Event Schedule

Celebrate the Opening Night of imagineNATIVE’s 25th year! After the Opening Night Screening, head upstairs to Malaparte to celebrate with an Indigenous DJ dance party and enjoy stunning views of downtown Toronto!

Welcome to our first June Festival! Enjoy traditional singing, dance performances, and a delicious community feast prepared by Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People). Guests will also be able to support and celebrate local Indigenous artisans by shopping at the Three Sisters Indigenous Craft Market.

Pete and Seth Scriver's Endless Cookie is a refreshingly unique animated documentary, a testament to their singular vision and handcrafted charm. It’s a film that deftly navigates complex themes of race and identity through the lens of a deeply personal journey, tracing the bond between two half-brothers — one Indigenous, one white — as they traverse the stark contrasts between isolated Shamattawa and 1980s Toronto. The Scrivers' animation style, imbued with a raw, unpolished energy, perfectly complements their candid storytelling. The film's humour is both sharp and endearing, weaving together anecdotes about documentary filmmaking amidst a chaotic household, grocery store escapades, and encounters with caribou. Beyond the laughter, Endless Cookie is rooted in a quiet yet powerful resistance to colonialism, offering a nuanced exploration of Indigenous life. It’s a film that finds beauty in the everyday, weaving together oral histories and cosmic musings into a bittersweet tapestry of life.

This drama sees Gail Maurice in a layered performance as Aberdeen, who is navigating through the barriers stacked up against her to find home for herself and her grandchildren. With supporting roles by Billy Merasty, Jennifer Podemski, and Ryan Black, Aberdeen is an emotional, but hopeful, portrait of a complicated woman who must make life-altering choices. Aberdeen navigates the streets of Winnipeg as an adult through a cycle of intergenerational trauma, with glimpses of an idyllic, but short-lived childhood with her grandparents on reserve giving a hint of what she has lost. With pockets of humour and lightness, Maurice skillfully portrays the title character in her best role yet.

Worlds collide when Māori Elder Hamo accidentally hits Jo, a rough-around-the-edges wahine, with her car. Feeling responsible for her care, Hamo tries to help Jo back on her feet, only to find herself entangled in Jo’s antics after Jo lost her only home and family — a group of misfits who outlived their stay in an encampment. Hamo reluctantly agrees to take Jo under her wing, bringing her along on the trip back home. While on the road, the women form an unlikely bond that leads them to face the past and lean on each other on the path to healing.

Ryland Walker Knight’s Mann’s Sparks is a hypnotic essay film that stitches together footage from Michael Mann’s iconic filmography with Beach House’s 2015 album Depression Cherry into an editorial masterstroke. As much as the film stands as a testament to Knight’s craft as editor, it also acts as a thematic dialogue between the dream pop band’s music and the images by one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, spanning Mann’s work from Thief (1981) to Blackhat (2015). It’s a mesmeric work, both visually and sonically, acting also as a document of Knight’s own development as an editor after suffering an injury and using Mann’s footage and the band’s album to relearn how to edit. Mann’s Sparks is a spellbinding celebration of cinematic language and how it can be reused, relearned, and reimagined into new possibilities.

Strengthening our family makes our culture strong. These films celebrate birth, children, mothers, fathers, and our Elders to show us we are all journeying together and that no one is left behind because our voices matter and because family matters.

We welcome all developers, digital artists, and visionaries to iNdigital Days! This extraordinary two-day event is finally here, offering a unique chance to expand your skills and forge connections with fellow digital creatives. Join us at the TIFF Lightbox Gallery for an immersive experience dedicated to artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of new media. The iNdigital Days journey starts with an opportunity to share a meal with each other followed by a captivating keynote on navigating the tech industry. After lunch, we are hosting back-to-back sessions focused on attending digital artists as they present and discuss their programmed works. After that, we move into a hands-on workshop on 3D modelling in Blender. The evening will end with a live recording of a podcast in Cinema 3.

Celebrate our Features Screenwriting Lab Alumni during our market highlighting the writers and their projects. This event is catered by Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People).

We welcome all developers, digital artists, and visionaries to iNdigital Days! This extraordinary two-day event is finally here, offering a unique chance to expand your skills and forge connections with fellow digital creatives. Join us at the TIFF Lightbox Gallery for an immersive experience dedicated to artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of new media. The iNdigital Days journey starts with an opportunity to share a meal with each other followed by a captivating keynote on navigating the tech industry. After lunch, we are hosting back-to-back sessions focused on attending digital artists as they present and discuss their programmed works. After that, we move into a hands-on workshop on 3D modelling in Blender. The evening will end with a live recording of a podcast in Cinema 3.

We welcome all developers, digital artists, and visionaries to iNdigital Days! This extraordinary two-day event is finally here, offering a unique chance to expand your skills and forge connections with fellow digital creatives. Join us at the TIFF Lightbox Gallery for an immersive experience dedicated to artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of new media. The iNdigital Days journey starts with an opportunity to share a meal with each other followed by a captivating keynote on navigating the tech industry. After lunch, we are hosting back-to-back sessions focused on attending digital artists as they present and discuss their programmed works. After that, we move into a hands-on workshop on 3D modelling in Blender. The evening will end with a live recording of a podcast in Cinema 3.

"Join us as we wrap up our Micro Meetings event with this reception featuring snacks and beverages. This event is catered by Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People)."

We welcome all developers, digital artists, and visionaries to iNdigital Days! This extraordinary two-day event is finally here, offering a unique chance to expand your skills and forge connections with fellow digital creatives. Join us at the TIFF Lightbox Gallery for an immersive experience dedicated to artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of new media. The iNdigital Days journey starts with an opportunity to share a meal with each other followed by a captivating keynote on navigating the tech industry. After lunch, we are hosting back-to-back sessions focused on attending digital artists as they present and discuss their programmed works. After that, we move into a hands-on workshop on 3D modelling in Blender. The evening will end with a live recording of a podcast in Cinema 3.

Every year, imagineNATIVE collaborates with established and local artist-run galleries in downtown Toronto to present national and international exhibitions featuring Indigenous artists who push the boundaries and expectations of what Indigenous storytelling is. We are proud to partner with Vtape, Onsite Gallery, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Gallery 44, Collision Gallery, and Kent Monkman Studio for the 2025 Art Crawl.

Join us for a watch party of select TV episodes broadcasted on APTN and curated by imagineNATIVE.

This impressively candid documentary revisits the three-minute long “incident” at the University of Auckland which triggered race relations between Māori and non-Māori in 1970s New Zealand. Current Interviews with the engineering students who participated in the mocking haka party and members of the activist group that disrupted it, now adults, reflect on their versions of what happened. Directed by Katie Wolfe (one of the directors of 2017’s Waru) this doc, originally a theatre piece, is the ultimate telling of this true story. With archival footage and insights from those who were there, The Haka Party Incident brings forgotten history to life.

Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s We Were Dangerous is a simmering, potent drama set against the stark backdrop of a 1954 New Zealand reform school. It's a story of rebellion, told through the intertwined fates of Nellie and Daisy, two young women seeking escape from a system that seeks to break them. The arrival of Lou adds a complex layer to their dynamic, as the girls navigate the oppressive regime of a devout matron and the unsettling experimental punishments meted out under the cover of night. Director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu doesn’t shy away from the darkness, but rather leans into moments of joy and absurdity in what the trio of young women face. The film pulses with a quiet rage, a testament to the enduring power of friendship in the face of systemic injustice. It's a challenging, yet deeply human story.

Welcome to the final part of iNdigital Days! Join us as we dive even deeper into the intersection of art, technology, and culture. This event promises to captivate your imagination and showcase innovative concepts that make these experiences accessible to all. Today’s program is filled with just as many exciting activities as yesterday! First, we will fill our stomachs with breakfast before jumping into a case study on exploring XR productions. After lunch, you can explore back-to-back sessions focused on attending audio artists as they present and discuss their programmed work. We end the day with a conversation on the future — where is tech taking us? Listen to our panellists as they speak about the next creative wave!

Welcome to the final part of iNdigital Days! Join us as we dive even deeper into the intersection of art, technology, and culture. This event promises to captivate your imagination and showcase innovative concepts that make these experiences accessible to all. Today’s program is filled with just as many exciting activities as yesterday! First, we will fill our stomachs with breakfast before jumping into a case study on exploring XR productions. After lunch, you can explore back-to-back sessions focused on attending audio artists as they present and discuss their programmed work. We end the day with a conversation on the future — where is tech taking us? Listen to our panellists as they speak about the next creative wave!

Welcome to the final part of iNdigital Days! Join us as we dive even deeper into the intersection of art, technology, and culture. This event promises to captivate your imagination and showcase innovative concepts that make these experiences accessible to all. Today’s program is filled with just as many exciting activities as yesterday! First, we will fill our stomachs with breakfast before jumping into a case study on exploring XR productions. After lunch, you can explore back-to-back sessions focused on attending audio artists as they present and discuss their programmed work. We end the day with a conversation on the future — where is tech taking us? Listen to our panellists as they speak about the next creative wave!