List of Awards

We are excited to celebrate Indigenous achievement in film + media arts with generous support from our partners and individual donors. The imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation showcases the selection of exceptional works from each year’s Festival.

Recognizing and celebrating Indigenous works shows the world the talent our community has. It’s paramount we celebrate stories told from the First Peoples' point of view, not just stories from an outsider’s “first person” point of view.

I will never forget the first time I saw Qaggiq by Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn, and Isuma in 1989. I had never seen anything like it before, never seen with such clarity what it is like to live in the North, never experienced a work that was made with a whole community’s involvement. These were unique voices and as I came to know more Indigenous works and more voices, it was clear they had to be brought into the spotlight. That is what awards do: they shine a light on artists we did not know before. Afterwards, we seek out their next work and tell others. Awards count.

2023 Awards

August Schellenberg Award of Excellence

with support from ACTRA National and Joan Karasevich

$2,500

Jennifer Podemski

Innovation in Storytelling Award

with support from Kent Monkman and the D.R. Sobey Foundation

$7,500

The Original Shareholder Experience

 Petyr Xyst

Animated Short Award

with support from Blue Ant Media

$2,500

SEK BUY

William Cayapur Delgado

Documentary Short Award

with support from Blue Ant Media

$2,500

First Time Home

Noemi Librado-Sanchez, Esmirna Librado, Esmeralda Ventura, Heriberto Ventura

Documentary Feature Award

with support from TVO

$5,000

Šaamšiǩ – Great Grandmothers Hat

 Anstein Mikkelsen, Harry Johansen

Experimental Audio Award


with support from Meriläinen Müsic Inc.

$1,500

Sabikeshiinh

 Brydon King

Narrative Audio Award

with support from Meriläinen Müsic Inc.

$1,500

Stolen: The Search for Jermain  

Connie Walker

New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award

with support from imagineNATIVE

$1,000

Stolen: The Search for Jermain  

Connie Walker

Digital + Interactive Award


with support from imagineNATIVE

 

$2,500

This is Not a Ceremony

 Colin Van Loon

Indigenous Language Production Award

 with support from the Indigenous Screen Office and Indigenous Media Initiatives

$7,500

Məca

Ritchie Norman Hemphill

New Voice in Storytelling Award


with support from Humber College and CJ Foundation in recognition of Jane Glassco

$5,000

Proowa (Yucca)

 Stefany Mendinueta

Sun Jury Award


with support from the Directors Guild of Canada

$2,500

Night

 Ahmad Saleh

Moon Jury Award


with support from the Directors Guild of Canada

$2,500

Kikino Kids 

Barry Bilinsky

Live Action Short Award


with support from Vtape and Jason Ryle

$7,500

Rose

Roxann Karonhiarokwas Whitebean

Dramatic Feature Award


with support from Telefilm Canada

$7,500

We Are Still Here 

Danielle MacLean, Beck Cole, Richard Curtis, Chantelle Burgoyne, Tracey Rigney, Dena Curtis, Tim Worrall, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Mario Gaoa

Jeff Barnaby Award


with support from imagineNATIVE

$2,500

We Are Still Here 

Danielle MacLean, Beck Cole, Richard Curtis, Chantelle Burgoyne, Tracey Rigney, Dena Curtis, Tim Worrall, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Mario Gaoa

Audience Choice Feature Award

with support from Shutterstock

$2,500

ROSIE

Gail Maurice

Audience Choice Short Award

with support from BMO

$2,500

Braided Together

Victoria Anderson-Gardner & Kyle Schmalenberg