the CEO of the First Nations Information Governance Centre about OCAP® principles, First Nations data sovereignty, and Indigenous control over research and information. The conversation explores the evolving relationship between governance, culture, and digital technology — including a powerful reflection on artificial intelligence and accountability.

Watch now:

Jonathan Dewar is the CEO of the FNIGC — the First Nations Information Governance Centre, an independent, apolitical, and technical non-profit organization o...

11/14/2025

Harley Knife – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 7 (Part 2)
Harley Knife reflects on resilience, healing, and identity — sharing experiences from foster care to cultural reconnection, and how storytelling and animation have become his tools for inspiring the next generation.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqHhKKJ95LQ

Explore more episodes at:
icmi.ca/insights

11/10/2025

🎥 New Episode of InDigital Insights (Part 2) with Cree Animator Harley Knife 🌿

In this powerful continuation, Harley shares deeply personal stories about growing up in foster care, healing from intergenerational trauma, and finding purpose through animation and storytelling. He speaks on mentorship, Indigenous identity, and using art as a path toward reconnection and resilience.

📺 Watch now:
👉

In this episode of InDigital Insights, host Monique Manatch continues her conversation with artist Harley Knife. They discuss the importance of stories, iden...

11/07/2025

Harley Knife – InDigital Insights Season 4, Episode 6

Harley Knife shares how animation became a calling — from realizing that “cartoons are made by people” to inspiring the next generation of Indigenous creators.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eVd2fvz0kE

Explore more episodes at:
icmi.ca/insights