imagineNATIVE Tour in the North Bay Nugget

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Sage

The North Bay Nugget: imagineNATIVE Goes on Tour

We will be in North Bay on Thursday March 8 at Nipissing University. For more information please email info@imagineNATIVE.org.

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Give the Gift of imagineNATIVE!

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Kerry

It’s the time of year when everyone is settling into the routine of winter– going home from work in the dark (at 4:30pm!), hoping that the snow holds off for another couple of weeks, and resigning to the fact that pant sizes will expand exponentially due to all of the holiday baking and cheese logs about to be consumed in the coming weeks. It’s also that time of year when people start to weigh the worth of the past year – the sum of our actions, our accomplishments, and what we look forward to in the year ahead. It’s a good time for assessing what matters most, and to think about what we can do to make the world a happier place.

Working at imagineNATIVE has given me a great deal to be thankful for – an amazing group of co-workers, the opportunity to be immersed in good art and interesting people, and the chance to make a difference by creating opportunities for Aboriginal artists to get their work out to the larger industry.  It’s also this time of year when I begin to worry about what lies ahead for the organization – one more festival cycle over, and a clean slate in terms sponsorships and funding support.

Everyone is afraid of the economy just now. Cutbacks are being felt globally as everyone trims the fat.  Unfortunately, the arts are amongst the most tender bits to be trimmed first. It is evident that everyone understands that people need medicine, food and shelter, but people can’t seen to connect how the arts creates economic opportunity, builds community, and creates a vision for the future.

The holidays are when imagineNATIVE looks to its community for support. I cannot say that what imagineNATIVE does to support artists, by creating training opportunities, facilitating the sales of work, and offering career building opportunities, is more important than supporting your local homeless shelter or donating to medical research. But I can definitely say, it is no less important. With this, I hope that people can shift their thinking a bit this holiday season and understand that donating to the arts is as vitally important and timely as any other type of charitable giving you might do during the holidays.

Please help support the hundreds of artists we support each year by making a donation of any amount to imagineNATIVE. Aeroplan Miles are also welcome, and will be directed into Artist Travel for October 2012.  Please CLICK HERE to make a donation of any amount, and thank you for seeing the value in what we do.

Wishing everyone a safe and merry holiday season.  We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for the New Year!

-Kerry

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What a Year!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Violet

Good day!  It’s December and I am still waiting for all the snow. I hope Toronto gets a lot of snow this winter, otherwise I am going to have to go home up north to enjoy the winter wonderland.

This past November I have been busy at the imagineNATIVE office working on festival wrap-up things. It was such a great festival this year meeting new people, and having our mediatheque at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (I manage our mediatheque so that’s where I spend most of my festival time). Other than attending the Opening and Closing Night gala’s and The Beat, I managed to attend the Buffy panel discussion and Jason Edward Lewis’sVital to the General Public Welfare exhibition. At the Closing Awards Show the imagineNATIVE team performed a dance routine to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation (we changed the lyrics to “you are a part of imagineNATIVE”), which was one of my fave and most memorable moments of the 2011 festival.

With all the festival wrap-up now coming to a close, I have the opportunity to participate in some local activities! Most recently, I was able to attend one of five Professional Development Series for Artists and Arts Managers (programmed by Denise Bolduc, Arts Presenter, for the Thunderbird Centre), a Web & Blog Creation workshop facilitated by Archer Pechawis, Web Developer, New Media Artist and a very informative teacher. With Archer’s guidance, my colleague Jessica and I had the opportunity to create our first blog site. It was such a fun and interesting class, I learned a lot and I can’t wait to finish my blog site, which will be a work in progress over the holidays.

Christmas is near; so many Christmas parties going on, shopping to do, and again patiently waiting for the snow (hope I don’t have to wait until next year, LOL).

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

V.

Violet Chum is the Administrative Assistant at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. She assists all of her co-workers with various projects and daily activities in preparation for the festival. Violet is a Moose Cree First Nation member from Moose Factory Island in northern Ontario. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art & Design University and a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Learning from Lakehead University. She has volunteered her time and worked part-time at imagineNATIVE prior to becoming a full-time employee. Violet is also a visual artist and has created a number of works in figurative, portraiture and landscape painting and drawing, of which her works were exhibited at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Ontario College of Art & Design University’s Professional Gallery and Graduate Exhibition, Gallery CC, and an up-coming exhibition in October 2011.

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There and back again….the Post-Festival Blues

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Jason

What a month it’s been.

The 2011 Festival ended exactly four weeks ago and distance has made the heart grow fonder. It’s an interesting experience working behind-the-scenes and it’s really only been in the past few days that I’ve managed to get perspective on all the incredible things that’ve happened since iN kicked into high gear back in July and didn’t stop until Oct. 23rd.

This past imagineNATIVE was by far our largest ever: we had more programming, higher audience numbers, and more special events than at any time in our history. I’m immensely proud of what we achieved together (the iN crew and you). It was such an amazing feeling throughout the Festival and it’s always so beautiful to see old friends and make new ones – all in celebration of our art and creativity.

But I’d also be lying if I said it was easy. :)

There’s a phenomenon we in the film festival world call The Post-Festival Blues, and we all experience it in some form or another. It usually happens the week immediately after the Festival finishes (as with my lovely colleagues), but mine was delayed a couple weeks after spending time in Norway and England (a bit of work, a bit of rest, a bit of a sprained ankle, but more on that later). I’ll do my best Carl Jung scowl to offer up my pop-psycho analysis and lay the blame squarely on love.

Reality is somewhat suspended during the Festival: it takes over your life and you happily give your life to it. You’re surrounded by friends and the community and this mega love-in happens that becomes very addictive. (I have to be honest and say that you do also get used to being the centre of attention for the week. ;) ) But when the Festival is over all that ends overnight, et voilà, welcome to the Blues.

But thankfully they end as we all gear up for another round next year! And that’s where we’re at right now. A few grant reports here, several new grant applications there, and next year’s programming and events start to take shape. We also have the annual Tour and a new series of indigiFLIX to look forward to in the new year.

One of the many things I totally love about my job is the opportunity to travel. Two days after imagineNATIVE ended this year I left for Norway. Yes, it was a crazy decision and I should have stayed to rest, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend the Indigenous Film Conference (which IsumaTV documented) hosted by the Sami Film Centre. Held in Kautokeino – way up north – the conference featured several special guests from around the world. As always, our hosts were impeccable and Sapmi is an incredible nation: so beautiful, so much love and such talent. It was amazing to meet new, up-and-coming filmmakers, see and spend time with old friends, several of whom were also just at imagineNATIVE. Needless to say, there was a lot of reindeer eaten – all meals, plus snacks. They’re masters at preparing the cute buggers in interesting and tasty ways. Loved it, miss it.

After five days north of the Arctic Circle, I got to spend some quality time with Bird Runningwater of the Sundance Institute (and one of iN’s Patrons) in Oslo. It was our first time in the city, which has some fab modern architecture, such as their new opera house. With Bird around, fun’s along for the ride, and fun was definitely driving. ;)

Then it was off to London to stay with an old school friend for five days. I love London. It’s a second home and all I wanted to do was live on the sofa, eat my favourite food, and play video games. All that was brilliantly accomplished and then some (wee bit of shopping, several pubs….when in Rome). Also managed to twist my ankle on the one day in the past five months that I was all but stationary. Barely moved 10 metres that day. Typical me. Still kind of hurts…

OK. I need to get back to work. Grants beckon seductively, and who am I to resist? Great to see so many of you at A Tribe Called Red last Friday. I’m still playing catch-up with all my neglected friends who I so cavalierly set aside to focus on the Festival. If I haven’t seen you yet: I love you and I’ll see you soon.

Jase. xo.

-

Jason Ryle is the Executive Director at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Jason oversees all aspects of the organization including operations, the annual festival and programming. He sits on the Board of Directors for Vtape, an independent video distributor, and is also a script reader for The Harold Greenberg Fund, which provides financial aid to Canadian filmmakers. As an award-winning writer, Jason has written for the Smithsonian Institution and numerous publications throughout North America. He made his first short film in 2005 and has been programming alongside imagineNATIVE’s Programming Team since 2002.

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A Whirlwind(y) Week: AMW (Aboriginal Music Week) & Manito Ahbee

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Sage

Two weeks ago I started thinking about going to AMW & Manito Ahbee.  I definitely should have considered this trip at least a month and a half ago, but it was only a month and a half ago that I was thick in the business of imagineNATIVE 2011.  So here I am two weeks ago desperately wanting to head out to The Peg for some Indigenous love (a.k.a – witness tons of talent in Indigenous music and, of course, pow wow).

I was convincing myself up until the last minute – “you NEED to be there, Sage. You’ve got to see all the new music coming out. Isn’t Winnipeg a hub for Aboriginal music and arts?”  I, with our Events Team at imagineNATIVE, program all the live performances at imagineNATIVE, the big one being The Beat, but also our Opening Night Party, New Media Mash-Up and Closing Awards Show. This was my opportunity to hear potential acts for imagineNATIVE from across Canada, and North America, in one place.  Fair enough. I was convinced. So, I booked my flight and brought my butt to Winnipeg.

Thursday, November 3, I’m in Winnipeg and all settled in with the first order of business: check out Manitoba Music and visit Alan Greyeyes.  Alan is one of the main (volunteer!) organizers of AMW and on numerous accounts Alan was referred to as “The Man.” Not a stretch by any means.  His commitment and enthusiasm are unbelievable, and it shone through at all of the shows AMW put on. After getting the down-lo on the next few days and saying “heyyyyy,” I skipped over to Urban Shaman Gallery. I’ve wanted to visit Urban Shaman forever, so I was very excited to be able to check the space out. The exhibition on now includes the work of Rolande Souliere (Ojibway and a Toronto Native) and Jenny Fraser (Aboriginal Australia).  I enjoyed Jenny’s “Name That Movie,” it was witty, funny and unimposing in its examination of colonization.

That was only Thursday afternoon, the same day I’d gotten to Winnipeg.  In addition to learning that Winnipeg is the windiest city in Canada, the next three nights and four days were full of discovering new music, meeting awesome peoples, exploring Winnipeg and non-stop dancing!  I really didn’t think being in Ontario put me in an “Ontario bubble,” but it kind of has. Which is why I felt so incredibly grateful to have been able to travel to see these artists I may never have had the chance to see.  Highlights of my trip include seeing the Golden Agers at the pow wow and performances by Leela Gilday, World Hood and Sherry St. Germain.

Leela Gilday

The first event I went to was the Singer/Songwriters Concert to check out the young opening acts for Leela Gilday and the woman herself. It’s no wonder she took home the Aboriginal Female Entertainer of the Year at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMAs). Wow! That woman inspires me to the max.  She is a powerhouse, and swept the audience off their feet.  One of the first songs she played was Dene Love Song, which is one of my all-time Leela favourites, but I’d have to say I really loved the high energy of Disappearing Humans. Jason Burnstick rocked it in that one too.  The cherry on top was Jason and Leela’s chemistry on stage – it was fun and endearing, adding to the intimacy of the whole show.

World Hood

Friday’s schedule saw the APCMA’s and A Tribe Called Red’s Electric Pow Wow.  I headed over to the Awards to catch the first bit before the Electric Pow Wow, but realized doors opened at nine for Electric Pow Wow and I did not want to miss World Hood. So opting out of the Awards I headed over to the Pyramid to catch them. I had only seen and enjoyed a couple of their videos on YouTube, though it’s always hard to gauge what you’re getting into based on that, so I was waiting in anticipation for their set. With few feelings of regret about missing the Awards, I was so stoked that I got to see World Hood. I was nothing but blown away.  The mixture of dub, “world” and Estrella’s voice were the perfect prelude to Electric Pow Wow and the perfect introduction to playing their album on repeat for the rest of my Winnipeg trip (and a little less fanatic now, but still playing it enough to enjoy).

Manito Ahbee

The next day I got all done up to go check out Manito Ahbee. I really love watching pow wow dancers. The colour and designs of their regalia and the movement of the dancers’ feet always captivate me, entrancing me for hours on end.  When I first got to Manito Ahbee I immediately bumped into Derek and Naomi Martin of Tribal Vision.  What a treat to bump into someone from home (at least, close to home), all the way out in Winnipeg!  It really comforted me and pumped me up even more about seeing the dancers. Of my two days at the pow wow my favourite dancers were the Golden Agers.  The Jingle Dress Golden Agers to be exact!  Those older women were so determined and beautiful as their precise footwork synced perfectly with the drum.

By Saturday AMW was coming to a close, and who better to end a week/end of new and exciting sounds in Indigenous music than Derek Miller?! Derek Miller is pretty much a household name; he rocks that guitar, keeps the crowd moving and singing along all night, and, on a side note, that very dapper, rockabilly-inspired look he sports these days only adds to the enjoyment of the show too (if I do say so myself)!

Sherry St. Germain

Just before Derek’s show, a young woman by the name of Sherry St. Germain was set to open.  I’d never heard of her before and had absolutely no idea what to expect.  To be honest, I was expecting country or folk, as that usually trends.  She walked up to that stage and I am instantly brought to a Janis Joplin performance back in the day (even though I’m far too young to have ever possibly seen a Joplin show, she still put me in the zone). This woman has a big, bluesy voice and an obvious connection to her music, bringing everyone along for the journey.  The high energy of her performance was what real rock and roll is – lively, rebellious and loud!

Post AMW, I spent my Sunday at Manito Ahbee, eating stadium food, checking out vendors (I got a preetty pair of earrings) and watching the dancers, until I made my way over to my Auntie and Uncle’s, where I spent some time with my three younger cousins.  They made sure to give me a tour of Winnipeg (which is actually a really cute city), bringing me to “the bridge,” “the village,” “the big park,” a haunted hotel and downtown.  The next morning I got on my flight, which is when I really had the opportunity to think about all the potential of future imagineNATIVE events!  I am so incredibly excited about the music coming out, and even more so about meeting with the imagineNATIVE Events Committee to discuss everything I just saw and experienced.

Thank you, Winnipeg!

peace out,
sage

-

Sage Paul is the Events and Communications Director at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, where she has worked since 2004 and now oversees the creation of the yearly campaign; the outreach, marketing and publicity strategies; online and digital initiatives; outreach activities including the annual tour and indigiFLIX screening series; and produces all of the events at the annual festival. Sage is from Toronto and is a member of the English River First Nation.

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Co-Pro: Reel Asian, Summer Pasture

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Sage

SUMMER PASTURE

FEATURE PRESENTATION | WED NOV 9 | 6:45 PM | INNIS TOWN HALL | BUY TICKETS
DIR. LYNN TRUE, NELSON WALKER | TIBET/USA 2010 | 85:00 | DIGIBETA | TIBETAN W/ENG. SUB.
CO-PRODUCER/CO-DIRECTOR: TSERING PERLO | DIRECTORS IN ATTENDANCE
CANADIAN PREMIERE | RATED G

Summer Pasture is a feature-length documentary about a young nomadic couple living with their infant daughter in the high grasslands of Eastern Tibet. Filmed during the summer of 2007, Summer Pasture offers rare access to an area seldom visited by outsiders—the highly insular community of Dzachukha, nicknamed “5-most” by the Chinese for being the highest, coldest, poorest, largest, and most remote area in Sichuan Province.

Locho and his wife, Yama, depend on their herd of yaks for survival, just as their ancestors have for generations. In recent years, however, Dzachukha has undergone rapid development, which poses unprecedented challenges to nomadic life. Rigid government policies, rangeland degradation, and the allure of modern life have prompted many nomadic families to leave the pastures for permanent settlement in towns and cities. According to the nomads, the world has entered duegnan—dark times.

Summer Pasture is a sensitive portrait of a family at a time of great transition, and the film evolves as an intimate exploration of Locho and Yama’s personalities, their relationship, and the complicated web of circumstances that surrounds them. The documentary captures their travails with illness, infidelity, and the dissolution of their community. In the face of mounting obstacles, Locho and Yama gradually reveal the personal sacrifice they will make to ensure their daughter’s future. Through its subtle observation of the central characters, Summer Pasture provides a deeply personal account of family survival and what it means to be a nomad in a swiftly modernizing world.

INSPIRATION AWARD HONORABLE MENTION—FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION—LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2010

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Lynn True graduated in Urban Studies and Architecture from Brown University and began her film career at NBC News and PBS. Nelson Walker has a BA from Brown University and an MFA from Columbia University. He began his career working for the Discovery Channel and History Channel. He has worked as a visiting instructor at Tibet University in Lhasa. Their independent films include iThemba|Hope (Sundance Channel 2005) and LUMO (PBS’s POV series 2007)

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My Buffy Moment

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Lena Recollet

Well I have arrived back home safely in Wiky last night, with my Mother and my sister. I was so happy for my Mother, she was so proud. How often does something like this happen? It was a huge honour to open for Buffy St. Marie as part of imagineNATIVE’s 12th Anniversary. For a majority of the time I think I was in such shock that I didn’t even realise what was really happening or if I even believed it was happening. I’m not going to lie or try to pretend that I was cool, calm and collected the whole time. For the past few months I went through shock, excitement, fear, self doubt, inspiration and back to shock again. Did I enjoy it? Yes!

OH and I forgot to mention that I had sewn my own dress for the event!

So the time finally comes, it is October 21st, I am in Toronto, and I am about to meet Buffy St.Marie at 12pm for my mentorship with her.

There is Buffy smiling at me and Sean Conway and we sit down and talk for our mentorship. What was my first reacion? My first reaction was too take in every word she had to say to us. She taught us about touring, about how to take care of ourselves on the road, and how important sleep, diet and exercise are. She explained to us how to protect ourselves as artists, our instruments, our rights and the rights of our work. I told her my fears and she basically reassured me everything would be fine and told me about square breathing, a type of breathing that changes what’s going on in our bloodcells. Hold for 4 counts, Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4. She tells me also to remember the music and what I am expressing and why not to worry so much about the technical things. She reminded me about how natural this is, as it’s something our people have always done, how it’s a part of our way of life. After the mentorship we also got to have dinner with Buffy before her panel dissussion at imagineNATIVE. The whole time I forgot to ask for a picture or an autograph, she was so nice and had so much to share, that I didn’t even think of asking at the time.

So Friday I basically had a whole day to hang out with Buffy :) to hear her speak, to get a chance to ask her questions, and, how often does that happen? How many peope would love that opportunity? “How is it this happened to me?” is what I was thinking. Even though Buffy reassured me everything would be okay and taught me to sing from the heart, giving to the audience and that the message is more important than the technical things, I still had a lot of self doubt and nerves knowing that I’m not perfect and wanting to be perfect; a lesson in reflection on how important it is to put ego aside.

I am not ashamed to admit it all hit me before my soundcheck, and I cried. I went backstage to my greenroom and got comfortable, Deandra came to my dressing room and did my makeup for me. It was kinda funny because anyone who knows me, knows I talk alot and I was speechless. Dee noticed this right away and I told her I was nervous and in shock, but it was really comforting to have her there doing my makeup and hair.

I did my soundcheck and went back to my greenroom, closed the door and put the finishing touches on my dress, while listening to the instrumentals for my poems I was going to perform. I just kept running them over and over and over in my head. I think I had the most severe case of performance anxiety in my life. I wanted the audience to feel comfortable before Buffy came out, to feel important too. I think the dress I made was about that. I was thinking about the pride in our people in our pow wow dancers, I chose satin because that’s what we use in our regalia. I thought about Buffy and how she makes us proud to be native and how strong she is. And I went out there and even though I was still a bit nervous, I just kept focusing on the audience and connecting to them.

I felt at home, and hugely grateful, and remembered again why I am doing this. And when I went into the audience after my performance and watched Buffy perform I really felt nothing but grateful and honoured, and was embracing the moment. I was still learning as I watched and listened to her perform. Can I say I just had the most epic beautiful moment of my life? Wow! I am going to go for a one hour jog now instead of to the top of monument hill near Leland Bells art studio. I’m going to go past Lakeshore and jog to Buswah, and starting today, Im going to push myself just a little bit harder healthwise, focus-wise, creative-wise, everything and just remember what I learned from Buffy and keep that inspiration flowing. Wow!

www.lenarecollet.com/

Lena Recollet
Lena Recollet is a singer, spoken word artist and visual artist from Wikwemikong, Ontario. She has performed at The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, The Harmony Movement Awards for Jessica Yee, the Great Hall, APTN’s Rez Tunes and Planet Indigenous with Red Slam Collective from 2007 – 2010. Lena released her first solo EP in 2011 on National Aboriginal Day with performances at Dundas Square and Augusta House. She has also opened for Kinnie Starr and The Breaking Wind and Blue Diamond at “Living in the Six at Woodland Cultural Centre.”

Lena Recollet was an opening performer for Buffy Sainte-Marie at imagineNATIVE’s The Beat on Oct. 22, 2011 at The Phoenix Concert Theatre.  As an emerging artist, Lena had the opportunity to connect with Buffy Sainte-Marie for guidance and advice about the advancement of her career.

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People Get Ready….It’s Time!

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Jason

imagineNATIVE is Nigh!!!

As I write this I’m in my office and I’m told it’s Sunday, but really the entire three weeks leading up to the Festival are one huge great day. Past blends into present (“Was that really last week?”), dreams become reality (“What do you mean my unicorn isn’t parked behind the 401 building?”), and the future comes barrelling at you (“OMG, the Festival starts in a couple days!!!”).

But this is normal. This is Festival normal. And it’s really exciting. There’s been such a buzz about the office; new people, old friends, and the staff beavering about from the break of dawn until our eyes can’t stay open longer and our keyboards become blurry. Yes, it’s the time of year where we all forget we have family and friends (I LOVE YOU ALL – and I’ll call soon!). And for this short time of year, it’s all really worth it in the end. :)

There’s so much to look forward to at this imagineNATIVE. I feel like the Town Crier these days: “Get your BUFFY Tickets Now!” “Come to the Panels!” “Billy Merasty Hosts the Closing Night Awards!” etc. etc. etc.

All the interviews aside, the question I’ve been getting asked more than anything is “What’s good?” The beauty of imagineNATIVE is the diversity of works we present – there’s really something for everyone, from drama to comedy to documentary, in addition to our radio and media works. Besides, I can’t pick a favourite – it would be like my very own Sophie’s Choice. (Google it.)

I am really pleased with our Radio Art Commissions which will be presented alongside film and video works at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. I was absolutely blown away by our two exhibitions which are already running! And I really felt like the Festival began in a lot of ways when I picked up our three Khoi-San guests from South Africa on Thursday.

The Festival will come very quickly, and sadly it will also pass very quickly – five days goes by in a blink. If I had my own Genie (the imp, not the award, but I wouldn’t say no to that either) one of my wishes would be for each of you to see every programme we have at imagineNATIVE; each is so special and so amazing, because each is the vision, the voice and the creativity of an Indigenous artist from an Indigenous nation somewhere out there. (I’m so tempted to continue writing the lyrics to Somewhere Out There – I loved An American Tail.)

In many ways this is really my first Festival as Executive Director I’ve learnt so much in the past year. I’ve learnt how incredible Kerry, Sage, Violet, Daniel, Isidra, Rolla, Amy, Victoria, Eyan, and Jessica truly are. They give SO MUCH to iN and I thank them and love them for that. Same with Marcia, Denise, Steve, Eileen, Charlotte, Kathleen, Connie, Andre and the fabulous Ms. Maurice – having been on the board side for years, I know how much iN can seem like a second job, and as volunteers, I want you all to know your time is so valued by us and your guidance is a source of strength.

OK OK, I’ll dry my eyes.

Oh! I’ve joined Twitter. I’m now a Tweep (or do I have Tweeps?). Still trying to figure out the hash tag thingie. #feelingold. So please, join me in the Twitterverse during the Festival. You can find digital me at @jasonryle. And of course, be sure sure to follow iN at (do I need this “at”?) @imagineNATIVE.  Th@’s th@.

Should get back to work… Just want to give a final thanks and universal praise to three groups of people who make the imagineNATIVEverse possible: the super duper iN Volunteer Crew, our generous and supportive funders, and our community. We do this Festival for you and your continued support as we grow means so much. Remember: You are a part of imagineNATIVE!

That’s all for now. I’ll see you at imagineNATIVE!

Jase.

 

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Fitting Together

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Isidra

As the leaves change and whirl around me, so does everyone in the office. This is my first year with the festival in an office position and it has been quite the learning curve.

We are one week away from festival and all the pieces are coming together. It has been interesting to see how everyone has different busy times. July and August are crazy for Daniel as he gets the programming team together regularly to review submissions and then corresponds with all the artists. Kerry is really busy pre-August as she gets all the funding and sponsors in place well before the festival. Sage hits madness when programming is locked in August and until the catalogue heads to print in September. Violet seems to be hitting her stride by the time October hits with preparations for the mediatheque library while still offering loads of support to the rest of us. Jason always seems to be pulling the 10-12 hour days as he leads us through the maze of madness. And me, right now I seem to be living at the office and when I am away from it I am still thinking about what needs to be done as soon as I arrive the next day. In the last month we have had Amy (Volunteer Manager), Victoria (Front of House Manager) and Rolla (Print Traffic Coordinator) join the team. Even though we all have our busy periods, where we are the last to leave and first to arrive, right now we are all putting in 110% and working as a team to bring you the magic of the festival.

We had our last pre-festival board meeting last night and it was such a pleasure to see the board and know that they are there as support during the festival. I don’t usually attend the meetings so it is easy for me to forget about their backing but they are there for us during the festival picking people up at the airport, escorting special guests and sponsors at opening, closing and throughout the Festival, moderating Q&A’s and intro’s, attending and helping at special events and they still manage to catch a film or two.

These are all the lovely people that make imagineNATIVE one of the premier Indigenous Film Festivals around. We are puzzle pieces that come together to make a bigger picture and something worth looking at. Without one of us the picture is incomplete.

So don’t miss the beautiful picture we have made for you this year. Some must see events for me this year are The Beat featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie on October 22 doors at 7pm, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Mesnak by Yves Sioui Durand on October 20 at 9:30pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox and a personal favourite of mine since I had the pleasure of seeing it at TIFF 2009, Bran Nue Dae by Rachel Perkins on October 22 at 7pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox.

I’ll see you all soon and don’t forget to come and say hi at the Guest Services table located in the lobby of TIFF Bell Lightbox next to the box office.

Cheers
Isidra
Isidra Cruz is a Mexican, Cree, French and African American arts administrator, visual artist and costume designer. She is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Theatre Production program where she received her BFA (H), specializing in theatre administration and costume design and construction. Presently she is working on her installation, Whitewash and saying goodbye to Cake by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard as it heads off to Uganda in September for which Isidra did the set and costume design. Isidra is currently pleased to be working for imagineNATIVE as the Guest Service Coordinator.

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A Few Final Notes Before iN2011

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Jessica

You know that person who always has a million things on the go, and never seems to sleep and you have to make plans with them 3 weeks in advance because they are just that stupid-busy? That’s me. I’m crazy. Nice to meet you!

In my usual day-to-day existence I “balance” a lot of activities and commitments, mostly because I can’t stand the thought of giving up something that I want to do – and it seems I want to do everything – but also because a small part of me still believes my grandfather’s expression makes more sense than relaxing – “you’ll sleep when you’re dead.”

Now, keeping in mind that I am used to going a million miles an hour, September was insane! At work, we were running around like lunatics. For me, that looked like loads of outreach activities and presentations, collecting items for delegate bags, tracking vouchers and invitations for films, figuring out transportation to and from Tyendinaga, Wasauksing and Six Nations so peeps can come to the Welcome Gathering and On the Ice (email me to book your spot on the shuttle bus!), promoting travel packages, triple checking the catalogue and fretting over potential missed typos and other small errors caught only moments after the ink dried… it was a mad house in here and I thank dogs I work with the best people in the world, because without this amazing team, I would have crumbled under the pressure of Festival count-down month.

Unfortunately for me, September wasn’t just busy at work. Outside of imagineNATIVE, I spent the month stressing over whether or not I would find an apartment… my looming move-out date approaching like a jungle cat stalking a fawn at the river’s edge. I would wake in the night, unsure if my nightmares of living in a dark, leaky basement closet were premonitions or simply my fears balled up into a cartoon of misfortune. Aside from the impending homelessness, my pet rabbit, Bill Cosby, ended up with a nasty eye infection, leading to a costly visit to the vet and I also lost my passport, birth certificate and mind – all of which you need to apply for a new passport, I found out. If you recently witnessed a young woman stub her toe on the Spadina streetcar and break down in tears – that was me. I didn’t sprain my toe, I just had to give in to it for a second. Like a kid who has stayed up three nights in a row but refuses to go to bed early, I was beyond exhausted but continued adding items to my growing list. And then I came up with a solution to everything… I invented a happy place…. Just like Happy Gilmour did in that movie, the title of which I can never remember.

Now, when I find myself spinning a web of “what-ifs”, I take a deep breath, close my eyes and journey to my special land – a land where unicorns and ponies have afternoon tea on cupcake chairs and clouds made of cotton candy. A magical place where every time you think of a song you like, but can’t remember exactly how it goes, an iridescent bubble appears before you, followed by a VW van packed with the coolest musicians from the 60s and 70’s, doing the BEST cover of said song you’ve ever heard.  My special imaginary place includes draped velvet, waterfalls, peacocks and hammocks, and the second you start craving Korean BBQ/Swiss Chalet/ Skor bars/bubble gum/Mom’s homemade lemon poppy seed MUFFINS your dish appears before you on a silver tray held by Johnny Depp in the most European of bathing suits… it’s a wonderful place… My magical “Happy Land” and it saved me from mental collapse.

So now you know my trick. If you stumble upon me at the Festival with a look of peace and serenity on my face, you’ll know where I am and you should consider it an open invitation to join me – there’s tons of milkshakes and foot massages for all of us! Just stay away from the garden gnomes, they prefer to make the first move.

See you at imagineNATIVE! Don’t forget to come say hello!!

Xoxo

Jess

P.s. On top of the happy place, I found an apartment, dropped a time-consuming project, took a night off from comedy, had a friend make me dinner, skipped a class and called my brother – sometimes a break is what we actually need and I have started to think it’s OK to sleep before you die.

Jessica Lea Fleming is of French, Scottish and Wendat descent and grew up on the shores of Georgian Bay, causing acceptable levels of trouble throughout her youth. She has been working in film, television, theatre and communications for several years both locally and globally as a writer, performer and administrator. As the imagineNATIVE Outreach Coordinator, Jessica works on the annual tour, outreach and community relations, visitor services, tourism as well as advertising.

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