TORONTO
September 27, 2011) The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival,
the worlds largest Indigenous media arts festival, celebrates
its 12th year October 19-23, 2011 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (TBLB,
350 King St. W) and various other venues in downtown Toronto. imagineNATIVE
celebrates new works by Indigenous people at the forefront of innovation
in film, video, radio and new media.
Visit www.imaginenative.org
for the full Festival lineup.
The Festival officially kicks off at 12:00 PM on Wednesday,
October 19 with its Welcome Gathering presented by the Thunderbird
Centre at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (16 Spadina Road).
FREE and open to the public, the reception features traditional
Indigenous performances, including Tribal Vision, a family dance
troupe from Six Nations, a welcoming song from Rosary Spence, craft
vendors, food, and a welcome address from imagineNATIVE in a casual,
fun atmosphere.
imagineNATIVEs Opening Night screening presented by Aboriginal
Peoples Television Network (APTN) features the Canadian Premiere
of Andrew Okpeaha MacLeans internationally-celebrated dramatic
feature film On The Ice (USA) on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 7:00
PM at the Festivals new screening venue, TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Winner of the Berlin International Film Festivals Best First
Feature Award, On the Ice is set on the snow-covered Alaskan tundra
where two teenaged friends attempt to conceal a dark secret in this
engrossing and suspenseful film.
Opening Night screening tickets for On The Ice are $12/$10 and
include admission to the Opening Night party, presented by Casino
Rama, featuring A Tribe Called Red. Winning rave reviews for their
Electric Pow Wow (a blend of traditional powwow and
electronic music), the Ottawa-based DJ crew will present their full
multimedia video and music performance for the first time in Toronto
at the Opening Night party at The Century Room (580 King St. W),
doors open at 9 PM
Closing the Festival is the World Premiere of Wapos Bay: Long
Goodbyes (Canada) presented by Global Toronto, on October 23 at
7:00 PM at the TBLB ($12/$10). Directed by Dennis Jackson, this
full-length animated family film is based on the Gemini Award-winning
animated TV series and features the voice talents of Lorne Cardinal
(Corner Gas) and the late Gordon Tootoosis (Blackstone, Legends
of the Fall), in whose memory the Closing Night Gala is dedicated.
The legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie headlines imagineNATIVEs
popular music night The Beat presented by Slaight Music on October
22, 2011 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre ($20/$15) - tickets are
now on sale for this unforgettable performance. CBC then presents
In Discussion with Buffy Sainte-Marie, a FREE panel held at 7 PM
October 21, 2011 at the TBLB.
This year imagineNATIVE shines its annual International Spotlight
on the Khoi-San, the Indigenous People of South Africa, which features
three programs illustrating the diversity and creativity of contemporary
Indigenous life in South Africa, as well as a unique video collaboration
project between Canadian and South African Indigenous youth, premiering
at The Beat.
This years programming also includes the long-overdue
return of Samson & Delilah to Torontos screens as part
of the two-part Special Presentation: The World of Samson &
Delilah. Featuring the Cannes Caméra dOr-winning film
and its companion documentary Making Samson & Delilah, this
presentation also includes a Master Class with Australian directors
Warwick Thornton and Beck Cole, two of the worlds most prominent
Indigenous filmmakers.
In total, 103 film and video works from Canada and around the
world are presented at this years imagineNATIVE, including
the World Premiere of Mesnak (Canada) a contemporary adaptation
of Hamlet set on a Quebec First Nation, the musical Bran Nue Dae
(Australia) starring Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush, Totem Impact (Canada)
the Festivals first 3D film, and the Canadian Premieres of
new works by internationally-acclaimed filmmakers Kanakan Balintagos
(Busong), Merata Mita (Saving Grace), and Ivan Sen (Shifting Shelter
4). This year imagineNATIVE features 38 World Premieres and 12 Canadian
Premieres and a Festival total of 84 premieres.
Presented by Astral Radio, imagineNATIVEs Radio Works
offers six engaging documentaries and interviews. The Festival also
presents its first ever Radio Art Commissions featuring two sound
art pieces that will be presented at the TBLB as part of the Landscape
Figures: Experimental Shorts Program (Oct. 20, 5 PM) and The Uprooted:
Shorts Program 1 (Oct. 22, 5:30 PM). All radio selections can be
listened to online at www.imagineNATIVE.org and at the NFB Interactive
Lounge (150 John St.).
New Media Works have a strong presence at imagineNATIVE this
year. Along with a selection of four web-based new media works
presented online at www.imagineNATIVE.org and at the NFB Interactive
Lounge the Festival offers two new media arts exhibitions.
S-O-S3 (signals of survival) is the third and final group exhibition
curated by artist Cheryl LHirondelle as part of her curatorial
triptych that began in 2009. S-O-S3 features the work of six Indigenous
artists and is presented at A Space Gallery from September 24 to
October 29 (Curator Talk: Oct. 21, 5:30 PM). imagineNATIVE also
presents Vital to the General Public Welfare, the Festivals
first-ever solo exhibition, showcasing the work of Montreal-based
artist Jason Edward Lewis at the Edward Day Gallery (952 Queen St.
W) from October 6-23 (Artist Talk: Oct. 20, 7:30 PM).
The Festival is also pleased to announce the launch of its first
iPhone App available for FREE download in English and French (compatible
with Apple iOS products). imagineNATIVEs App is your interactive
event guide that plans and keeps track of all events and keeps you
connected to everything at the Festival. imagineNATIVE also launches
its new mobile website designed for use on all smartphones.
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE, BY PHONE AND IN PERSON STARTING
OCTOBER 3 (Early-bird passes and tickets for Buffy Sainte-Marie
are available NOW)
Online: www.imagineNATIVE.org
Phone: 416 599 TIFF (8433) (10 AM-10 PM, daily)
In-Person: TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square, 350 King St. W (10
AM-10 PM, daily)
PASSES
All-Access $110/$65 (early-bird $88)
Industry All-Access $90 (early-bird $72)
Screening $40/$24 (early-bird $32)
Weekend $65/$40 (early-bird $52)
TICKETS
Regular Screenings $7
Students/Seniors/Underemployed before 6 PM FREE
Opening Night Screening and Party $12/$10
Opening Night Party only $8
Closing Night Screening and Awards Show $12/$10
The Beat featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie $20/$15
FREE
Welcome Gathering
Industry Series
New Media Installations
In Discussion with Buffy Sainte-Marie
Shorts Program II on Oct. 23, 2:45 PM
For more information and the full Festival listings, www.imagineNATIVE.org
About imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
imagineNATIVE is an international festival that celebrates the
latest works by Indigenous peoples at the forefront of innovation
in film, video, radio, and new media. Each October, the Festival
presents a selection of the most compelling and distinctive Indigenous
works from around the globe. The Festival's screenings, Industry
Series, and cultural and social events attract and connect filmmakers,
media artists, programmers, buyers, and industry professionals.
The works accepted reflect the diversity of the world's Indigenous
nations and illustrate the vitality and excellence of our art and
culture in contemporary media.
2011 Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor: Bell Media
Gold: Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Astral Radio
Deluxe Slaight Music
Silver: Canada Media Fund Casino Rama Global Toronto
RBC Royal Bank
Bronze: Astrals Harold Greenberg Fund CBC IsumaTV
TD Bank Thunderbird Centre TVO
Media: NAPT NOW Magazine SAY Magazine Aboriginal
Voices Radio 106.5FM Xtra!
Public Funders: Canada Council for the Arts Canadian Heritage
Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training Ontario
Ministry of Tourism and Culture Ontario Arts Council
Telefilm Canada Toronto Arts Council
Community Partners: A Space Gallery ACTRA Toronto
Beehive Design Charles Street Video Edward Day Gallery
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto Native
Canadian Centre of Toronto National Film Board of Canada
V tape William F. White WIFT-Toronto
York University
Hospitality: Hilton Garden Inn Joe Mamas Keriwa Café
Friends: Air Creebec DHL SABAR Technicolor
Foundations: Dreamcatcher Fund The MacLean Foundation
Metcalf Foundation Ontario Trillium Foundation The
Pluralism Fund
For more information and interviews, contact GAT:
Ingrid Hamilton | ingrid@gat.ca
| + 1 416 731-3034
|