TORONTO: The Toronto International Film Festival featured a record number of films made by Indigenous people in Canada this year, a milestone celebrated by Indigenous artists who say the industry has long sidelined their voices.

Several premieres featuring Ind­igenous talent were sold out, according to TIFF. Bretten Hannam, a L’nu filmmaker living in Nova Scotia, hopes the audience appetite will continue. “Our voices have always been there, and people just haven’t been listening. And now there is space for that,” said Hannam.

Hannam is “two-spirit,” a term used by Indigenous people in Canada that encompasses male, female, and non-conforming expressions of gender and sexuality.

Some 15 years ago, Hannam recalls being asked to change the race or sexuality of their Indigenous characters, and to focus on a different area of writing. “It’s been a long journey, a long struggle,” Hannam said in an interview.

Their film, Sk+te’kmujue’katik (At the Place of Ghosts),” follows two brothers’ journey to avenge spirits that haunt them from their childhood, while exploring Mi’kmaw culture and the colonial history of Canada’s east coast.

TIFF’s International Programmer of Canadian features, Kelly Boutsalis, said the record lineup that includes two shorts and eight feature films spotlights directors who identify as Indigenous and sets a precedent.

“It feels really good for the state of Indigenous film, that it can be this robust,” said Boutsalis, who is Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. “We tried to take the best, but there’s so many more.”

The Indigenous Screen Office, the main advocacy and funding body for Indigenous screen content in Canada, supported the eight films in the festival.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2025