Terril Calder

Artist & Filmmaker

“Any Indigenous director will tell you it’s not easy, you have to constantly fight and it’s like you have to be willing to walk away from a lot of money always, and the project always, to do the right thing always, which is not easy.” Terril Calder

Orkney/Cree

Biography

Terril Calder is an Okney Cree Métis artist, born in Fort Frances, currently living in Toronto, Canada. Calder attended The University of Manitoba’s Fine Art Program as a Drawing major and a minor in film. While in Winnipeg she exhibited her multi-media and performance art work with the Student Bolshevik group. In Toronto Calder was a founding member of the 7a*11d International Performance Art Festival where she curated visual and performance art exhibitions. Since 2000 Calder has lectured and taught art with various organizations that include the National Ballet School of Canada, TDSB, Art in the Park program, The University of Manitoba, Indigenous Roots, ImagineNative’s Cultural Exchange Program with South Africa, and in remote Indiginous communities. Compelled by her love of learning and hybrid media, her diverse artistic skills amalgamate in Stop-Motion Animated films that she writes, directs, crafts & animates herself. Calder’s films have screened/broadcasted all around the world and have received recognition; most notably an Honorable Mention at The Sundance Film Festival and a Canadian Genie Award Nomination as well as TIFF’s top ten list in 2011 for “Choke” and TIFF’S top ten list in 2016 for SNIP as well as an Honorable Mention at the Berlinale, and best animation prizes at the Dreamspeakers Festival, ImagineNATIVE, WIFF, a Pixie Award, indianer inuit Film Festival, Peru Film Festival, as well as a KM hunter award in 2018. In 2019 she had her first retrospective at the Winnipeg Film Group and 2020 she had her second at the Ottawa Animation Festival. She is currently working on “Meneath” with the NFB and creating a stopmotion video game with Meagan Bryne.