Four Sheets To The Wind
A Film By Sterlin Harjo
Opens the 8th Annual
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Wed. Oct. 17
This screening is presented by CTV globemedia

This film was honoured with a Special Jury Prize for Acting at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for Torontonian Tamara Podemski, marking not only the first time a Native North American has won an award for acting at Sundance, but also a first for any Canadian actress.

Tamara Podemski will be in Toronto and available for interviews,
as well as Director Sterlin Harjo and actor Cody Lightning.

Opening the 8th Annual five-day imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will be the Canadian premiere (and Sundance hit) FOUR SHEETS TO THE WIND, the feature debut by Sterlin Harjo. A wonderfully crafted, fresh and delightful film that tells the story of Cufe Smallhill (Cody Lightning) who in the midst of mourning his father’s recent passing, realizes he is compelled to explore the world outside the reservation and find a more fulfilling life. His sister, Miri (Tamara Podemski) comes from Tulsa for the funeral and invites Cufe to visit her in the big city, opening the door to his new world.

A multi-disciplinary artist, born and raised in Toronto and now living in Los Angeles,Tamara Podemski calls upon her Ojibway/Israeli roots to inspire her art. The acting has spanned across all mediums with such credits as Dance Me Outside, The Rez, Ready Or Not, North of 60, Moose TV, New Amsterdam, numerous theatre productions, and, most notably, as member of the Original Canadian Cast of RENT (she also played Maureen in the Broadway Company of RENT). Tamara is the lead singer of SPIRIT NATION, and recently garnered four nominations for her latest self-titled album, TAMARA. MEEGWETCH, a music video of Tamara’s collected awards both in the US and Canada including a Best Female Artist recognition from the 2006 Aboriginal Music Awards.

Also screening on opening night is the world premiere of renowned Canadian author Thomas King’s video short I’M NOT THE INDIAN YOU HAD IN MIND. Produced by Big Soul Productions, this spoken word video explores the stereotypical portrayal of First Nations people in the media and offers insight into how First Nations people today are changing old ideas and empowering themselves in the greater community.

Thomas King was born in Sacramento, CA and is of Cherokee, German and Greek descent. He has a PhD in Literature and American Studies and has taught Native Studies at the University of California, the University of Lethbridge, and at the University of Minnesota, where he was also Chair of American Indian Studies. King is currently a professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph. In addition to teaching, Thomas King is a published author. His numerous works include novels, poems, anthologies and radio scripts.

“The imagineNATIVE Festival is a unique opportunity for Indigenous artists from across the globe to share stories past, present and future using contemporary media,” says imagineNATIVE Interim Executive Director Kerry Swanson. “Audiences of all backgrounds will be challenged, surprised and inspired by the diverse and innovative work on offer.”

This year’s festival offers more than 125 works by Indigenous people at the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio and new media, running from October 17 through the 21.

imagineNATIVE, in partnership with the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) presents SHAPESHIFTERS, TIME TRAVELLERS AND STORYTELLERS, a BMO Financial Group Presentation. The exhibit is the first ICC-organized exhibition in the Roloff Beny Gallery in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. This thought-provoking exhibition features new and existing works by eight leading contemporary Aboriginal artists: Suvinai Ashoona, Faye HeavyShield, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Isuma Productions (Zacharia Kunuk and Norman Cohn), Biran Jungen, Nadia Myre, Kent Monkman and American artist Alan Michelson. Five of the eight works have been created specifically for this exhibition. Incorporating evocative objects from the Museum’s collections, the exhibition features video, sound, sculpture, drawings, painting and performance art to explore the ways in which past and present continue to merge and shape one another. Co-curated by Candice Hopkins and Kerry Swanson in partnership with the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, SHAPESHIFTERS, TIME TRAVELLERS AND STORYTELLERS will be on display from October 6th, 2007 to February 28th, 2008.

As part of the exhibit, imagineNATIVE will host two special live performances in conjunction with the ROM’s Friday nights program. On Friday, October 5, 2007, Vancouver-based artist Peter Morin will perform A Return to the Place Where God Outstretched his Hands, co-presented by Winnipeg’s Urban Shaman Gallery (through the supports of the Canada Council for the Arts), On Friday, October 19, 2007, Kent Monkman, in the guise of his infamous alter-ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, will perform Séance as part of the imagineNATIVE Festival.
Both performances will take place at 7 pm in the Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court on the main floor of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.

About the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is an international festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples at the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio, and new media. Each fall in Toronto, the festival presents a selection of the most compelling, distinctive Indigenous works from around the globe. The festival’s screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events attract and connect filmmakers, media artists, programmers, buyers, and industry professionals. The accepted woks reflect the diversity of the world’s Indigenous nations and illustrate the vitality and excellence of our art and cultures in contemporary media. www.imagineNATIVE.org

Tickets are available starting October 1st at the Festival Box Office at the Manulife Centre (main floor, north entrance) 55 Bloor Street West (southeast corner of Bloor and Bay).