Celebrating 36 Brand New Films from the Empowered Filmmaker Program

TELUS STORYHIVE Empowered Filmmaker is an inclusive, Indigenous-focused film program that provides training, equipment and mentorship to Indigenous communities across B.C. and Alberta.

From May to June 2025, lead instructor and professional filmmaker Farhan Umedaly travelled to 100 Mile House (Williams Lake) and Prince George, B.C., as well as Fort McMurray and Lethbridge, Alberta, to deliver five-day intensive filmmaking workshops. These sessions equipped new and emerging filmmakers with the skills and confidence to tell their stories on screen — and most participants started with no prior experience.

Each workshop wrapped up with a community film festival celebration, complete with awards, camera giveaways and an incredible showcase of local talent.

We’re honoured and thrilled to celebrate the achievements of these filmmakers and their often personal and powerful projects. We’re committed to elevating their work and can’t wait to see where their newfound skills take them next.

Explore all 36 new short films created through this year’s program, now streaming on TELUS Optik TV channel 9, Stream+ and STORYHIVE’s YouTube channel. 

100 Mile House, British Columbia

• Before The Voice | Mia Lum

• Between Bloodlines | Nikki Fosbery

• Consent For Touch |  Garfield Crooks

• Embittered | Angel Mitchell & Krista Phillips

• From The River To The Sea | Zaynab Mohammed, Lesley Garlow

• My Family Connection | Andrea Boyce

• My Story | Ruben Christopher, Floyd Dick

• The Water That Carries Me | Dawn McGrath

• What Is Wealth? | Nuskmata Jacinda Mack, Bev Sellars

• Who Does Your Belly Button Belong To? | Demian Pettman

Prince George, British Columbia

• Sonyia’s Story | Sonyia Rock

• Soft | Jada Jean

• Rockstar Kids Indigenous Arts Program | Niska Napoleon

• Reconciliation | Curtis Dunsdon, Pamela Morgan, Bernice Provencal, Ruby Baptiste, Carlin Haines

• Healing With Resilience | Stephanie Holmes, Kristen Bob

• Good Medicine | Ola Bandele, Meagan Howard-Gibbon, Julian Lowley, David Sikobe

• Generational Healing | Jennifer Sewepagaham

Fort McMurray, Alberta

• What Does Healing Look Like For You | Nicole Gordon

• The Queen Of Flame | Cherie Brauner

• The Land Remembers | Rose Minde, Chloe Minde

• In Unity We Stand | Wilma Cardinal

• Fragmented Portion | Beatrice Love

• Echoes of the Range | Shirley, Kolton Lazaruk

• As Long As The Sun Shines | Tasheena Campbell

Lethbridge, Alberta

• A Message From White Buffalo Horn | Roger Prairiechicken, Farhan Umedaly 

• Blind Ambition | Joey Sugai

• Fighting As Ceremony | Ashley Clearsky

• Marlene Eaglespeaker, Solomon Merasty

• Friends | Taylor Bull

• Her Hands | Deborah Kelman, Kellita Daychief

• Reclaiming Our Lives | Eden Szoke, Margaret Potts

• See You On The Other Side | Janet Johnson, Lauren Watson

• The Divine Mirror | Kari Bayley, Billi-J Heavy Shields

• The People Under The Bridge | Jory Charlebois, June Many Grey Horses, Aaron Devine

Learn more at empoweredfilmmaker.com and stay tuned for applications opening for the 2026 programs.