Pictured above: ImagineNATIVE staff and artists participate in programming 

The world’s largest Indigenous film festival returned this year – in a never-before-seen format.  

Hosted in Toronto since 2000, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the flagship event for imagineNATIVE, a world-renowned organization dedicated to showcasing media art such as film, video, audio and digital media, made by the Indigenous peoples of Canada and abroad. The organization serves to create a better understanding of worldwide Indigenous peoples and traditions, by hosting film festivals, Virtual Reality tours, media presentations, workshops, panels and more.  

This year’s Festival was held October 20-25 in an entirely virtual format and offered a wide array of media arts, tailored to diverse worldwide audiences. Programming included shorts, exhibitions, artist talks, roundtables, film screenings and giveaways.

The North West Company Inc. was pleased to be a 2020 Festival Partner and to have supported with $5,000 in monetary donations and gift cards for prizes. 

Despite the worldwide pandemic, imagineNATIVE remains committed to presenting the work of Indigenous media artists. The Festival provides Indigenous directors, producers and screenwriters the opportunity to showcase their work in a collaborative, respectful and supportive environment.

“The Festival presents compelling and distinctive works from Canada and around the globe, reflecting the diversity of Indigenous nations and illustrating the vitality and dynamism of Indigenous arts, perspectives, and cultures in contemporary media,” said imagineNATIVE Corporate + Donor Initiatives Lead, Claudia Skunk.