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.
