MCC Presents: MATINEE FILM DAY! Featuring ImagineNATIVE Tour Family Shorts

Bring your family for an exceptional, entertaining and lively series of FAMILY SHORTS from the 2026 imagineNATIVE Tour programs. This is a free or Pay What You Wish event, with proceeds supporting Midland Cultural Centre's free community programming. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase. RSVP to secure your free ticket, or just drop in!

WHAT FILMS ARE INCLUDED? 

• Niwahkohmahkanis - Director: Zoey Roy (Cree, Dene, Metis)
• The Wild Sheriff - Director: Sarah Houle (Cree, Metis)
• Migizi Makes A Deal With Gzhemnidoo - Director: Esbikenh (Anishinaabe)
• Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure - Director/Writer/Producer: Alan Syliboy (Mi'kmaq)
• Nenaboozhoo - Director: Isaac Murdoch (Anishinaabe)

The imagineNATIVE Tour is imagineNATIVE's largest year-round initiative outside of our annual Festival. The imagineNATIVE Tour brings Indigenous-made film works and community engagement activities to communities across Turtle Island (Canada), curated for:

• Schools (including elementary, high school, and post-secondary)
• Workplaces
• Institutions
• Libraries
• Youth programs
• Friendship centres
• Community groups

This touring series of films offers a selection of Indigenous works from across Canada that were part of the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Official Selection.

More about each film: 

Niwahkohmahkanis
Director: Zoey Roy (Cree, Dene, Metis)
Co-Writers: Cindy Horner (Métis), Maleah Horner (Métis), Maxine Roy (Dene),
Akira Horner (Métis), Maria Campbell (Cree Métis)
Canada | 2024 | 4 min

“Niwahkohmahkanis” shines a light on the love children have for their
grandmothers and the special relationship they share.
Zoey Roy, PhD, has a passion for bringing community-based knowledge to
life through collective songwriting. She believes people in the grassroots not
only have the answers but that they are the answer.

The Wild Sheriff
Director: Sarah Houle (Cree, Metis)
Writers: Shane Ghostkeeper (Cree Métis/Saulteaux), Vittal Ghostkeeper (Cree
Métis/Saulteaux)
Producer: Kaytlyn Turner
Canada | 2025 | 12 min

Content Warning: Violence, Fake Gun Shot
A violent storm is brewing as two powerful forces are about to collide. The
orphaned Wild Sheriff seeks to bring order as he wrestles with his inner chaos.
Sarah Houle is an artist and performer from Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement
in Northern Alberta.

Migizi Makes A Deal With Gzhemnidoo
Director: Esbikenh (Anishinaabe)
Canada | 2025 | 13 min

A visually striking 2D animated Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) short celebrating
the importance of Indigenous language and tradition — an engaging
Anishinaabe story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Esbikenh is an Anishinaabe from Bkejwanong Territory of the Mzhiikenh
Dodem (Turtle Clan). He’s a teacher of the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)
language.

Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Hunting Adventure
Director/Writer/Producer: Alan Syliboy (Mi'kmaq)
Co-Producer: Stephanie Joline (Inuk)
Canada | 2025 | 9 min

Rooted in Mi′kmaw storytelling, this animated short follows two young friends
whose eel-fishing trip becomes a lesson in courage, problem-solving, and
cultural connection.
Alan Syliboy is a Mi′kmaq artist from Millbrook whose petroglyph-inspired
work has elevated Indigenous art.

Nenaboozhoo
Director/Producer: Isaac Murdoch (Anishnaabe)
Writer: Danielle Boissoneau (Anishnaabe)
Producers: Tyler Young, Danny Silver, Dong Chang, Christopher Johnson
Canada | 2025 | 15 min Anishinaabemowin | Dramatic Short

A traditionally animated in-language Anishinaabe story of how the arrow got
its feathers.
Isaac Murdoch is a renowned Indigenous artist and activist who shares the
culture of First Nations through powerful storytelling