imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Celebrating innovative works by Indigenous artists in film, audio, and digital media.

imagineNATIVE is thrilled to catch new Indigenous films at TIFF this September! 🎬Check out featured works from these fil...
08/13/2026

imagineNATIVE is thrilled to catch new Indigenous films at TIFF this September! 🎬

Check out featured works from these filmmakers:

Alexandra Lazarowich
Alex Liu
Amanda Kernell
Amanda Strong
Cody Lightning
Darren Dale
Hosam Abu Dan
Justin Ducharme
Marie Clements
Nyla Innuksuk
Theja Rio
Vinnie Karetak

Tickets move fast, be sure to visit TIFF.net to secure yours before they're gone!

August 9 is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous ways of being have withstood the history...
08/09/2026

August 9 is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous ways of being have withstood the history of colonization, and the continued cultural practices, stories, teachings and language revitalization sustains our lands and territories. Today we honour Indigenous knowledge, resilience, and celebrate our communities worldwide.

Thank you for supporting us in our work for over 26 years, allowing us to uplift Indigenous-led works in film and media arts.

Please consider making a donation to imagineNATIVE today to help us continue this work. Visit imagineNATIVE.org/support to learn more and donate.

The 2026 imagineNATIVE Tour is officially open for the season! 🎞️🍿The Tour is imagineNATIVE’s largest year-round initiat...
08/07/2026

The 2026 imagineNATIVE Tour is officially open for the season! 🎞️🍿

The Tour is imagineNATIVE’s largest year-round initiative outside of our annual Festival. The imagineNATIVE Tour brings Indigenous-made film works and community engagement activities to communities across Turtle Island (Canada), curated for:

📌 Schools (including elementary, high school, and post-secondary)
📌 Workplaces
📌 Institutions
📌 Libraries
📌 Youth programs
📌 Friendship centres
📌 Community groups

📅 Bookings Available: Now - November 30, 2026

The 2026 imagineNATIVE Tour programs offer a selection of Indigenous works from across Canada that were part of the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Official Selection. This year, we are proud to present two documentary features and three short film programs suitable for three age groups; you can find more information about the program selections below.

Screenings can be booked to take place either in-person or online! imagineNATIVE will work with you to help accommodate the delivery of a screening to your community. To enhance the screenings, organizations can request an Artist Talk to accompany their booking (in-person or online) for an additional fee.

In addition to the Tour’s film programs, imagineNATIVE is excited to offer our three-day Film + Video-Making Workshop for Indigenous youth! The workshop will bring an Indigenous artist from our Festival to your community to mentor youth in creating their own short film over three days. The final projects will be showcased at a community screening on the last day. The workshop includes a screening of one of the Tour programs of your choice.

🔗 To learn more about the imagineNATIVE Tour visit imagineNATIVE.org/tour.

Calling all Indigenous Filmmakers!Are you an Indigenous storyteller with a bold, original idea for a short film? Want to...
08/06/2026

Calling all Indigenous Filmmakers!

Are you an Indigenous storyteller with a bold, original idea for a short film? Want to take your skills to the next level and showcase your work at the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto?

We’ve got exciting mentorship opportunities across Canada to help you do just that! Work with incredible partners like Charles Street Video (GTA), Capilano University (Vancouver), Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) (GTA), and CSIF - The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (Calgary) to bring your vision to life.

Applications are open NOW — don’t miss your chance to grow your filmmaking journey with hands-on support from leading industry mentors.

Deadline to apply is August 13, 2026 at 11:59 EST.

📧 Questions? Reach out to [email protected].

🔗 Learn more and apply today by visiting imagineNATIVE.org/mentorship.

Image Credits:
Bimaadizi/ Along in Space and Time (directed by Katia Ferderber)
Visitant (directed by Skylar Wesley)
Itseetamapi (directed by Adam Solway)
A Girl Like That (directed by Shae-lynn Pearson)

It is with profound sadness that imagineNATIVE acknowledges the passing of Leo Koziol. Leo of the Ngati Kahungunu and R...
08/05/2026

It is with profound sadness that imagineNATIVE acknowledges the passing of Leo Koziol. Leo of the Ngati Kahungunu and Rakaipaaka tribes, Māori of Aotearoa was a long time friend of the Festival. Notably Leo was the founder and director of the Wairoa Māori Film Festival, and the Indigenous editor for Letterboxd. In 2022 Leo served as a programmer for the 23rd edition of the festival, and this year as a mentor for the Indigenous Film Criticism program, an inaugural effort to support emerging Indigenous film criticism writers. Thank you Leo for opening doors and your contribution to the strengthening of Indigenous storytelling and cinema. This is a deep loss for our Indigenous cinema community worldwide. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those who knew and loved Leo.

Like so many of you, imagineNATIVE is feeling the grief and impacts of the wildfires that spread across our lands and pe...
07/29/2026

Like so many of you, imagineNATIVE is feeling the grief and impacts of the wildfires that spread across our lands and people. We are saddened to see the continued pattern of our Indigenous communities being the first impacted by the effects of climate change as a direct result of decreased funding for environmental protections, extractive industry development projects, and lack of response and protections for Indigenous communities most at risk.

This year’s Official Selection included “Why Would I Leave?”, a documentary film by Jade Baxter (Nlaka’pamux), a reflective work on Jade’s personal experience of being displaced from her home due to the 2021 Lytton Creek Wildfire. Jade has graciously shared her film for you to watch to understand the lasting impacts of what this type of displacement has on Indigenous communities.

Watch "Why Would I Leave?" now on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otw9amirVg

We want to acknowledge the bravery of the people who had to save themselves and each other to make it back to safety, and the communities and agencies that have stepped in to support them. We encourage you to consider making a donation to help support evacuees by contributing directly to the communities affected by these wildfires via e-transfer:

Anishabek First Nation: [email protected]

Whitesand First Nation: [email protected]

For additional foundations providing support across Northern Ontario, and information on new item donation centres in Toronto, please consider:

Native Arts Society & University of Toronto :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbyTv4SH5gq-IBqiarjVArN55uhKO5N6AhA6dEykejxGSaGA/viewform

Native Canadian Centre Toronto (note: only collecting until Thursday):
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JSP1n2SrF/

Sage ENAGB:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1XtiMXNkWJ/

🎥 AFI DWW+ applications are now open!The program is a tuition-free, year-long workshop that supports emerging narrative ...
07/29/2026

🎥 AFI DWW+ applications are now open!

The program is a tuition-free, year-long workshop that supports emerging narrative filmmakers looking to deepen their directing experience or pivot into the director role.

🔗 Apply now at AFI.edu/dww.

🔵The AuthenticA Series Lab Returns for Its Fifth Edition! Submissions are now open!Realness Institute, in partnership wi...
07/24/2026

🔵The AuthenticA Series Lab Returns for Its Fifth Edition! Submissions are now open!

Realness Institute, in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Festival SERIES MANIA are proud to present the fifth edition of AuthenticA Series Lab!

Five years. Fifteen writers. Countless stories that only they could tell. The AuthenticA Series Lab continues to do what it was built to do — give African voices the time, space, and support to be heard on the world stage. And for this milestone fifth year, we are marking the occasion by taking AuthenticA to Ethiopia, for our 1st in-person residency of this edition.

This six-month programme will support the development of series scripts for four screenwriters from African countries and the diaspora. With a combination of online and in-person sessions, this is your chance to enhance your skills and represent authentic, up-to-date viewpoints of the continent. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your craft and contribute to the African film industry!

Submissions will close Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM SAST.

🔗 To learn more about this opportunity visit realnessinstitute.com.

Don't miss opening day! The Future of Film Showcase festival begins tomorrow.Future of Film Showcase is a Canadian not-f...
07/22/2026

Don't miss opening day! The Future of Film Showcase festival begins tomorrow.

Future of Film Showcase is a Canadian not-for-profit media arts organization presenting works from emerging Canadian Filmmakers. FOFS fosters the future of Canadian film by providing emerging artists and filmmakers with professional development opportunities, as well as a national platform through an annual film festival. The 2026 festival runs from July 23-26, with 4 days of fantastic films, engaging panels, and exciting networking events!

View the full festival program at FOFS.ca/all-programming.

Calling all Indigenous Filmmakers!Are you an Indigenous storyteller with a bold, original idea for a short film? Want to...
07/14/2026

Calling all Indigenous Filmmakers!

Are you an Indigenous storyteller with a bold, original idea for a short film? Want to take your skills to the next level and showcase your work at the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto?

We’ve got exciting mentorship opportunities across Canada to help you do just that! Work with incredible partners like Charles Street Video (GTA), Capilano University (Vancouver), Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) (GTA), and CSIF - The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (Calgary) to bring your vision to life.

Applications are open NOW — don’t miss your chance to grow your filmmaking journey with hands-on support from leading industry mentors.

📧 Questions? Reach out to [email protected]

🔗 Learn more and apply today at imagineNATIVE.org/mentorship.

Address

Toronto, ON

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14165852333

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