Gikendamowin Initiative Report

Alyssa Wapanatâhk

Actor, Director, & Writer

“Some of the barriers I face as an Indigenous person in the film industry are mentorship and guidance. There is very little Indigenous representation in the film industry, so I feel like I’m navigating this industry all alone, and it gets quite scary at times.”

Amanda Roy

Producer

“Not being able to join the film union severely limits the projects that you can get work on, and the training opportunities that you can receive to in order to gain experience in the film sector here.”

Ariyah Pierre

Filmmaker

“This industry is already so stress-inducing that I really lean on my friends, and a lot of the Indigenous women who are my friends really help understand my point of view. I wouldn’t have that without my relatives and my sisters and brothers around me.”

Brandi Morin

Journalist & Filmmaker

“Production companies have questioned my editorial judgment, overstepped it, and assumed that they understood my stories better than I did. There’s this quiet, persistent belief that an Indigenous woman in the field needs to be guided, rather than trusted to lead.”

Cheri Maracle

Actor, Singer & Songwriter

“I didn’t have an agent, I didn’t have access to classes, I didn’t have access to anything like that because I was living on a very remote reserve, beautiful Bella Bella, British Columbia. That definitely hampered growth in that regard.”

Cherish Violet Blood

Actor & Comedian

“In order to maintain myself, I have reached out to different agencies to be cooking for kids or doing workshops – anything that helps me maintain my practice as an actress, performer, and writer.”

Crystle Lightning

Actor, Director, Writer

“We’re walking in [to the theatre] with a full 100% Indigenous cast and crew, and it’s always after soundcheck that they’re like, ‘Oh, you guys actually know what you’re doing’, assuming, you know, we’re already getting the stereotypes. So I have to stress to my cast like, ‘You guys, we have to work a little bit harder than everybody else because there’s judgment as soon as we walk in the door.’”

Deandra Wells

Hair Stylist

“When I first entered the film industry, I noticed immediately that there was a lack of Indigenous representation, especially behind the lens in crew positions, and especially in leadership roles.”

Ellyn Jade

Actor, Model, & Producer

“I can’t think of a production that I’ve worked on where I haven’t had a loss or a grief of some sort that came from my home community. The challenges don’t stop just because we’re on set.”

Heather Manitowabi

Make-up Artist

“As a single parent working part-time contract jobs, relocation wasn’t financially possible. Coming from a lower income background, it made it harder to access opportunities and connections within the industry.”

Jessie Anthony

Writer, Director, & Producer

“I think having supports around grief would really help our people, would really help Indigenous people to have an outlet to not have to stop working, or to be supported financially while you need to take time off.”

JJ Neepin

Producer, Writer & Filmmaker

“Some barriers that I believe are happening right now for myself involve a bit of a block in thinking that just because I’m Indigenous, you don’t need to bring me on unless the project has Indigenous content or Indigenous themes.”

Josée Bourgeois

Actor, Dancer, & Producer

“When you live in a rural area, trying to secure an agent and audition in Toronto or Montreal seems absolutely impossible. Financial restraints completely dictated whether or not I was able to make my dreams come true.”

Joyce Delaronde

Actor & Filmmaker

“The majority of the opportunities I have had are because I created those opportunities for myself or I did them in partnership with other Indigenous filmmakers.”

Justina Neepin

Writer, Director & Producer

“I would say my other barrier would be childcare, knowing that my daughter is taken care of while I take time away to do the projects I want to do and to make the films I want to make.”

Louise BigEagle

Director, Writer, & Producer

“I think there needs to be more education and understanding on the funders’ side when it comes to Indigenous stories being told by Indigenous people.”

Maika Harper

Actor & Author

“One of the most important things that I find for external barriers that I’ve faced so far is the ignorance between nations. I’m Inuit, then there’s First Nations and Métis in Canada. So I find that a lot of times I am submitted for roles that I don’t think that I should be submitted for. I think that’s ignorance within the sectors.”

Martha Troian

Journalist & Writer

“These cities are very expensive to live in. As a family, we would have to maintain our home in our home province, but also pay for accommodations in the second province, and that’s just not realistic for many families.”

Rachel Beaulieu

Director & Producer

“We face straight-up racism and ignorance. Nowadays, people have all these opportunities to learn and understand our values and culture, but I feel that people are still having a hard time understanding or accepting some of our values.”

Roxann Whitebean

Film Director & Media Artist

“If I could say that I’ve experienced any true external barriers, I would say it’s navigating my career, my children, and finding childcare so that I can experience all of the opportunities that come my way. The reality is that if you’re a single parent, there are going to be times where you’re going to miss those opportunities and you’re going to have to allow them to pass you by.”

Sonya Ballantyne

Writer & Filmmaker

“Something that impacts me is that I do not have the financial capital that a lot of my non-Indigenous producers would have.”

Tishna Marlowe

Costume Designer

“Some of the barriers I face as an Indigenous person in the film industry are mentorship and guidance. There is very little Indigenous representation in the film industry, so I feel like I’m navigating this industry all alone, and it gets quite scary at times.”

Tyshana Hobson

Assistant Director

“Some of the systemic barriers that I have faced in the past and I still sometimes face today is being the diversity hire. The biggest thing for me is when Indigenous productions come to town, a lot of the assistant directors in town are Caucasian white people, and they are required to hire an Indigenous person, and I get those calls.”