October 11 update
imagineNATIVE's official page still displays two different no-fee cutoff dates. Its fee FAQ says the free period ran through October 10, which has now passed, while another answer on the same page says the no-fee early-bird period continues through October 16. Entrants should check the live FilmFreeway form before relying on either statement.
Submissions remain open for the 2027 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, covering film and video, digital and interactive work, and audio projects led by Indigenous creators. The regular period is listed as October 17, 2026, through January 3, 2027, with a $5 CAD fee.
Featured photo: Nirvana Studios – Custom Circus, showing a film crew setting up camera and sound equipment, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. The image is illustrative and is not connected to imagineNATIVE.
Why it matters
The call reaches beyond conventional films. Indigenous artists can submit episodic work, music videos, games, XR, projections, podcasts, sound art, and other media. imagineNATIVE also accepts rough cuts and projects with prior festival premieres, making the opportunity relevant to work at different stages and with different release histories.
Who and what can be submitted
imagineNATIVE says the director must be Indigenous and the writer and/or producer must also be Indigenous. Joint creative positions may be considered under the festival's artistic-policy rules, with Indigenous artists holding a meaningful co-key creative role.
- Film and video: features, shorts, experimental work, episodic projects, and music videos.
- Digital and interactive: AR, VR, mixed reality, games, immersive projections, and choose-your-own-adventure projects.
- Audio: soundscapes, sound art, radio plays, audiobooks, and podcasts.
Works in any language may be submitted. Accepted non-English projects need English subtitles or closed captions. The festival generally accepts work created in 2025, 2026, or 2027 for the 2027 edition.
The fee-date conflict remains unresolved
The official submissions page currently says both that the free period ended October 10 and that it continues through October 16. It also displays an older late-period row using 2025–26 dates. Because the page has not resolved those contradictions, entrants should treat the live submission form and direct confirmation from the festival as controlling.
One award-specific timing rule
Accepted live-action narrative shorts under 40 minutes are considered for the festival's Academy Award-qualifying Live Action Short Award. For the 2027 festival, the official FAQ says those shorts must have been completed on or after October 1, 2026. That restriction is specific to award eligibility and should not be mistaken for the general submission-year guidance.
Review the live submission page and artistic policies →
Primary source
Update note
Originally published October 3 and updated October 11, 2026. The shorter published no-fee cutoff has passed, but the official page still gives a second cutoff of October 16. Spotlight News has preserved the discrepancy instead of guessing which date controls.