Write Over Here: Indigenous Screenwriting Residency 2025

Roxann Whitebean is a formidable media artist who hails from the Mohawk Territories of Kahnawà:ke and Akwesasne. She made her directorial debut in 2014 and is represented by Vanguarde Artists Management LTD. as a writer, director and producer. Her work can be seen on the CBC, Paramount +, CBS, APTN, TVO Kids, PBS and film festivals worldwide. She is a National Screen Institute, Women In View and Whistler Film Festival Alumni. She won the International Indigenous Filmmaker Award at the Montréal First Peoples Film Festival and is a recipient of the REVAL Indigenous Arts Award. She has been nominated for Canadian Screen awards and Hot Docs’ Lindalee Tracey Award. She was profiled in Playback Magazine and was selected as a (top 25) for the Diversity of Voices initiative, hosted by the BANFF World Media Festival. Her upcoming releases as a writer and director include Rose, Pulse (doc) & Two Horn (doc). Her work as a writer in scripted narratives include SkyMed and Diggstown4, set to be released in 2023. 

Ryan is a Cree, Native American and dual US citizen from the Little Pine Reserve as well as an international award winning writer/director. He has studied at New York’s Circle in the Square Theater School and holds a Joint MFA in Screenwriting and Film Production from The University of British Columbia as well as graduating from Netflix’s Pacific Screenwriting Program in 2021. 

He has gathered numerous international awards, grants and screenings and in 2022 was staffed as a Story Editor on the Paramount + series “Skymed” S2. He has also recently completed his first co-write for CW's "Sullivan's Crossing" and is currently repped by 3 Arts out of Beverly Hills.

Janine Windolph (Atikamekw/Woodland Cree) is a Saskatchewan-based filmmaker, video editor, educator, fine-craft artist, and storyteller. She is the Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Prior, Janine was the Curator of Community Engagement at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan. She has her Master of Fine Arts: Interdisciplinary in Indigenous Fine Art and Media Production.

Janine was a co-producer for RIIS Media Project Inc wherein she co-directed RIIS from Amnesia: Recovering the Lost Legacies (feature-length documentary) that features the history of the Regina Indian Industrial School (RIIS). 

Janine’s filmography includes roles as producer, director, narrator, writer and/or editor.  She directed Stories Are In Our Bones, Lifegivers: Honoring Our Elders and Children, The Land of Rock and Gold, Ayapiyâhk ôma niyanân “Only us, we are here at home,”

Janine is working with Buffalo Mountain Banff; a community group to Buffalo Mountain, and providing production support to the Buffalo Mountain Video Project that is part of her sons’ homeschooling.

Michelle Thrush has worked professionally in film, television and theatre for more than 35 years, with over fifty professional credits in the entertainment industry. Ms. Thrush is best known for her leading role as Gail Stoney in the APTN hit series BLACKSTONE, for which she won the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Other credits include her regular role Sky Atlantic’s drama TIN STAR, opposite Tim Roth. She also starred in the popular APTN/Showcase series MOCCASIN FLATS and starred as Kate in the comedy hit MIXED BLESSINGS. Michelle was also Sylvie Lebret in the hit CBC series NORTH OF 60 and was recurring on CBC’s ARCTIC AIR. Michelle’s most recent work can be seen in Marie Clement’s CBC series BONES OF CROWS, as well as the Crave limited series LITTLE BIRD.

Feature film credits include PREY, 20th Century Studios’ latest Predator film. AKA: JIMMY P, opposite Benicio Del Toro, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Other feature films include the award winning UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL, PATHFINDER, DON’T CALL ME TONTO, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE and DREAMKEEPER. One of Ms. Thrush`s most memorable experiences were working opposite Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer in the feature film DEADMAN directed by Jim Jarmusch. Ms. Thrush was recentely honoured with the 2023 Lieutenant Governor Distinguished Artist of Alberta Award. 

She continues to write, direct, and produce theatre, and has played many leading roles across Canada. She is a founding member, actor and past Artistic Director of MAKING TREATY 7 CULTURAL SOCIETY. She tours extensively through North America with her one-woman show INNER ELDER, which has been touring in Canada to sold out audiences and will be a part of the Indigenous Season at The National Arts Centre in Ottawa in April 2024. Ms Thrush was awarded the August Schellenberg Award of Excellence in November 2019 by the imagineNATIVE Film Institute for her body of work and involvement in mentorship and community work. She was also presented the Betty Mitchell Award for INNER ELDER in 2018 for Outstanding Actress and was nominated in two other categories including Best Overall Production. In 2018 Ms Thrush also directed Honour Beat at a Theatre Calgary. Her work with youth and children is her greatest passion with characters such as “Majica”, the Aboriginal Healing Clown and “Kookum Martha”, a sprite old Indian Elder. Michelle explains laughter is a natural part of her culture. 

The mother of two wonderful daughters, Michelle and her family are currently residing in Calgary, Alberta.

Jennifer Podemski is a director, writer, producer, and actor. Hailing from Toronto but calling Barrie, Ontario, her home, Jennifer's artistic journey has been shaped by her rich Anishinaabe (First Nation) and Ashkenazi (Jewish) heritage. 

A registered member of Muscowpetung Saulteux Nation in Saskatchewan, Jennifer has dedicated her career to amplifying authentic Indigenous stories and perspectives through her work as a storyteller.

Jennifer's acting career took flight with a standout performance as Sadie in Bruce McDonald's iconic film, Dance Me Outside. This breakthrough role garnered critical acclaim and solidified her position as a prominent figure in Canada's film and television canon.

Committed to addressing the underrepresentation of Indigenous voices in the entertainment industry, Jennifer pivoted to producing in 1999. She co-founded Big Soul Productions, a ground-breaking Indigenous-owned and operated full-service film and television production and post-production company. The company went on to produce an array of compelling content, including documentary television series, scripted short films, and the highly praised, all-Indigenous dramatic television series, Moccasin Flats, which aired on Showcase Television and APTN.

In 2005, Jennifer branched out independently, establishing Redcloud Studios Inc., where she continues to create, produce, write, and direct remarkable content. Notable works under her belt include five seasons of the captivating paranormal television series, The Other Side, and the award-winning feature film, Empire of Dirt, dramatic series Rabbit Fall and Unsettled, award winning documentary series Future History and most recently, the award-winning, critically acclaimed limited series Little Bird for Crave and APTN.

Alongside her career as a director and producer, Jennifer has maintained a presence on screen as an actor most notably on shows like Degrassi TNG, Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, Blackstone, Hard Rock Medical, Cardinal, the new Crave comedy series Don’t Even, and the debut feature film from directors Eva Thomas and Ryan Cooper. Among her proudest achievements is her leading role in Empire of Dirt, which earned her a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and recognition for Best Screenplay, breaking barriers for Indigenous women in the industry.

Beyond her artistic endeavors, Jennifer's passion for empowering Indigenous voices led her to establish The Shine Network Institute in 2020, a Canadian not for profit dedicated to advancing the careers of Indigenous women within the screen, media, and creative arts sectors.
Jennifer continues to build capacity and strive for equity and inclusion of Indigenous people within Canada’s screen sector.

Photo by Doug Bedard