Telefilm Supports 8 Indigenous Features

by Staff



(June 27, 2019 – Toronto/ Montréal) Telefilm Canada has announced an investment of more than $4 million in feature films by writers, directors and producers from Indigenous communities. Highly diverse in terms of genre, this selection of eight projects is also notable for near gender parity, with three projects helmed by women. Also of note, one of the films will be shot in French (a first for the Indigenous production stream), and two of the projects feature a mix of Indigenous languages, as well as English. Three of the films were recently announced under the Talent to Watch Program.

“Supporting the incredible talent of Canada’s Indigenous communities continues to be an important priority for Telefilm,” said Christa Dickenson, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada. “In this International Year of Indigenous Languages, we are proud to support works in Mi’kmaq and Inuktitut. The selected projects will bring to light new voices and perspectives key to building our cinema of tomorrow.” As part of its 2020 objective, Telefilm Canada has earmarked $4 million a year, across all its programs, to fund projects by Canadian filmmakers from Indigenous communities nationwide. The projects are assessed by an external all-Indigenous jury.



“The jury was blown away by the strength and diversity of applications to the Indigenous stream,” stated the group of Indigenous peer assessors tasked with reviewing the applications. “From documentary web series to irreverent comedy, horror, and social drama, the next wave of Indigenous cinema is exploding beyond the boundaries of genre. And with production taking place from Nunavut to BC, Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia, in languages as diverse as Inuktitut, Mi’kmaq, English and French, it’s clear that Indigenous cinema is giving life to our stories all across the country.”

The selected projects include:



L’Inhumain

Director, writer and producer: Jason Brennan (Anishinaabe)

Language: French

Province: Quebec



Wildhood

Director and writer: Bretten Hannam (Mi’kmaq)

Producer: Gharrett Paon (Mi’kmaq)

Language: English / Mi’kmaq

Province: Nova Scotia



Slash/Back

Director, writer and producer: Nyla Innuksuk (Inuit)

Language: English / Inuktitut

Province: Ontario/Nunavut



Portraits from a Fire

Director: Trevor Mack (Tl’etinqox)

Writer: Derek Vermillion (Cree)

Producer: Rylan Friday (Cote First Nation)

Language: English

Province: British Columbia



Tipping Andy Warhol

Director: Dana Claxton (Lakota Sioux)

Writer: Dana Claxton, Courtenay Crane (The Key First Nations), Sam Bob

Producer: David Paperny

Language: English

Province: British Columbia



IndigiThreads

Director and writer: Adeline Bird (Anishinaabe)

Producer: Ryan Cooper (Peguis First Nation)

Under the Talent to Watch Program – Partner: On Screen Manitoba

Language: English

Province: Manitoba



Coffee Express

Director and writer: Roger Boyer

Producer: Eva Thomas (Tohono O’odham/Ojibway/Cherokee)

Under the Talent to Watch Program – Partner: Adam Beach Film Inst.

Language: English

Province: Manitoba



The Certainty of Symmetry

Director and writer: Jaren Brandt Bartlett (Cree/Ojibway/Metis)

Producer: Kelton Stepanowich (Cree/Métis)

Under the Talent to Watch Program – Partner: Adam Beach Film Inst.

Language: English

Province: British Columbia



Northernstars will research these filmmakers and we look forward to adding their filmographies to the website as soon as possible.