imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

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

October is LGBTQ2S+ History Month!This month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate LGBTQ2S+ voices and stories.Th...
10/08/2026

October is LGBTQ2S+ History Month!

This month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate LGBTQ2S+ voices and stories.

This past festival, Love has No Gender was programmed and presented as a collection of five short films. These stories are about finding a sense of safety and love in order to live Q***r and Trans Joy. They were included in the festival as part of our ongoing commitment to holding space for LGBTQ2S+ stories and voices within our programming. We all need spaces of protection, exploration, belonging, and celebration.

🎬 Ata Pūao directed by Allie Howell (Waitaha/Ngāti Rangiwewehi)
🎬 IXIM (love has no gender) directed by Alex PV (Maya Mam)
🎬 HOST directed by Zachery Cameron Longboy (Sayisi Dene)
🎬 O Alofa Nei, O Alofa Nā directed by Giselle Ilaoa (Alafua - Sāmoa/Ngāti Tūwharetoa/Ngāti Raukawa - Aotearoa)
🎬 Gâteau Girl (P***y P***y P***y) directed by Shanelle St. Hilaire (Red River Métis)

October 4, 2026 is MMIWG2S Awareness Day.We remember and honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girl...
10/03/2026

October 4, 2026 is MMIWG2S Awareness Day.

We remember and honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. This day is not only one of remembrance, but also of resilience and solidarity. By uplifting survivors and our communities, we continue to advocate for change.

To support ongoing efforts addressing this crisis, we encourage you to consider supporting initiatives by these organizations:

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: mmiwg-ffada.ca.

Ontario Native Women’s Association MMIWG Pow-Wow
October 3, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET
Mountain Bingo, 400 Anemki Dr, Fort William First Nation, ON

The Native Women’s Association of Canada supports Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people. NWAC shares the following Sisters in Spirit Vigils happening in Ontario for MMIWG2S Day of Action:

Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto
October 4, 2026 | 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM ET
Allan Gardens, Toronto, ON

Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, Guelph Indigenous Community Council, and Guelph Wellington Ontario Health Team
October 4, 2026 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM ET
Sacred Fire, Royal City Park, Guelph, ON

St. Catherines’ Annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil & Walk
October 4, 2026 | 7:00 AM - 1:30 PM ET
Downtown, St. Catherines, ON

Six Nations Sisters in Spirit Breakfast
October 4, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
J.C. Hill Gym, Ohsweken, ON

GBC Casa Loma - Sisters in Spirit Candle Lighting & Notes of Hope
October 5, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET
Room E124, Casa Loma Campus GBC, Toronto, ON

GBC Waterfront - Sisters in Spirit Candle Lighting & Notes of Hope
October 5, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET
Main Lobby, Waterfront Campus GBC, Toronto, ON

GBC St. James - Sisters in Spirit Candle Lighting & Notes of Hope
October 6, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET
Room 165B, St. James Campus GBC, Toronto, ON

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched the WIPO Video Prize for Indigenous Youth 2026! This is...
10/02/2026

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched the WIPO Video Prize for Indigenous Youth 2026! This is a great opportunity for Indigenous youth filmmakers to share their creativity and get involved with WIPO, a UN agency supporting innovators and creators around the world!

This year’s theme is “Indigenous Peoples’ Know-How and Creativity in Action”, an opportunity for young Indigenous people to showcase their creativity, stories and know-how through video.

Prizes: Digital equipment worth up to USD 4,000, 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000.
Who can apply? Indigenous individuals or groups aged 18–35.

🗓️ Application Deadline: November 6, 2026

🔗 For more information and to apply, visit https://youth-prize.wipo.int.

Submissions are NOW OPEN for the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!Are you an Indigenous filmmaker or media ...
10/01/2026

Submissions are NOW OPEN for the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!

Are you an Indigenous filmmaker or media artist with a completed work on or after January 1, 2025? Don’t miss this chance to showcase your work at the world’s largest Indigenous film and media arts festival! We’re accepting submissions of Film + Video, Digital + Interactive, and Audio works starting October 1, 2026.

The 27th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will take place in-person at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto from June 1-6, 2027, with an online component from June 7-13, 2027.

🗓️ Important Dates:
📌 Early Bird Submission Period | October 1-16, 2026 | No Submission Fee
📌 Regular Submission Period | October 17, 2026 - January 3, 2027 | $5 CAD Submission Fee
📌 Late Submission Period | January 4, 2027 - January 10, 2027 | $15 CAD Submission Fee

🔗 Learn more at imagineNATIVE.org/submissions.

Today is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 🧡This day carries great significance to imagineNATIVE, as we acknowl...
09/30/2026

Today is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 🧡

This day carries great significance to imagineNATIVE, as we acknowledge the huge loss of lives, cultures, identities, family connections and languages for Indigenous communities across Canada. Reconciliation means Canadians acknowledging and supporting collective efforts to revitalize Indigenous cultures and languages. imagineNATIVE uses this day to center Indigenous Language Revitalization with all donations made on September 30 being directed towards supporting the Indigenous Language Production Award. This award presented each year at the festival is given in acknowledgement to a film of any genre or length whose sole or primary language is Indigenous.

Donations made last year supported the Indigenous Language Production Award ($7,500 CAD) awarded to Shaaghan Neekwaii (Two Old Women) by Princess Daazhraii Johnson at the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

As part of our Tour program, we are partnering with the Brampton Arts Organization to present a documentary focused on the dynamics of reconciliation. What We Carry, directed by Jessie Anthony (Onondaga), is a feature film previously programmed at the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Jessie Anthony’s debut documentary feature provides a fresh perspective on reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, with many challenging but much-needed discourses on privilege, accountability, and healing.

Brampton Arts Organization
📅 Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 6:00 PM
📍 BAO Office, 8 Nelson, St W, Unit 301, Brampton
🎟️ FREE, Pay What You Can

The Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24-hour support to residential school survivors and their families toll-free at 1-866-925-4419.

Join imagineNATIVE and the Brampton Arts Organization for a presentation of the documentary “What We Carry” this Nationa...
09/29/2026

Join imagineNATIVE and the Brampton Arts Organization for a presentation of the documentary “What We Carry” this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“What We Carry”, directed by Jessie Anthony (Onondaga), follows the descendants of an English teacher who immigrated to Canada in 1964 to teach at a residential school in northern Alberta. Her daughter and granddaughter return to the Bigstone Cree Nation community in Wabaska to investigate what happened with members of the community as they seek truth and healing.

📅 September 30, 2026 | 6:00 PM
📍 BAO Office | 8 Nelson St W, Unit 301, Brampton, ON
🎟️ FREE, Pay What You Can

Join the Brampton Arts Organization for their monthly Open Studio+ and make BAO your studio for the day. Create and connect with fellow Brampton creative community members at Open Studio+, FREE to attend and open to all skill levels. As always, you can bring your own works in progress, use art supplies and materials to start a new project, take pictures in the Photography Studio, find inspiration in the Community Library, record beats in the Recording Studio and so much more. Drop in any time between 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM and make the most of this artistic environment!

🔗 To learn more about this presentation and Open Studio+ visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bao-september-open-studio-tickets-1981383661870.

Applications for the 2026 Screenwriting Shorts Lab close this Wednesday!Three Indigenous screenwriters (2 Canadian-based...
09/28/2026

Applications for the 2026 Screenwriting Shorts Lab close this Wednesday!

Three Indigenous screenwriters (2 Canadian-based + 1 US-based) will be selected to develop an original short film script from treatment to final draft, with guidance and feedback from Indigenous story editors and imagineNATIVE staff.

Throughout the Lab, participants will take part in individual feedback sessions and group workshops while receiving financial support through milestone-based stipends. Participants will also receive travel and accommodations to attend the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. By the end of the program, each writer will have a polished short film screenplay and materials to support the creation of a professional pitch package.

🗓️ Application Deadline: September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

📧 Questions? Contact Rain at [email protected]

🔗 Apply today at https://forms.monday.com/forms/1932db987a0daae4703094bde98e0d3c?r=use1.

Join imagineNATIVE and the Midland Cultural Centre for a Sunday matinee!Bring your family for an exceptional, entertaini...
09/25/2026

Join imagineNATIVE and the Midland Cultural Centre for a Sunday matinee!

Bring your family for an exceptional, entertaining and lively series of Family Shorts from the 2026 imagineNATIVE Tour program. This is a free or Pay What You Can event, with proceeds supporting Midland Cultural Centre's free community programming. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase. RSVP to secure your free ticket, or just drop in!

📅 September 27, 2026 | 11:00 AM
📍 Midland Cultural Centre | 333 King St, Midland, ON
🎟️ FREE, Pay What You Can

Family Shorts:

Niwahkohmahkanis
Director: Zoey Roy (Cree, Dene, Metis)

The Wild Sheriff
Director: Sarah Houle (Cree, Metis)

Migizi Makes A Deal With Gzhemnidoo
Director: Esbikenh (Anishinaabe)

Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure
Director: Alan Syliboy (Mi’kmaw)

Nenaboozhoo
Director: Isaac Murdoch (Anishinaabe)

🔗 To learn more and RSVP visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/midlandculturalcentre/2413596.

We’re excited to join The Toronto Palestine Film Festival for a co-presentation of their Opening Night program, Palestin...
09/24/2026

We’re excited to join The Toronto Palestine Film Festival for a co-presentation of their Opening Night program, Palestine 36, directed by Annemarie Jacir, preceded by the short film Endless Sunlight, directed by Tyson Houseman (Nêhiyaw).

📅 September 30, 2026 | 7:00 PM
📍 TIFF Lightbox, Cinema 1 | 350 King St W, Toronto, ON

Palestine, 1936. The uprising that took on an Empire. As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain's 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.

Endless Sunlight, directed by Tyson Houseman (Nêhiyaw), was selected to precede Palestine 36 with the assistance of imagineNATIVE to foster further intersectional solidarity between our audience — those born into and those sympathetic to the Palestinian struggle for liberation — and the Indigenous peoples of the land we are situated on; those who we share parallel histories with despite the distance between our homelands. During our opening night, this year falling on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we aim to continue bridging our people together through the use of cinema as we colour the viewing experience of Palestine 36 with that of Kokum Penny Roan’s thoughts and recollections. We hope that as our audience reflects on the past and present context of Palestine and Palestinians as they watch Palestine 36, Endless Sunlight will be a catalyst for those reflections to extend to the past and present conditions of the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.

🔗 To learn more about this co-presentation visit https://www.tpff.ca/program-2026-2/palestine36.

The imagineNATIVE Institute would like to welcome and congratulate the participants of the 2026 Screenwriting Features L...
09/24/2026

The imagineNATIVE Institute would like to welcome and congratulate the participants of the 2026 Screenwriting Features Lab!

This year, one international and two Canadian-based screenwriters have been selected to participate in the Lab. Congratulations to Jamie, Kenny, and Leya!

Through the program, each participant will develop an original feature film script from concept/treatment to final draft under the guidance of creative industry professionals, Indigenous story editors, and the imagineNATIVE Institute Team. Screenwriters will receive financial support throughout the program, including stipends upon the completion of key milestones.

We look forward to supporting Jamie, Kenny, and Leya throughout the Lab and welcoming them to the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Thank you to everyone who applied to the 2026 Screenwriting Features Lab. We were thrilled to receive such a wide range of applications from Indigenous screenwriters across the world!

Chi’miigwetch for your support!

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Toronto, ON

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

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+14165852333

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