Thirza Cuthand Residency

imagieNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and Charles Street Video (CSV) are pleased to announce that award-winning experimental Cree/Scottish filmmaker Thirza Cuthand has been selected for the 5th Annual CSV/imagineNATIVE Residency. This residency was developed to offer a mid-career or established Indigenous artist the opportunity to expand their practice and to experiment with the latest video technologies in the creation of a new short video work. Thirza will be enrolled in CSV’s workshops, receive technical support and training from CSV staff, be provided with access to CSV’s production and post-production equipment, and receive additional financial and resource support from imagineNATIVE and CSV.

”CSV is very excited about bringing Thirza’s amusing treatment to life and we look forward to seeing it develop during her residency,” says Greg Woodbury, CSV’s Operations Director. “CSV exists to support media art practice and Thirza’s track record speaks for itself. She’s exactly the right person to be working at our facility.”

Daniel Northway-Frank, imagineNATIVE’s Manager, Festival Initiatives adds, “In addition to a fresh and witty project idea, the Selection Committee recognized that, with Thirza’s skills and past experimentation, this residency would be an important step in further honing her practice with creatively versatile video equipment offered through this program.”

Cuthand, originally from Regina, Saskatchewan has been making short experimental narrative videos and films about sexuality, madness, youth, love, and race since 1995 that have screened internationally including the Tribeca Film Festival, Oberhausen Short Film Festival and imagineNATIVE. She is currently completing her MA in Media Art at Ryerson University.

Thirza’s submiited proposal, a biting and comedic Two-Spirit “how to” infomercial is rife with opportunity for new experimentation with new technology. The Residency recipient had this to say about her selection: “I am delighted to have the chance to create new work with the assistance of Charles Street Video and ImagineNATIVE! I am thankful for the recognition of the importance of Two-Spirit identities in my next video.”

This initiative continues the yearly partnership between imagineNATIVE and one of Toronto’s most respected non-profit, artist-run centres, Charles Street Video. Cuthand will premiere her new video at the 16th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, October 14-18, 2015.

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