imagineNATIVE 2027 Opens Call for Indigenous XR, Game and Interactive Art
Call overview
Canada’s imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has opened submissions for its 2027 edition. The Toronto festival presents Film + Video, Digital + Interactive and Audio works by Indigenous artists. In-person programming runs June 1–6, 2027, followed by online programming June 7–13. This notice focuses on its Digital + Interactive category.
Who is eligible
The festival requires an Indigenous director and an Indigenous writer and/or key producer. Joint creative roles are subject to additional clarification under the artistic policies. Works do not have to deal explicitly with Indigenous themes, and productions of different budget levels may be considered. The submission rules accept works in any language; works with dialogue must provide English captioning or subtitles for presentation.
Media, format and project status
Digital + Interactive categories include virtual, augmented and mixed reality (VR, AR, MR), video games, immersive projection and dome work, and branching or choose-your-own-adventure experiences. The festival also has separate Film + Video and Audio strands. Projects completed in 2025, 2026 or 2027 are generally within the stated period. Rough cuts and projects still in production may be entered with a planned completion date.
Deadline and fees
Regular submission deadline: January 3, 2027. The official timetable and FilmFreeway list a free early-bird window through October 16, 2026, followed by a CAD 5 regular submission fee from October 17. Another entry in the organizer’s FAQ instead says October 10 for the free period; therefore the fee shown by the submission portal is authoritative when applying.
How to submit
Applications are submitted online through FilmFreeway, with an individual entry and preview material for each work. Credits and the roles of Indigenous key creatives must be recorded accurately. Final exhibition arrangements, captions, technical material and programme eligibility are governed by the organizer’s current artistic policies.
Official submissions and artistic policies
This article provides a summary. To avoid misunderstandings, please be sure to check the official page for full details.
Information verified: 2026-10-11
Our competition
The Aion Digital Art Prize also accepts eligible digital artworks that have previously been exhibited or awarded. The linked competition page is in Japanese.
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