Toronto, April 8, 2025 – The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is proud to announce Oneida actor, writer, and producer Graham Greene as this year’s winner of the August Schellenberg Award of Excellence (the “Augie”). The announcement comes on the same day as early bird ticket packages and online passes go on sale for the 25th edition of the Festival. 

The Augie is an annual prize that recognizes gifted Indigenous actors from across Turtle Island based on the longevity and impact of their careers, as well as their professionalism and involvement in mentorship and community work. To honour the memory of August Schellenberg, the award was launched in partnership with imagineNATIVE and August’s widow and lifelong partner Joan Karasevich Schellenberg.

“Augie was a true trailblazer in the industry, and his work at the Stratford Festival paved the way for many, including myself,” said Graham Greene. “I have fond memories of our collaborations on screen and radio. Those were great times, and I still miss him dearly.”

Graham Greene was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, on June 22, 1952. After working several jobs, which included draughting, high steel work, welding, carpentry, and audio engineering, he took up acting. He traveled to England and South America where he performed in and taught theatre. His many stage credits include The Crackwalker, Jessica, History of the Village of the Small Huts, and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, for which Greene won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Actor.

Greene then co-starred in Dances with Wolves, which garnered an Oscar nomination. Since then, his many film credits include Die Hard with a Vengeance, North, The Green Mile, Maverick, and Snow Dogs. His many television credits include Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science, Rocket Science, Wolf Lake, The Red Green Show, North of 60, and The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon, which awarded Greene two Gemini Awards.

Greene was also the recipient of several Best Actor Awards for his roles in Skins, The Education of Little Tree, and Northern Exposure, at the First Americans in the Arts Film Awards, as well as Best Actor at the Japan Film Festival for Skins, and a Grammy for his narration work with Winton Marsalis and Kate Winslet in Listen to the Storyteller. In 2016, Greene received the Order of Canada for his achievements as a pioneering and versatile actor of the stage and screen.

“Graham Greene is a legendary actor, not just to Indigenous people, but to the film industry as a whole,” said Lindsay Monture, Artistic Director at imagineNATIVE. “He has contributed unforgettable performances in some of the most celebrated films in cinema history, and still continues to support the works of a new generation of Indigenous creatives. We are more fortunate now to have stronger representation of our people than in the days when Graham had started in this industry. Even in those days, through his own performances, Graham managed to turn the narrative on its head, creating commentary on how Indigenous peoples’ stories are shared, so that Indigenous artists today can continue to carry the torch he ignited for all of us.”

The Augie Award, with support from ACTRA, will be presented to Greene at this year’s imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation during the festival. 

Taking place from June 3-8, 2025 (Toronto) and June 9-15, 2025 (online), early bird ticket packages and discounted online passes for this year’s imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival are on sale now at imagineNATIVE.org/festival/box-office.