b'imagineNATIVEGood Medicine:25 YEARS OF imagineNATIVE Celebrating international Indigenous arts and storytellingBy Nickita LongmanThe Embargo Collective II film series closes out the imagineNATIVE festival in 2014.O n a fall day inon an international stage, the choiceIll never forget being pulled aside September 2000,was obvious.[during the launch] and being told, You the evergreenknow, youre going to have to do this imagineNATIVEI couldnt have ever imagined the turnoutagain, she laughs. There was a room Film + Media Arts Festival launched inof that first event, she shares. There wasfull of people who were going to become what has been described as a gutsy move.an incredibly high energy for that event,ambassadors for this type of festival, and Cameron Bailey, a film critic and festivaland the levels of presenters and nomineesthere was enough excitement and buzz to programmer who referred to the festival aswere high and we earned that stature righttake us into the next year. the bravest film festival in the world, wasoff the hop.one of many guests pleasantly surprised toLickers-Sage would serve as the executive see the small event room bursting at theFESTIVAL GROWTHseams with people, including a variety ofdirector of imagineNATIVE until 2003,By 2002, as more films continued to legendary Indigenous creatives. while also balancing her own creativelaunch, imagineNATIVE introduced year-endeavours. She began by gathering andround programming. Naomi Johnson, Co-founder Cynthia Lickers-Sage sharescurating Indigenous films from aroundKanyenkeh:ka from Six Nations and the that imagineNATIVE developed from athe world in her own Toronto apartment.current executive director, says this was a recognition that Indigenous filmmakingMy living room was filled with VHS tapespivotal moment for imagineNATIVE, as it wasnt being featured anywhere else. Aand sticky notes, she says. From an artistsencouraged any city to host and tour films member of Grand River Kanyenkeh:kaperspective, she knew there was a deep needin their own community.(Mohawk) and a visual artist from Sixfor the organization and festival, and that Nations, Lickers-Sage says that when itit would grow into something powerful forAs the festivals notoriety expanded, so did came time to launch imagineNATIVEIndigenous storytelling for years to come.the awards categories, growing from the 24 Spring/Summer 2025'