• Own Voice

Roses Sing on New Snow

Director Yuan Zhang
Year 2003
Run Time 7min
Genre Animation
Maylin, a fantastic chef, is kept in the shadows by her father who gives her brothers credit for her cooking. When a local dignitary visits, Maylin gets a chance to step into the spotlight.

Director

Yuan Zhang

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Language Versions

EN CC, FR CC

  • Own Voice

Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice

Director Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)
Year 2021
Run Time 20min
Genre Animation
In this gorgeous stop-motion animation, a young Inuk woman follows her shaman grandmother to investigate a community member’s mysterious illness.

Director

Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

In 2015, Atanarjuat was selected as TIFF’s number one Canadian film of all time. Kunuk has directed shorts such as Exile and Home and features such as Maliglutit, which was nominated for two CSAs. He recently directed the series Hunting With My Ancestors and executive produced SGaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife). His latest feature, One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, premiered at TIFF 2019. Most recently, he directed the short The Shaman’s Apprentice, which won the CSA for Best Animated Short among other awards at festivals worldwide.

Writers

Jonathan Frantz, Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

Cast

Madeline Piujuq Ivalu (Inuk), Jacky Qrunnut, Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuk)

Producers

Neil Christopher, Jonathan Frantz, Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk), Nadia Mike

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Languages

English, Inuktitut

  • Own Voice

No Crying at the Dinner Table

Director Carol Nguyen
Year 2019
Run Time 16min
Genre Documentary
Director Carol Nguyen reflects on a family tragedy through a series of interviews, exposing how trauma and grief can remain in the shadows for too long.
 

Director

Carol Nguyen

Producers

Carol Nguyen, Aziz Zoromba

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, Other Language

  • Own Voice

Short Film Programme

Director Various
Year 2022
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
In addition to the feature films in this catalogue, we also offer a wealth of Canadian short films suitable for various grade levels. They cover a variety of themes and topics, and encompass fiction and documentary, live action and animation. For the full list, check out our Short Film Programme page, and use the filters at the top to find something that meets your needs. 

If you’d like to show several short films together as a programme, please feel free to get in touch for advice and tips on selecting the perfect combination for your needs. 

Director

Various

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Discrimination, Environment, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Languages

English, French

  • Own Voice

Indigenous-made Short Films

Director Various
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
In addition to the feature films in this catalogue, we also offer a wealth of Indigenous-made short films suitable for various grade levels. They cover a variety of themes and topics, and encompass fiction and documentary, live action and animation. For the full list, check out our Short Film Programme and filter by Indigenous filmmaker. 

 

Director

Various

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, French, Other Language

  • Own Voice

Foster Child

Director Gil Cardinal (Métis)
Year 1987
Run Time 43min
Genre Documentary

At 35 years old, filmmaker Gil Cardinal makes the decision to seek out his biological family, sending him on a journey into his own roots, uncovering an ancestry he knew nothing about. As Cardinal discovers that he was forcibly taken from his Métis mother, the film shifts into addressing the ongoing systematic oppression of Indigenous peoples.

This incredibly personal documentary was a landmark in Indigenous storytelling on film, and received many accolades including the Gemini award for directing.

Director

Gil Cardinal (Métis)

Cast

Gil Cardinal (Métis), Don Cardinal (Métis)

Producer

Jerry Krepakevich

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Classics, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Two Worlds Colliding

Director Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Year 2004
Run Time 49min
Genre Documentary
In the early 2000s, members of the Saskatoon police force drove Indigenous men into remote fields and abandoned them to die. These acts became known as the Saskatoon "freezing deaths," a terrifying story blown open by one survivor.

Director

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Hubbard is an award-winning filmmaker and an assistant professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of English. Her writing-directing project Two Worlds Colliding won a Gemini and a Golden Sheaf Award. She has also directed the short film 7 Minutes, and the feature docs Birth of a Family and nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which won Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs and at the CSAs. She is currently directing the feature doc Singing Back the Buffalo.

Writer

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Cast

Andrea Menard

Producer

Bonnie Thompson

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

  • Own Voice

Frost

Director Jeremy Ball
Year 2012
Run Time 14min
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Young Arctic hunter Naya embarks on a search for food outside her ancestral hunting grounds. There she discovers an unfamiliar new world and a dangerous predator.

Director

Jeremy Ball

Writer

Jeremy Ball

Cast

Emily Piggford, Lara Daans, Oscar Hsu

Producer

Lauren Grant

Genres

Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History

Original Language

English

Language Version

None

Canadian Distributor

Canadian Film Centre

  • Own Voice

Wildfire

Director Bretten Hannam (L'nu)
Year 2019
Run Time 12min
Genre Drama
On the run from their abusive father, two Mi’kmaq brothers befriend a hitchhiker who helps them connect to their identities.

Director

Bretten Hannam (L'nu)

Writer

Bretten Hannam (L'nu)

Cast

Guillermo Knockwood, Bobby Pierro

Producers

Bretten Hannam (L'nu), Gharrett Patrick Paon

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Indigo

Director Amanda Strong (Michif)
Year 2014
Run Time 9min
Genre Experimental
Inspired by Indigenous stories and vividly-realized through stop-motion animation, a woman trapped in a cluttered space is freed by "Grandmother Spider," who still has some important webs to weave.

Director

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Writer

Daniel T. Fischer

Producers

Luke Sargent, Brett Long, Amanda Strong (Michif)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

  • Own Voice

Honey For Sale

Director Amanda Strong (Michif)
Year 2009
Run Time 7min
Genre Documentary
The director focuses her camera on the tenuous life of a honeybee in this poetic and thoughtful meditation on the fragility of human existence.

Director

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Writers

Amanda Strong (Michif), John Sedore

Producer

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

  • Own Voice

Against The Grain

Director Curtis Mandeville (Métis)
Year 2009
Run Time 24min
Genre Documentary
Survivors of the Indian residential school system attempt to cope with its impact on their personal lives and communities. A good primer for discussions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.

Director

Curtis Mandeville (Métis)

Writer

Curtis Mandeville (Métis)

Producers

Curtis Mandeville (Métis), Eileen McCord

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes

Director Scott Brachmayer
Year 2014
Run Time 15min
Genre Drama, Thriller
Part Inuit legend, part thriller, an Arctic hunter tries to live by the traditional skills his grandfather taught him — but they are difficult for a modern man to apply, and the price of failure is high.

Director

Scott Brachmayer

Writer

Scott Brachmayer

Cast

Johnny Issaluk

Producer

Nyla Innuksuk (Inuk)

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Environment, Family Relationships, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Inuktitut

Language Version

EN Subtitles

Canadian Distributor

North Creative Films Inc.

  • Own Voice

Barefoot

Director Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)
Year 2012
Run Time 11min
Genre Drama
In a tight-knit Cree community in northern Saskatchewan, 16-year-old Alyssa enjoys the attention that comes with pregnancy — until her secret plan unravels.

Director

Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)

Danis Goulet is an award-winning Cree/Métis filmmaker from La Ronge, SK, now based in Toronto. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide including Sundance, Berlinale, TIFF, and MoMA. She is a former programmer and current board member for TIFF, and was the former Director of the imagineNATIVE Film+Media Arts Festival. Her latest projects include the TV series Reservation Dogs, and the upcoming feature film Ivy

Writer

Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis)

Cast

Emily Roberts, Cole Ballantyne

Producer

Christine Kleckner

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Treeline Pictures

  • Own Voice

Aviliaq (Entwined)

Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)
Year 2014
Run Time 15min
Genre Drama, Romance
In the 1950s, two Inuit women attempt to protect their relationship when pressure from their community forces them to marry men.

Director

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk)

Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning Inuk filmmaker whose work has screened on CBC, APTN, and at festivals like Hot Docs, imagineNATIVE, TIFF and many others. Her credits include the award-winning doc Angry Inuk, Aviliaq, Inuit High Kick, Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos and The Embargo Project. She also produced the award winning film The Grizzlies, the 2022 film Slash/Back, and co-founded the Inuit production company Red Marrow Media. She is currently producing the documentary Twice Colonized.

 

Writer

Dallas Varcoe

Cast

Miali Buscemi, Malaya Qaunirq Chapman

Producers

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Miriam Levin-Gold, Anne-Marie Stuart

Genres

Drama, Romance

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

Inuktitut

Language Version

EN Subtitles

  • Own Voice

Assini

Director Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)
Year 2015
Run Time 13min
Genre Drama
Seven-year-old Assini and her friends often play Cowboys and Indians. But when Assini discovers that she herself is an "Indian," the game takes a new turn.

Director

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Writer

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Producers

Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis), Melanie Bray

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Language Version

None

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

  • Own Voice

Indian

Director Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)
Year 2008
Run Time 2min
Genre Comedy
In this amusing and powerful short, the etymology of the world "Indian" is deconstructed at the Canadian National Spelling Bee.

Director

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Writer

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Cast

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Producer

Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux)

Genre

Comedy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Winnipeg Film Group

  • Own Voice

Fighting Chance

Director Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
Year 2011
Run Time 9min
Genre Animation, Family
An Indigenous youth with a family history of residential schooling, 13-year-old Joey is arrested and put into a group home where he gets a chance to turn his life around.

Director

Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)

Writers

Karl Giroux, Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree), Lewaa Nasserdeen

Cast

Tanner Bornowsky, Karl Giroux

Producer

Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

BearPaw Legal Education

  • Own Voice

Empty

Director Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)
Year 2009
Run Time 5min
Genre Animation, Documentary, Drama
Set to a song by Little Hawk, this animated story is a daughter's starkly honest tribute to her estranged mother.

Director

Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe)

Producer

Joe MacDonald

Genres

Animation, Documentary, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Winnipeg Film Group

  • Own Voice

Birchbark

Director John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)
Year 2008
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation, Family
Symbols of traditional knowledge come alive and find themselves inside the pages of a book.

Director

John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)

Writer

John Hupfield (Anishinaabe)

Genres

Animation, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape