The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards have come to a close, with Indigenous-led productions and talent earning 13 wins. Leading the way was North of North, which entered with 20 nominations and took home 9 wins.
Produced through a partnership between CBC, Netflix, and APTN and filmed in Nunavut, North of North was named Best Comedy Series. The series follows “Siaja, a young woman who dreams of reinventing herself in her small Arctic town – but it’s not going to be easy when everyone knows her”.
Anna Lambe won Best Lead in a Comedy for her performance in North of North. Zoe Hopkins received the award for Best Direction, Comedy, while creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril won Best Writing, Comedy. Maika Harper earned Best Supporting Performer, and Tanya Tagaq received Best Guest Performance. Lambe, Harper, Braeden Clarke, Zorga Qaunaq, and Jay Ryan were recognized with Best Ensemble Performance. North of North also won Best Original Music in a Comedy for Caleb Chan and Brian Chan and Best Achievement in Hair for Chrystal Lotz and Tasha Cadotte.
Indigenous talent was also recognized in several film and documentary categories. Actor and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers won Best Performance in a Supporting Role, Drama, for Sweet Angel Baby.
Endless Cookie, an animated documentary centered on a Cree family from the Shamattawa First Nation, won Best Feature-Length Documentary and Best Sound Design in a Feature-Length Documentary.
Mi’kmaw filmmaker Bretten Hannam’s At the Place of Ghosts | Sk+te’kmujue’katik received the award for Achievement in Make-Up, with Charlotte Gavaris and Chris Bridges recognized for their work.
Not every nominee left with a win. Zacharias Kunuk’s Wrong Husband | Uiksaringitara was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Achievement in Direction, and two acting categories but did not secure a win. The late Graham Greene received a nomination for Sweet Summer Pow Wow. Louise Flaherty, Sarah Podemski, Brandon Oakes, and Leena Minifie were also among this year’s nominees.
Even beyond the winners, the sheer scope of Indigenous representation stood out. More Indigenous productions and performers were in contention than has historically been the case at the Canadian Screen Awards.
We can’t ignore that progress, which is significant because Indigenous artists continue to face barriers across the entertainment industry. Studies from IllumiNative and the USC Norman Lear Center have found that Native people account for less than one percent of roles in recent U.S. television. Those same studies found that many productions featuring Native characters employ no Native writers, directors, or producers. While one awards ceremony can’t change those realities, recognition on this scale reflects a growing visibility for Indigenous storytellers and performers.
There is still a lot of work to do when it comes to equity and opportunity for Indigenous artists, but Indigenous talent is increasingly being recognized not only through nominations, but through wins. This year’s recipients demonstrated the depth of Indigenous storytelling across comedy, drama, documentary, and film, setting another milestone for Native representation on screen.
Indigenous Winners at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards
North of North
- Best Comedy Series
- Best Lead Performer, Comedy — Anna Lambe
- Best Direction, Comedy — Zoe Hopkins
- Best Writing, Comedy — Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
- Best Supporting Performer, Comedy — Maika Harper
- Best Guest Performance, Comedy — Tanya Tagaq
- Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy — Anna Lambe, Maika Harper, Braeden Clarke, Zorga Qaunaq, and Jay Ryan
- Best Original Music, Comedy — Caleb Chan and Brian Chan
- Best Achievement in Hair — Chrystal Lotz and Tasha Cadotte
Sweet Angel Baby
- Best Performance in a Supporting Role, Drama — Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
Endless Cookie
- Best Feature Length Documentary — Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver, Daniel Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Chris Yurkovich, Jason Ryle, and Neil Mathieson
- Best Sound Design in a Feature Length Documentary — Andrew Zukerman
At the Place of Ghosts | Sk+te’kmujue’katik
- Achievement in Make-Up — Charlotte Gavaris and Chris Bridges
Together, these productions and performers earned 13 awards, marking one of the strongest showings for Indigenous talent in Canadian Screen Awards history. Congratulations to the winners and to all the nominees!
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