Original. Indigenous.
imagineNATIVE is the world's largest presenter of Indigenous screen content.
The organization is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for excellence and innovation in programming and as the global centre for Indigenous media arts. imagineNATIVE (legal entity: The Centre for Aboriginal Media) is a registered charity committed to creating a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples and cultures through the presentation of contemporary Indigenous-made media art including film, video, audio, and digital media.
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival — the organization’s primary activity — launched in 2000. The Festival was founded to support the diverse, contemporary work of Indigenous directors, producers, and screenwriters working in film, video, audio, and digital media. imagineNATIVE also presents annual programming with the national imagineNATIVE Tour and through our Institute department’s industry-facing initiatives. The Festival is unique in the arts landscape and currently has no direct parallel in Canada or abroad. Our role in the local arts ecology is as an established presenter that has made an indelible impact on other festivals. There are no other presenters in Toronto that specialize in Indigenous media arts; indeed, imagineNATIVE is the largest annual Indigenous media arts event in the world. We are one of a handful of media arts presenters regarded as “anchor” film festivals in the annual and crowded film festival calendar in Toronto.
On the national stage, imagineNATIVE has again emerged as a sector and artistic leader. We are approached consistently to partner with organizations from across Canada and play a leadership role in the Indigenous and non-Indigenous arts communities. Our outreach extends beyond Toronto, as we do a number of screenings across Canada to promote the Festival and to give Canadians access to Indigenous-made film and video which is not readily accessible to them.
Internationally, imagineNATIVE continues to excel with meaningful partnerships with artists, film festivals and other key stakeholders from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, and has a strong relationship with the Berlinale in Germany. We are the go-to presenter for Indigenous artists seeking an invested and interested audience and for others seeking Indigenous content.
imagineNATIVE has long been committed to creating a Festival atmosphere that is inclusive, accessible, welcoming, and celebratory for artists, audiences, and delegates alike. As part of our commitment to creating the best possible presentation experiences for our audiences, we actively consider accessibility to be a central principle.
imagineNATIVE serves Indigenous artists through excellence in presentation and professional conduct. We pride ourselves on this commitment in ensuring professional and independent Indigenous artists have a professional Festival environment that is supportive and nurturing. imagineNATIVE is committed to paying industry-standard artists fees for all our initiatives and asks all our co-presentation partners to ensure these fees are paid, even in circumstances where they are not requested.
For more information, contact us at info@imagineNATIVE.org
