The 20th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Announces Festival Award Winners

“The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open” weaves an intricately complex, while at the same time very simple, story of a chance encounter between two Indigenous women with drastically different lived experience, navigating the aftermath of domestic abuse.

Published October 29, 2019′

Presenting Sponsor: Bell Media

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Wins Best Dramatic Feature

TORONTO, Canada — On Sunday, October 27, 2019 at imagineNATIVE’s Awards Presentation at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the Sun Jury, Moon Jury and Water Jury considered film, video, audio, and digital media works from Canadian and international Indigenous artists to select winners in over a dozen categories with over $80,000 in cash prizes and in-kind services.

Throughout the Festival, imagineNATIVE also presented awards at the Industry Award Reception on Wednesday, October 23 and the Bullseye Music Contest at The Beat on Saturday, October 26.

The 2019 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Award Winners are:

The Kent Monkman Award for Best Experimental Work
Hant Quij Cöipaxi Hac (The Creation of the World)
Director/Producer: Antonio Coello (Chiapanecan/Spanish)
$1000 cash award

Best Audio Work
The Secret Life of Canada (Season 2 – Episode 9)
Falen Johnson (Mohawk/Tuscarora)
$500 cash award

Best Digital or Interactive Work
Ksistsikoom (Thunder)
LeeAnne Ireland (Metis), Jessica Hawryluk (Neskonlith), Levi First Charger (Blackfoot), Randy Bottle (Blackfoot)
$500 cash award

Best Emerging Digital or Interactive Work
Terra Nova
Maize Longboat (Kanien’kehá:ka), Ray Caplin (Mi’gmaq)
$500 cash award

Best Indigenous Language Production
The Book of the Sea
Director/Writer/Producer: Aleksei Vakhrushev (Yupik)
$1,000 cash award supported by Indigenous Media Initiatives

The Jane Glassco Award for Emerging Talent
Gently, Jennifer
Director/Producer: Katie Avery (Inupiaq)
$2,000 cash award supported by CJ Foundation

The Ellen Monague Award for Best Youth Work
The Cursed Harp
Director/Writer/Producer: Peter Hiki (Sakha)
$500 cash award supported by BMO

The Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work
Moloka’i Bound
Director: Alika Maikau (Hawaiian)
$1,000 cash award supported by Vtape

Best Documentary Work Short Format
The Boxers of Brule
Producer: Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole); Writer: Shiala Grey-Sky King (Rosebud Sioux); Director: Jesse Adler
$1,000 cash award supported by TVO

The Sun Jury Award
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up
Director: Dr. Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
$1,000 cash award

The Moon Jury Award
Ribadit
Director/Producer: Elle Sofe Sara (Sámi)
$1,000 cash award

The Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary Work Long Format
Sembradoras de vida (Mothers of the Land)
Directors/Writers: Alvaro Sarmiento (Quechua), Diego Sarmiento (Quechua)
$2,000 cash award supported by CBC

Best Dramatic Feature
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Co-directors: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi), Kathleen Hepburn
$2,000 cash award supported by Bell Media

The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence
Michelle Thrush
$1500 cash award sponsored in part by ACTRA National, AFBS, and generous individual donations.

APTN/imagineNATIVE Web Series Pitch
Mary Galloway & Jessie Anthony
$57,900 award in cash and prizing
Supported by APTN and Bell Fund

NFB/imagineNATIVE Digital and Interactive Prize
Elisapie Isaac

Bullseye Music Prize
Decree
$10,000 cash award supported by Slaight MusicThe Audience Choice Awards to be announced post Festival via press release and social media.

The Audience Choice Award – Feature Film
$1,000 cash award supported by Air Canada

The Audience Choice Award – Short Film
$1,000 cash award supported by Via Rail