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Reclaiming the Screen
Indigenous stories at F1RST
How an Indigenous film festival is bringing stories, voices and communities into focus.
For two years running, audiences have gathered to experience stories that have long been absent or underrepresented from the screen.
During F1RST: A Celebration of Indigenous Film, cinema becomes a space for connection and cultural expression.
Presented by the Victoria Film Festival, F1RST is a growing platform for Indigenous storytelling and creative freedom.
The festival brings together a wide range of films, from contemporary dramas and documentaries to animation and romance, all created by Indigenous storytellers sharing perspectives grounded in lived experience, culture and community.
Reflecting on the 2025 festival, Sushil Saini, Manager of Strategic Initiatives at the Victoria Foundation, describes the experience of watching films like Saints and Warriors and Sweet Summer Pow Wow as deeply impactful.
“It’s one thing to hear Indigenous stories, but to see them on screen with the music and the tone of voice, it was incredibly moving,” she says.
Saints and Warriors, for example, is a documentary set in Haida Gwaii that explores the deep connection between basketball and community identity.
The film traces how, during a time when Indigenous cultural gatherings were restricted, sport became one of the few ways people could come together.
F1RST also reaches beyond film screenings through Q and A sessions, masterclasses and panel discussions.
By bringing together filmmakers, students and audiences, the festival creates space for important conversations about representation and the future of cinema.
Narrative sovereignty
Akira Iahtail, who is Cree, Métis and Mushkegowuk from Treaty Nine at Attawapiskat First Nation, has worked in film programming for the past five years. She describes her path into the industry as unexpected yet deeply meaningful.
When she began working in film programming in 2021, she had little exposure to Indigenous cinema and rarely saw herself represented on screen. That absence, she explains, has been a shared reality for many Indigenous people.
Today, lahtail sees a shift, especially through her work with Victoria Film Festival and F1RST. “When we’re all watching these films together, we’re going through the same wave of emotions,” she says. “It feels like we’re at a time of equality where we’re all feeling the same thing.”
Supporting the work
For the Victoria Foundation, supporting F1RST is part of a broader commitment to reconciliation rooted in humility and ongoing learning.
Through the Indigenous Priorities Fund, the Foundation was able to provide financial support for the festival.
As Victoria Film Festival Program Manager Mark Hoyne explains, “It is hard and expensive to run a festival. To bring in guests and do these things takes a lot, and the support makes that possible.” The Indigenous Priorities Fund is designed to ensure that funding decisions are guided by Indigenous voices and community priorities.
“The Foundation’s investment really signals trust from the community in the vision and the importance of Indigenous-led storytelling,” he says.
At the end of 2024, $16,100 was granted to the Victoria Film Festival to support F1RST through the Indigenous Priorities Fund. In 2025, an additional $6,440 was granted through top-up funding.
In the photo above, Saints and Warriors director Patrick Shannon leads a storytelling class for emerging filmmakers. Photo courtesy of Luke Scanlon.
Looking ahead
As F1RST continues to grow, its impact is felt on and off the screen.
Creating space for Indigenous stories to be seen, for communities to come together and for audiences to engage with newfound perspectives is crucial in advancing reconciliation.
To learn more about F1RST: A Celebration of Indigenous Film visit: www.victoriafilmfestival.com/festival/f1rst-indigenous-films/