Event: ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has taken place every fall in Toronto since the year 2000. imagineNATIVE has programmed film, video, radio and new media works made by Canadian and international Indigenous media artists in key creative roles as producers, directors, and/or writers. The festival is committed to dispelling stereotypical notions of Indigenous peoples through diverse media presentations from within our communities, contributing to a greater understanding by audiences of Indigenous artistic expressions. The 2014 festival included a one-day, one photo digital storytelling workshop for youth from Akwasasne. Their media teacher had always wanted to take youth from her community to a film festival, and finally had the opportunity to bring them to imagineNATIVE.  For their field trip, the youth had the opportunity to not only watch great movies, but also create their own!

“The digital storytelling workshop facilitators were amazing, they really helped guide the students in a caring way to bring their stories out. I think we were all in tears, watching some of their very raw and personal stories. It gave my students an appreciation and respect for each other, many of them commenting on how they didn’t know what their peers were going through. Film has a way of empowering our youth and making their voice valid.”
Akwasasne media teacher

“When I walked in there, I never really respected the people that I was there with. I just went along with my day. After the workshop, it changed my point of view on my classmates or peers. I just walked out of there with pride and respect on my shoulders instead of stress and disrespect.”
Akwasasne student