Indigenous Peoples Month

imagineNATIVE’s June Programming

The history of Canada has always been favorable to a colonial narrative of how the country came to be. The rich histories of Indigenous nations have been stifled by the country’s efforts to assimilate our people into Canadian colonial society for generations.

June is Indigenous Peoples Month. A time for the country to celebrate the rich history of our Indigenous people, in our own words, in our own narratives.

imagineNATIVE is dedicated to uplifting Indigenous narrative sovereignty and celebrate authentic Indigenous storytelling, every day. 

Every year for Indigenous Peoples Month, imagineNATIVE puts together a series of public programming that invites audiences to visit Indigenous Cinema and artists throughout the month. This includes, but is not limited to, screenings, artist profiles, masterclasses, panels, exhibitions, and game jams!

CO-PRESENTATIONS

This year, we have partnered with many amazing organizations and will be coming to local screenings near you!

Presented with: TIFF + Indigenous Screen Office 

Director: Jub Clerc (Nyulnyul + Yawuru)

Location: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5

Date: June 15, 2023

More Details

Presented with: Toronto Outdoor Picture Show

Director: Danis Goulet (Cree-Métis)

Location: Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3K9

Date: June 22, 2023

More Details

Presented with: Hot Docs 

Director: Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)

Location: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1Y3

Date: June 21, 2023 + June 23, 2023

More Details

Be sure to keep an eye out for more exciting updates to come! 

imagineNATIVE’s June 2022 Programming

Every year for National Indigenous History Month, imagineNATIVE puts together a series of public programming throughout June. This includes, but is not limited to, screenings, artist profiles, panels, masterclasses, exhibitions and game jams.

FEATURE FRIDAY

This year, imagineNATIVE is opening up the archives. Each Friday in June we will release award-winning films to watch on our on-demand site. Feature Fridays are free screenings of Indigenous-made classics for all audiences to access and celebrate. All films will be available to watch for one week–don’t miss your chance to catch these classics.

WEEK 1 | Friday, June 3rd | 10:00 am EST Release

Angry Inuk

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril | 85 mins

Our first Feature Friday screening follows director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril as she joins her fellow Inuit activists who challenge outdated perceptions of Inuit and present themselves to the world as modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.

Available in Canada only

WEEK 2 | Friday, June 10th | 10:00 am EST Release

Mothers of the Land | Sembradoras de vida

Alvaro Sarmiento, Diego Sarmiento | 74 mins

Alvaro and Diego Sarmiento’s Mothers of the Land accompanies five women from the Peruvian Andean highlands in their daily struggle to maintain a traditional and organic way of working the land.

Available worldwide

WEEK 3 | Friday, June 17th | 10:00 am EST Release

Boy

Taika Waititi | 87 mins

As we move into our third screening and the week of Indigenous Peoples Day, we follow the journey of Boy, a dreamer who loves Micahel Jackson. Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered, find his own potential and learn to get along without the hero he had been hoping for.

Available in Canada only

FEATURE FRIDAY

This year, imagineNATIVE is opening up the archives. Each Friday in June we will release award-winning films to watch on our on-demand site. Feature Fridays are free screenings of Indigenous-made classics for all audiences to access and celebrate. All films will be available to watch for one week–don’t miss your chance to catch these classics.

WEEK 1 | Friday, June 3rd | 10:00 am EST Release

Angry Inuk

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril | 85 mins

Our first Feature Friday screening follows director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril as she joins her fellow Inuit activists who challenge outdated perceptions of Inuit and present themselves to the world as modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.

Available in Canada only

WEEK 2 | Friday, June 10th | 10:00 am EST Release​

Mothers of the Land | Sembradoras de vida

Alvaro Sarmiento, Diego Sarmiento | 74 mins

Alvaro and Diego Sarmiento’s Mothers of the Land accompanies five women from the Peruvian Andean highlands in their daily struggle to maintain a traditional and organic way of working the land.

Available worldwide

WEEK 3 | Friday, June 17th | 10:00 am EST Release

Boy

Taika Waititi | 87 mins

As we move into our third screening and the week of Indigenous Peoples Day, we follow the journey of Boy, a dreamer who loves Micahel Jackson. Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered, find his own potential and learn to get along without the hero he had been hoping for.

Available in Canada only

 

WEEK 4 | Friday, June 24th | 10:00 am EST Release

Into the Water

iN Originals retrospective screening and artist talk

To wrap up National Indigenous History Month, join us for a retrospective screening and artist talk from the iNOriginals collection. We will be joined by filmmakers discussing their imagineNATIVE Originals projects and the path their careers have taken since making these films.

Available in Canada only

FLOW​

As part of a special commissioning project, six Indigenous artists have created audio works that connect distant listeners to bodies of water through sonic storytelling. These artists meditated on sites such as lakes, rivers, bays, glaciers, ponds and seas. These works use sound to explore ancestral ontologies at the intersections of water, geographies and Indigenous bodies.

WEEK 1 | Sunday, June 12th, 2022 | 10:00 am EST Release​

Suzanne Morrissette

Morrisette is an artist, curator and scholar living in Toronto. She is guided in her work by her roles as a daughter, partner, mama, sister, niece, aunt, granddaughter, friend and colleague.

Casey Koyzen

Koyzen is a Tlicho Dene interdisciplinary artist from Yellowknife, NT that uses various mediums to communicate how culture and technology can grow together so we can develop a better understanding of who we are, where we come from and who we will be in the future.

 

WEEK 2 | Sunday, June 19th, 2022 | 10:00 am EST Release 

Marc Fussing-Rosbach

Fussing-Rosbach is an award-winning Inuk filmmaker, CEO and Founder of FUROS IMAGE. As an independent filmmaker, Marc does everything from start to finish working on feature films, short films, music videos and trailers. 

Tom McLeod

An Inuvialuit Storyteller from Aklavik, Northwest Territories in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. A former radio personality, Mcleod told stories of traditional Inuvialuit and Gwich’in activities such as hunting, trapping, fishing, and traveling his traditional lands across the NWT and Yukon.

WEEK 3 | Sunday, June 26th, 2022 | 10:00 am EST Release 

Pamela Palmater

Palmater is an award-winning podcaster who produces and hosts the Warrior Life Podcast and the Warriors Kids Podcast. Pam is also a lawyer, professor and human rights advocate who has won many awards for her community-based work in relation to Indigenous rights, human rights, social justice and climate action. 

Laura Ortman

Ortman (White Mountain Apache) is a soloist musician, composer and vibrant collaborator who creates across multiple platforms including recorded albums, live performances and filmic and artistic soundtracks. 

Check weekly on the iNdigital Space for new releases.

LAND JAM​

June 22-26th, 2022

imagineNATIVE is putting on the second iteration of LAND JAM: our very own Indigenous game jam. Much like a hack-a-thon, Indigenous creatives will team up to make original works from scratch. 

LAND JAM will take place over 5 days, from Wednesday June 22nd to Sunday June 26th. Creatives from different disciplines will work in teams to develop original video games and interactive works. LAND JAM takes place virtually on Discord, and welcomes all Indigenous creatives. We’ll be providing meals, mentorship sessions, virtual goodie bags, cash prizes and a fun closing party!

All works created during LAND JAM will be presented as part of a special showcase during the imagineNATIVE Festival in October.

To register for LAND JAM, please fill out a form found below by June 10th. For more information on this event and how it works, please see the attached booklet.

**This is a closed event for artists who have registered**