One of the most impressive film festivals on Turtle Island (A.K.A North America) has been going on for 25 years in Toronto, home of the best sporting franchises on the planet (not up for debate, thank you). The imagineNATIVE 25 Film Festival may be up north, but thanks to its exquisite virtual version, it can be enjoyed anywhere on the planet. So as much as I long to get back to Toronto again, I did this fest virtually way south, near the Tohono O’odham Nation, a particularly rocking part of the turtle.
At the imagineNATIVE 25 Film Festival, filmmakers hail from all over the world, from the ever-amazing tribes in Canada to the always surprising New Zealand Māori and all the original peoples everywhere else in between. The festival is the world’s largest cinema celebration of indigenous stories, which is now celebrating its silver jubilee. As an avid enthusiast of what has been coming out from the indigenous indie scene recently, I was way eager to see what this fest had to offer. Even as enthusiastic as I was coming in, nothing prepared me for the level of maverick craft on display in this outstanding selection.
Laura Ortman and Jock Soto move across a sun-drenched, snow-covered peak in Nanobah Becker’s Eyes Twirl Rounds.
“…the perfect marriage of tradition and rebellion, simmering in cigarette smoke.”
The powerhouse talent in this festival heralds a new school of filmmaking that harkens back to the old school. This is as good as it used to be in the indie scene decades ago, when indie also meant insane. You used to get the most outlandish creations in the old fests, as a lot of the artists then never left the fringe. Even with a lot of legacy festivals going commercial, there are still some unusually visionary programs out there, waiting to blow your dome.
The imagineNATIVE 25 Film Festival was one such dome blower, getting me further back to the strange days than any mere nostalgia ever could. There were times when you could squint and feel like you were back in a Lower East Side club, waiting for the latest short by Richard Kern. This was especially true in the shot on 16 mm, The Fourth World Problems Collective, a transgressive short that is the perfect marriage of tradition and rebellion, simmering in cigarette smoke.
Of course there were several shorts that not only push the sexual envelope, they lick the living s**t out of it. I am looking at you, Chatterbox, the magical singing p***y show that will plant itself in your pants and never leave. I am also looking at you, Cherries, the film that takes the Leonard Cohen lyric about “the shy one at an orgy” and takes it to cinematic heights of hilarious minimalism.
After getting all sweaty from the saucy shorts, you may want to chill out with something really ethereal. This is where Mann’s Sparks comes in, as it is so chill it is arctic. A pantheon of scenes from Michael Mann movies set to dreamy synth pop, it is one of the most soothing experimental film experiences you could find.
Kopu (Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas), the vessel of a war god, prepares for a sacred moment in Ka Whawhai Tonu (Struggle Without End).
“This is more than good programming; this is a movement.”
If you want to increase your experimental dose, check out the short Eyes Twirl Rounds. This is the next level of sensation, just ask the glowing fuchsia icicle next to the great Laura Ortman. Of course, some people can’t get enough of a good thing, which is exactly the crowd for the experimental epic Gutz and Glitz. Not only do the plates keep spinning throughout its past an hour runtime, those plates then launch into space with the most engaging feature length experimental feature I have seen.
The experiments performed during the imagineNATIVE 25 Film Festival are not just surreal, they are highly successful (And successful when high). Nowhere is this more true than in the astounding work of art that is Circles. This is an experimental animated short that is so out there you will need stairs to get back down. It astounded me at every nerve end, giving me the same feeling I would get from early R.E.M. albums.
Before you get the idea that this is an adults-only indigenous experience, please know there is fun for the kids as well. The Queen’s Flowers is a darling piece of short animation from Hawaii that will wow children and adults alike. More great family fare is Pititi (Peaches) from New Zealand, sort of a Maori Dennis the Menace style short that is very entertaining.
“…you will not believe what acts you will be cheering on at the end of this one.”
And if you have teenagers, you should set them in front of Ka Whawhai Tonu (Struggle Without End). They may groan to find it takes place during the New Zealand wars way back when, but with its teenage protagonists and its stylish defiance, it will become their new favorite movie. Then you can send them all to bed and stay up for the midnight fare.
Those old enough to remember the havoc of the 90s will definitely take a shine to E.V. Native, as it is a raw and bloody short about those who choose to live outside polite society. For feature-length high-end exploitation done in an indigenous style, you cannot get much better than the incredibly inappropriate crowd-pleaser Seeds. You will not believe what acts you will be cheering on at the end of this one.
While I was expecting a lot of good films by native filmmakers, this festival had the highest percentage of 9s and 10s of any festival I have visited in over two decades. This is more than good programming; this is a movement. I will be at the imagineNATIVE Film Festival again next year, hopefully in person, as it just doesn’t get any better than this.
