The ISO invested a combined total of $3.5M CAD in the development and production of eight selected feature films from both emerging and established filmmakers.
Toronto, ON – August 12, 2025 – Kerry Swanson, CEO of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), confirmed today that a record number of Indigenous films from across Canada have been selected for the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which celebrates its landmark 50th anniversary this year. The ISO invested a combined total of $3.5 million CAD in the development and production of eight feature films selected in this year’s official program, which spotlights a list of talented emerging voices and award-winning established Indigenous filmmakers. TIFF will run from September 4–14, 2025.
“As an entity that exists solely to support Indigenous voices and vision, we are deeply proud of the delegation of Indigenous filmmakers attending TIFF this year, as the festival marks their milestone anniversary,” said Kerry Swanson. “Spanning across all the TIFF programming streams, these films are a powerful reflection of Indigenous talent, vision, and storytelling, and the impact of the ISO. The ISO Story Fund has provided support for all eight of TIFF’s Indigenous feature films from Canada and we look forward to celebrating these new works with festival audiences.”
The Indigenous feature films from Canada confirmed to premiere at TIFF 2025 are:
- Shane Belcourt & Tanya Talaga’s Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising – World Premiere, TIFF Docs – Despite it lasting 90 days in 1974, there is only eight minutes of footage about an Indigenous youth-led armed occupation in Kenora, Ontario. The documentary Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising tells that story of Indigenous resilience and power.
- Bretten Hannam’s Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts) – World Premiere, Platform – This genre-bending otherworldly drama follows two brothers’ journey to avenge the spirits that haunt them from their childhood.
- Tasha Hubbard’s Meadowlarks – World Premiere, Special Presentations – Based on her 2017 documentary Birth of a Family, Tasha Hubbard’s Meadowlarks is an emotional drama that follows four siblings, separated by the Sixties Scoop, as they come together over a week.
- Zacharias Kunuk’s Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) – North American Premiere, Special Presentations – A strange death, village upheavals, and swarming suitors lead to a love story gone awry in acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk’s latest enthralling imagining of ancient Inuit stories.
- Gail Maurice’s Blood Lines – World Premiere, Centrepiece – The second feature from director Gail Maurice (ROSIE, TIFF ’22) is a singular film: a Métis same-sex romance led by actor Dana Solomon, who is a revelation.
- Darlene Naponse’s Aki – World Premiere, TIFF Docs – Set on Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (formerly known as Whitefish Lake), this visual art documentary follows the seasons in director Darlene Naponse’s home community in Northern Ontario.
- Eva Thomas’ Nika & Madison – World Premiere, Discovery – A fateful encounter with the police propels two estranged friends to reevaluate their relationship, in Eva Thomas’ thoughtful and urgent debut.
- Rhayne Vermette’s Levers – World Premiere, Wavelengths – In the enigmatic and much-anticipated follow-up to her award-winning Ste. Anne, Manitoban filmmaker and artist Rhayne Vermette weaves through a community that must grapple with a shaken sense of stability after a blast plunges them into a day of total darkness.
The ISO continues to champion Indigenous storytelling across film, television, and digital media, ensuring Indigenous creators have the resources, visibility, and platforms to share their stories with global audiences.
About the Indigenous Screen Office
The Indigenous Screen Office is an independent national advocacy and funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators of screen content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster and support narrative sovereignty and cultural revitalization by increasing Indigenous storytelling on screens and promoting Indigenous values and participation across the sector.
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