Congratulations to Shirley Cheechoo (NSI Storytellers, Telefilm Spark Plug Program), this year’s recipient of the Reelworld Film Festival’s Visionary Award. The award recognizes industry leaders who have dedicated decades toward changing the face of Canadian film and TV.

Shirley is an award-winning Cree filmmaker, actor, writer and visual artist. Her film Bearwalker won the 2001 Reelworld Best Director Award and screened at Cannes Film Festival. She was recently announced as a new member of the Canadian Film Centre’s board of directors.

Reelworld ran from October 14 to 19. Shirley concluded the festival with a one-on-one conversation with imagineNATIVE’s Jason Ryle about how she has pushed the boundaries of the industry.