The imaginative Film + Media Arts Festival closed its in-person programming with the 2025 Awards presentation at the TIFF Lightbox, recognizing the power and artistry of Indigenous storytelling across film, video, audio, and digital media. Awards were presented to artists and filmmakers in 17 categories, with $68,000 in cash prizes distributed to celebrate their excellence, innovation, and impact.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Janelle Niles, an acclaimed stand-up comedian, emcee, content creator, and producer of Got Land?. The evening also featured powerful performances by soul singer-songwriter Lacey Hill, Juno Award-winning artist Derek Miller and celebrated Americana musician Adrian Sutherland.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the August Schellenberg Award of Excellence to the legendary Graham Greene, whose storied career spans decades, beginning with his screen debut in Running Brave (1983) and rising to international acclaim with his Oscar-nominated performance in Dances with Wolves (1990). Greene’s enduring contributions to cinema continue to inspire future generations of artists. The Augie Award, created in partnership with Joan Karasevich Schellenberg to honor her late husband, the beloved actor August Schellenberg, is supported by ACTRA National and individual donors.
While the in-person festival concluded on June 8, imagineNATIVE continues online from June 9 to 15, 2025, offering global audiences the opportunity to stream a curated selection of films from the 2025 official program, including several award-winning works.
The complete list of 2025 imagineNATIVE Award recipients reflects the breadth, beauty, and brilliance of Indigenous storytelling:
Moon Jury Prize
Anywhere (Nooj Goji) – Evelyn Pakinewatik
Indigenous Language Production Award
The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro) – Aleksei Romanov
After Dark Award (In Honour of Jeff Barnaby)
Seeds – Kaniehtiio Horn
Live Action Short Award
Rapido – Richard J Curtis
Dramatic Feature Award
We Were Dangerous – Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu
Outstanding Performance in a Feature
Seeds – Kaniehtiio Horn
Outstanding Performance in a Short
Thin Places – Quannah Chasinghorse
Sun Jury Award
Inkwo for When the Starving Return – Amanda Strong
New Voice in Storytelling Award
ÁHKUIN – Sunná Nousuniemi, Tuomas Kumpulainen
Documentary Short Award
In My Hand – Marja Helander, Liselotte Wajstedt
Documentary Feature Award
Singing Back the Buffalo – Tasha Hubbard
Innovation in Storytelling Award
Confluence – Charlene Moore, ODMK
Animated Short Award
Inkwo for When the Starving Return – Amanda Strong
New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award
orange pekoe – Vanessa Racine
Digital + Interactive Award
Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories – Lisa Jackson, The Macronauts
Experimental Audio Award
ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏢ ᎤᏪᏴᎢ (beneath the stream) – Robbie Wing
Narrative Audio Award
Sous les barrages (Under the Dams): Tshishe Manikuan – Jean Luc Kanapé
As the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous film and media art, imagineNATIVE continues to serve as a vital platform for Indigenous creatives. This year’s award winners are a testament to the enduring strength, creativity, and cultural resurgence of Indigenous Peoples across the globe.
To stream films from the 2025 selection and learn more, visit imagineNATIVE.org.
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