ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival

About ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest presenter of Indigenous screen content. Founded in 1999 and held annually in Toronto each October, the festival showcases film, video, audio, digital media, and interactive work created by Indigenous artists from around the world. Now in its third decade, ImagineNATIVE has grown from a local initiative into the definitive international platform for Indigenous screen culture, drawing filmmakers, artists, and industry professionals from Turtle Island, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and beyond.

What sets ImagineNATIVE apart from every other festival in the world is that it is genuinely Indigenous-led. The board of directors, staff, and programming team are all Indigenous, meaning that every decision about what gets programmed, how artists are treated, and what stories get elevated is made from within Indigenous communities. This is not a festival that selects "interesting Indigenous content" from the outside. It is a festival run by and for Indigenous peoples, and that distinction shapes every aspect of the event.

ImagineNATIVE takes place just weeks after the Toronto International Film Festival, and the relationship between the two events is intentional. Where TIFF operates as a major commercial marketplace, ImagineNATIVE functions as Toronto's Indigenous answer: a space where Indigenous storytelling is centered on its own terms, evaluated by Indigenous juries, and celebrated by Indigenous communities. Toronto's October calendar has made the city one of the most important destinations in the world for filmmakers and industry professionals, and ImagineNATIVE holds a permanent anchor position in that ecosystem.

The festival's programming extends well beyond the cinema. Audio works, soundscapes, podcasts, radio dramas, extended reality experiences, video games, and immersive installations are all core parts of the ImagineNATIVE program. This breadth reflects a foundational principle of the festival: that Indigenous storytelling does not belong exclusively to any single medium, and that a genuine showcase of Indigenous creative expression must embrace the full range of contemporary artistic practice.

Competition Sections and Awards

ImagineNATIVE runs a robust competitive program across film, audio, and digital media, with awards adjudicated by Indigenous juries. The festival's commitment to Indigenous evaluation of Indigenous work means that the people deciding what wins are not external gatekeepers but artists and cultural practitioners from within the communities the work comes from.

The film program includes awards across the full range of narrative and nonfiction work. The Dramatic Feature Award ($7,500) recognizes feature-length narrative films, while the Documentary Feature Award ($5,000) honors feature-length nonfiction. In the short film categories, the Live Action Short Award ($7,500) covers fiction shorts of 40 minutes or less, with winning films forwarded to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration. The Documentary Short Award ($2,500) and Animated Short Award ($2,500) cover their respective forms, and the Innovation in Storytelling Award ($7,500) goes to short films that push formal boundaries.

Several awards recognize specific dimensions of the work. The Indigenous Language Production Award ($7,500) goes to films whose sole or primary dialogue is in an Indigenous language, a meaningful prize in the context of ongoing language revitalization efforts. Outstanding Performance Awards ($2,500 each) recognize lead actors in both short and feature categories. The After Dark Award ($2,500) celebrates genre-bending work that reflects fearless filmmaking. The New Voice in Storytelling Award ($5,000) supports emerging filmmakers with fewer than three years of independent work experience.

The audio program offers two competitive awards: the Experimental Audio Award ($2,500) for work that pushes the boundaries of audio formats, and the Narrative Audio Award ($2,500) for podcasts, audio dramas, and other story-driven audio work. The digital and interactive program has two tiers: the New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award ($2,500) for early-career digital media artists, and the Digital + Interactive Award ($3,000) for mid-career and established practitioners. Sun & Moon Jury Awards ($2,500 each) are also distributed at jury discretion across the program. The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence ($2,500) honors an Indigenous actor from Turtle Island for career longevity, impact, and mentorship.

ImagineNATIVE's Unique Mission

The language of "Indigenous-led" gets used loosely in cultural institutions, but ImagineNATIVE makes it structural. Programming decisions are made by Indigenous programmers. Juries are composed of Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners. The board of directors is Indigenous. The administrative staff is Indigenous. This means that the entire decision-making apparatus of the festival is located within Indigenous communities, not outside them. When a film is selected, it is because Indigenous people with deep cultural knowledge chose it. When a film wins an award, it is because Indigenous jurors evaluated it.

This matters in a Canadian context where reconciliation is discussed constantly but rarely practiced in cultural institutions. Most Canadian funding bodies, broadcasters, and film organizations are governed by non-Indigenous leadership and make decisions about Indigenous work from the outside. ImagineNATIVE represents a different model: a fully Indigenous-governed institution with the resources, credibility, and international reach to make real decisions about what Indigenous screen culture looks like.

The festival also takes a deliberately expansive view of what counts as Indigenous identity and Indigenous filmmaking. ImagineNATIVE does not define "Indigenous" narrowly by nation, region, or status. Filmmakers from Turtle Island, the Pacific, Latin America, and other parts of the world have all found a home at the festival. The common thread is connection to Indigenous community and heritage, not geographic or bureaucratic category.

ImagineNATIVE operates year-round beyond the October festival through the imagineNATIVE Tour, which brings Indigenous screen content to communities across Canada, and through the iNdigital Youth Collective, which supports year-round programming for young Indigenous media artists. Industry Days, a multi-day professional conference running alongside the October festival, connects Indigenous filmmakers and media artists with funders, distributors, broadcasters, and international partners.

What Programmers Look For

The defining eligibility requirement at ImagineNATIVE is not a theme or subject matter but a question of who made the work. The festival requires that the director be Indigenous and that at least the writer or producer also be Indigenous. This is not a preference or a priority: it is an absolute eligibility condition. Films that explore Indigenous themes but are directed by non-Indigenous filmmakers are not eligible for submission.

Importantly, the work itself does not need to be about Indigenous subjects. An Indigenous director making a horror film, a romantic comedy, or an experimental formal exercise is fully eligible. The festival is interested in the full range of Indigenous creative expression, not only in work that foregrounds identity or community as its explicit subject matter. This reflects a mature understanding of what it means to support Indigenous artists: treating them as filmmakers with diverse interests and ambitions, not as producers of a particular type of content.

The digital and interactive program looks for work that explores the possibilities of new forms: extended reality experiences, video games, interactive narratives, immersive projections, and multimedia installations. This section explicitly expands what a film festival is and what it programs, and the award structure treats digital and interactive work with the same seriousness as film.

The audio section accepts soundscapes, sound art, radio plays, audiobooks, and podcasts. The breadth of accepted formats signals that ImagineNATIVE understands audio storytelling as a distinct art form with its own traditions and possibilities, particularly relevant given the oral storytelling traditions of many Indigenous cultures.

Across all sections, the festival values craft, formal ambition, and the specificity of voice. The Indigenous Language Production Award and the Innovation in Storytelling Award both signal that the programming team rewards risk-taking and the prioritization of cultural specificity over accessibility to mainstream audiences.

Submission Guide

ImagineNATIVE accepts submissions via FilmFreeway at filmfreeway.com/imagineNATIVE, with submissions also managed through imaginenative.org. The festival operates on an annual cycle with deadlines typically running from October through January for the following October festival.

The three submission categories are Film + Video, Digital + Interactive, and Audio. Film + Video covers features, shorts, experimental work, episodic content, and music videos. Digital + Interactive covers XR/AR/VR/MR experiences, video games, immersive projections, and interactive narratives. Audio covers soundscapes, sound art, radio plays, audiobooks, and podcasts.

Eligibility requires that the director be Indigenous and that at least the writer or producer also be Indigenous. Works need not focus on Indigenous subject matter. The festival accepts work that premiered in earlier years: there is no strict premiere requirement, and previously exhibited or broadcast work is welcome.

All programmed works must be captioned or at minimum subtitled. Non-English work requires English subtitles or closed captioning. Fee waivers are available for artists who have previously been programmed at the festival; contact submissions@imagineNATIVE.org to request a waiver. Submission fees are modest and scale by deadline, with early submissions carrying no fee and late submissions costing $15 CAD.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to submit to ImagineNATIVE?

Eligibility requires that the director be Indigenous and that at least the writer or producer also be Indigenous. Joint creative roles may be considered with additional clarification. The work itself does not need to address Indigenous themes or subjects. Fee waivers are available for artists who have previously been programmed at the festival.

What does "Indigenous-led" mean in practice for this festival?

"Indigenous-led" at ImagineNATIVE is structural, not rhetorical. The board of directors, programming staff, and juries are all Indigenous. Programming decisions are made by Indigenous people from within Indigenous communities. This distinguishes ImagineNATIVE from institutions that program Indigenous content while remaining governed by non-Indigenous leadership.

How does ImagineNATIVE relate to TIFF in the Toronto calendar?

TIFF takes place in September, and ImagineNATIVE follows in October. The two festivals share a city but serve distinct purposes. TIFF operates as a major commercial marketplace and awards season launchpad. ImagineNATIVE is an Indigenous-governed festival where Indigenous storytelling is centered on its own terms. Many industry professionals attend both, and Toronto's back-to-back festival calendar makes October a particularly valuable time to be in the city.

What is the Digital + Interactive section and what does it accept?

The Digital + Interactive section accepts extended reality experiences (XR, AR, VR, MR), video games, immersive projections, interactive narratives, and multimedia installations. It is one of the defining features of ImagineNATIVE's programming scope and reflects the festival's view that Indigenous storytelling is not confined to the cinema. Two awards are offered: the New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award for early-career practitioners and the Digital + Interactive Award for mid-career and established artists.

Is ImagineNATIVE only for Canadian Indigenous filmmakers?

No. ImagineNATIVE programs Indigenous filmmakers from Turtle Island, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and beyond. The festival has strong international partnerships, including with Germany's Berlinale, and regularly presents work from Indigenous communities across the Americas and the Pacific. The eligibility requirement is Indigenous heritage, not Canadian citizenship or residency.

What does attending ImagineNATIVE offer non-Indigenous filmmakers and industry professionals?

ImagineNATIVE's Industry Days program offers panels, masterclasses, and networking opportunities that draw Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals alike. For non-Indigenous filmmakers, the festival is an opportunity to engage with Indigenous storytelling on its own terms and to connect with an Indigenous-governed international network. Distributors, broadcasters, and funders attending ImagineNATIVE gain access to a program evaluated and selected entirely by Indigenous practitioners, making it a reliable source for work that has already been vetted by informed Indigenous perspectives.

Submit Your Film to ImagineNATIVE

If you are an Indigenous filmmaker, audio artist, or digital media practitioner, ImagineNATIVE is the largest and most respected platform dedicated entirely to Indigenous screen content. Submissions open annually in October for the following year's festival, with deadlines running through January. Submit via FilmFreeway at filmfreeway.com/imagineNATIVE or visit imaginenative.org for full submission guidelines, eligibility documentation, and program information. The festival accepts work across all stages of career and across all formats, and fee waivers are available for returning artists.