May 7, 2026, Tkaronto/Toronto—Celebrating arts in all forms, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is back with a full slate of media arts offerings and special events. Taking place from June 2–7, in Toronto and from June 8–14 online, the festival returns with 25 interactive, digital works and audio experiences, and six special events, all open to the public, in addition to its film programming, which was also announced today.
The annual Welcome Gathering is back to start this year’s festival. Hosted at the Spadina Museum on Tuesday, June 2, the gathering will feature performances from the Skye Dancers, food catered by PowWow Cafe, and an Indigenous artisan market, featuring Indigenous-made items for guests to explore and purchase to support local artists.
The Opening Night Party ends the first day of festivities. Featuring the musical stylings of Six Nations’ singer-songwriter James N. Wilson and Ojibwe/Blackfoot DJ, music producer, and performer Classic Roots, it is hosted at Malaparte on King West. The rooftop patio showcases views of downtown Toronto, including the CN Tower, which will be lit in the imagineNATIVE red, blue and turquoise in celebration of the festival.
Starting June 3 is the free iNdigital Space + Arcade exhibition at the TIFF Lightbox. From VR and interactive installations to video games and projections, this year’s exhibition includes 14 works from various artists from around the world who invite guests to see, listen, and play with the diverse Official Selection.
Some highlights include a short video looking at misrepresentations of Indigenous people in video games to today in Skins in the Game by Skawennati (Kanien’kehá:ka) and Jason Edward Lewis (Hawaiian/Samoan) from Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace, and a speculative fulldome artwork where Indigenous cosmology meets quantum science in Blood Quantum Physics by Feather Miigwans (Anishinaabe – Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians) from Miigwans Media.
Alongside the interactive works are 11 audio works from podcasts to songs from artists like Jana Schmeiding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) and Brian Bahe (Hopi/Tohono O’odham/Navajo), The Aunties Dandelion (Kanyen′kehá:ka – Six Nations), Melaw Nakehk’o (Dene/Dënesųłiné), Jayne King (Māori) and Taylor Tutawa Mclaren (Māori), Kim Wheeler (Anishinaabe/Mohawk), Emmaline Beauchamp (Anishinaabe) and Monty McGahey II (Anishinaabe/Oneida), Ramon Kataquapit (Attawapiskat First Nation), Alex J Walker (Cayuga), and January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora Six Nations of the Grand River).
On Thursday, June 4, the Art Crawl returns with seven established and local artist-run galleries showcasing Indigenous artists who push the boundaries and expectations of what Indigenous storytelling is. Celebrating 12 years as a staple of the festival, this year’s partners include Gallery TPW, A Space Gallery, Gallery 44, Market Gallery, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, and Vtape.
The fan-favourite gallery crawl is a pay-what-you-can event where attendees will be able to experience artists’ exhibitions from Vernon Ah Kee (Kuku Yalandji/Waanji, Yidinji/Gugu Yimithirr), Hoda Afshar (Iranian), Jason Baerg (Cree Métis), Manny Wood Lynes-Ford (Gitxaala), Kent Monkman (Cree), Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong (Anishinaabe), Jake Kimble (Dënesųłıné), Kay Nadjiwon (Anishinaabe), Kikki Guerard (Swampy Cree), Megan Feheley (Cree), and Melissa Johns (Mohawk), Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe), and Zachery Cameron Longboy (Sayisi Dene).
TD Free Friday returns on Friday, June 5. Thanks to the generosity of TD Bank, tickets to all Friday screenings will be free across the festival to help provide more opportunities for individuals to experience imagineNATIVE’s programming.
On the afternoon of June 6 is the annual Awards Presentation at the TIFF Lightbox. To honour Indigenous excellence in film and media arts, with generous support from our partners and individual donors, each year, the Awards Presentation showcases a selection of exceptional works from the festival. This year’s event will be hosted by Saulteaux/Cree comedian Vance Banzo, and award medallions and lanyards were created by Tuscarora WoodWorks and Two Hearts Beadwork, respectively.
Closing the festival’s special events is The Beat, a live concert celebrating Indigenous musicians and performers. Hosted at the El Mocambo in Toronto, the concert features Gary Farmer and The Dish and Spoon Band, a blues-rock band led by the acclaimed Cayuga actor and musician Gary Farmer, plus performances by singer-songwriter from the First Nations Reserve of Mississaugi First Nation, Evan Redsky, and MR SAUGA, a singer-songwriter grounded in traditional and cultural influences of the Michi Saagiig peoples.
Full programming and ticket information are now available at imagineNATIVE.org.
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About imagineNATIVE:
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest Indigenous festival showcasing film, video, audio, and digital + interactive media made by Indigenous 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. imagineNATIVE.org
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imagineNATIVE@route504pr.com
