The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival runs June 2–7 in Toronto and June 8–14 online, and the special events and media arts programming announced today match the ambition of the film slate. Six special events, 25 interactive digital works and audio experiences, and all of it open to the public. Tickets and full details are at imagineNATIVE.org.
The festival opens Tuesday, June 2 with the annual Welcome Gathering at the Spadina Museum. Performances by the Skye Dancers, food catered by PowWow Cafe, and an Indigenous artisan market set the tone for the week. That evening, the Opening Night Party moves to Malaparte on King West, with music from Six Nations singer-songwriter James N. Wilson and Ojibwe/Blackfoot DJ, producer, and performer Classic Roots. The CN Tower will be lit in imagineNATIVE’s red, blue, and turquoise for the occasion.
The free iNdigital Space + Arcade exhibition opens June 3 at the TIFF Lightbox and runs through the festival. Fourteen works spanning VR, interactive installations, video games, and projections make up the Official Selection. Standouts include Skins in the Game by Skawennati (Kanien’kehá:ka) and Jason Edward Lewis (Hawaiian/Samoan), examining misrepresentations of Indigenous people in video games, and Blood Quantum Physics by Feather Miigwans (Anishinaabe), a speculative fulldome work where Indigenous cosmology meets quantum science.
Eleven audio works accompany the interactive exhibition, drawing from podcasts and original music by artists including Jana Schmeiding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux), Brian Bahe (Hopi/Tohono O’odham/Navajo), The Aunties Dandelion (Kanyen′kehá:ka – Six Nations), Melaw Nakehk’o (Dene/Dënesųłiné), Jayne King and Taylor Tutawa Mclaren (both Māori), Kim Wheeler (Anishinaabe/Mohawk), January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora Six Nations of the Grand River), and others.
The Art Crawl returns Thursday, June 4, now in its 12th year as a festival staple. Seven artist-run galleries participate, including Gallery TPW, A Space Gallery, Gallery 44, Market Gallery, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, and Vtape. The pay-what-you-can crawl features work from Kent Monkman (Cree), Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe), Zachery Cameron Longboy (Sayisi Dene), Kay Nadjiwon (Anishinaabe), and several others pushing the boundaries of Indigenous storytelling in visual art.
TD Free Friday lands June 5, with all screenings across the festival available at no cost, supported by TD Bank. The annual Awards Presentation follows on the afternoon of June 6 at the TIFF Lightbox, hosted by Saulteaux/Cree comedian Vance Banzo. Award medallions and lanyards were created by Tuscarora WoodWorks and Two Hearts Beadwork, respectively.
Closing out the special events is The Beat, a live concert at the El Mocambo. Gary Farmer and The Dish and Spoon Band headline, the blues-rock outfit led by acclaimed Cayuga actor and musician Gary Farmer. They’re joined by Evan Redsky, a singer-songwriter from Mississaugi First Nation, and MR SAUGA, whose work is grounded in the traditional and cultural influences of the Michi Saagiig peoples. It’s a closing night worth staying for.
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