Niki Little has stepped down as artistic director of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Little has left the position to “pursue new opportunities and to be closer to home and family in Manitoba,” according to imagineNATIVE.

“I am deeply appreciative that I got to collaborate with Indigenous artists who continue to assert their stories undeniably impacting cultural and political spheres with their forward-thinking,” said Little in a statement. “Chi-miigwech to the Team at imagineNATIVE, especially co-conspirators Naomi Johnson and the programming team who leaned into curiousity and vulnerability to continue the incredible work imagineNATIVE does. To the artists, miikwehc for trusting us with your work. It has been a true honour to work alongside you all, and I look forward to seeing the continued growth of the organization.”

The festival will begin the process to find a new artistic director in the near future, a spokesperson for imagineNATIVE told Playback Daily.

Little is of Anishininew and English descent from Kistiganwacheeng, the Garden Hill First Nation, in North Manitoba.

She joined the imagineNATIVE – named the world’s largest Indigenous film festival – in 2019 as artistic director, taking over the position from Jason Ryle as he was promoted to executive director. Ryle would eventually depart the festival in 2020, with associate director Naomi Johnson taking over as executive director.

Little co-founded the Winnipeg-based art collective The Ephemerals before joining imagineNATIVE.

“In 2019, Niki and I started with imagineNATIVE, she as artistic director, and myself as associate director. In 2020 we both took on the roles as the organization’s artistic and administrative leads, planning for programming, events, and a festival during a global pandemic,” said Johnson.

“In that time, Niki has demonstrated perseverance, adaptability, and creativity with what imagineNATIVE could be and do in one of the most challenging years for us all. In 2021, Niki demonstrated these attributes once again admirably, helping to foster a team dynamic that saw us through another primarily digital offering of the festival, as well as some unique and special in-person screenings. On behalf of the board and staff of imagineNATIVE, we wish her the very best with her future endeavours.”

Image of Niki Little at the 2021 imagineNATIVE opening night gala, courtesy of imagineNATIVE