26 years in, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival continues to define what Indigenous screen storytelling looks like on a global stage. The 2026 edition runs June 2–7 in Toronto and June 8–14 online, with a program representing 56 Indigenous Nations across 20 countries.
This year’s festival opens with AKI, a documentary feature directed by Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe). Shot entirely in Anishnawbemowin, the film follows the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek through the seasons, with a score by Juno Award-nominated cellist Cris Derksen and multi-instrumentalist Julian Cote. It’s an extraordinary piece of work, immersive and visually unforgettable.
Closing the festival is Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), the Canadian Screen Award-nominated historical drama from celebrated Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk. A traditional Inuit love story steeped in magical realism, the film features first-time actors and brings Inuit culture and folklore to life in genuinely stunning cinematic fashion.
The gothic horror film Mārama, directed by Taratoa Stappard (Ngāti Toa/Ngāti Raukawa me Ngāti Tūwharetoa), is among the major highlights. The Victorian-era debut feature, developed through the imagineNATIVE Institute’s 2020 Screenwriting Features Lab, ventures into what’s been called “Māori Gothic” territory. It screens as part of TD Free Friday on June 5, when all screenings are free.
The dramatic features lineup is deep. Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, directed by Shane Belcourt (Métis) and produced and co-written by Tanya Talaga (Anishinaabe), reconstructs the 1974 armed occupation of Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario. Meadowlarks, directed by Tasha Hubbard (Cree), brings together Michael Greyeyes, Michelle Thrush, Carmen Moore, and Alex Rice in a story of siblings reunited after the Sixties Scoop. And Gail Maurice’s Blood Lines, her sophomore dramatic feature, is told in English and Michif and centres on a Métis community story of identity, family secrets, and reconnection.
APTN’s REZervations for Two, hosted by Scott Wabano and Kairyn Potts, makes its World Premiere as a new Indigenous blind-dating reality series, a genuinely fun and unexpected addition to the slate. It sits alongside the imagineNATIVE Originals program, showcasing new commissioned work from emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers across Canada.
Special events round out the experience. The Beat, a live concert at the El Mocambo, features Gary Farmer and the Dish and Spoon Band, Evan Redsky, and MR SAUGA. The short film programs, spanning comedy, horror, family programming, experimental work, and land-based storytelling, are among the richest the festival has assembled. The youth-made shorts program includes the winning film from the 2025 imagineNATIVE Tour’s Indigenous Youth Short Film Contest.
The 2026 theme is built around urgent dialogue, resistance, truth-telling, and Indigenous knowledge as a pathway toward a shared future. Across features, shorts, and media arts, the programming delivers exactly that, with a level of ambition and range that makes this one of the most essential film festivals in the country.
2026 Festival Dates:
In-Person: June 2–7, 2026, Toronto
Online: June 8–14, 2026
TD Free Friday: June 5, 2026 (all screenings free)
Tickets and full programming: imagineNATIVE.org