The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival’s Moon, Sun, Water and Land juries have selected winners across film, video, audio and digital media works in 17 different categories for the 2025 Awards Presentation. Hosted at the TIFF Lightbox, a total of $68,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to artists and filmmakers in recognition of their outstanding work, innovation and excellence.
This year’s imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation was hosted by Janelle Niles, stand-up comedian, emcee, content creator, TV personality and producer of Got Land? Indigenous comedy show. The show featured performances by Indigenous soul singer/songwriter Lacey Hill with Juno-award-winning singer Derek Miller, as well as Americana artist Adrian Sutherland.
In addition to the existing categories, imagineNATIVE honoured iconic actor Graham Greene with the August Schellenberg Award of Excellence (Augie) at the ceremony. Debuting on screen in the 1983 Running Brave and earning stardom in his Academy Award-nominated role in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves, Greene continues to be a gifted Indigenous actor whose career has shown longevity and impact. The Augie Award is presented in partnership with Joan Karasevich Schellenberg to honour her late husband, the legendary actor August Schellenberg and is supported by ACTRA National and individual donations.
While the Awards Presentation marks the last day of the 2025 in-person festival, imagineNATIVE continues online from June 9 to 15 to allow audiences from around the world to stream many of the films from the 2025 official selection, including some of the award-winning works.
The 2025 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival winners are:
| Moon Jury Prize | Anywhere (Nooj Goji)Evelyn Pakinewatik |
| Indigenous Language Production Award | The Legends of Eternal Snow (Khaar Kuyaar Nomokhtoro)Aleksei Romanov |
| After Dark Award in honour of Jeff Barnaby | SeedsKaniehtiio Horn |
| Live Action Short Award | RapidoRichard J Curtis |
| Dramatic Feature Award | We Were DangerousJosephine Stewart-Te Whiu |
| Outstanding Performance in a Feature | SeedsKaniehtiio Horn |
| Outstanding Performance in a Short | Thin PlacesQuannah Chasinghorse |
| Sun Jury Award | Inkwo for When the Starving ReturnAmanda Strong |
| New Voice in Storytelling Award | ÁHKUINSunná Nousuniemi, Tuomas Kumpulainen |
| Documentary Short Award | In my handMarja Helander, Liselotte Wajstedt |
| Documentary Feature Award | Singing Back the BuffaloTasha Hubbard |
| Innovation in Storytelling Award | ConfluenceCharlene Moore, ODMK |
| Animated Short Award | Inkwo for When the Starving ReturnAmanda Strong |
| New Artist in Digital + Interactive Award | orange pekoeVanessa Racine |
| Digital + Interactive Award | Wilfred Buck’s Star StoriesLisa Jackson, The Macronauts |
| Experimental Audio Award | ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏢ ᎤᏪᏴᎢ (beneath the stream)Robbie Wing |
| Narrative Audio Award | Sous les barrages (Under the Dams): Tshishe ManikuanJean Luc Kanapé |
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous cinema, continues online until June 15, 2025. For more information about the festival, please visit the imagineNATIVE website.
