The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has set its three-year strategic plan in place, including a second phase for the On-Screen Pathways and Protocols industry guideline.

The plan, which was released on Wednesday (Aug. 3) alongside the organization’s 2021-22 annual report, lays out the ISO’s long-term roadmap as it continues to advocate for permanent funding from the federal government.

“While we continue to build on the successes of the ISO, we know permanent funding will let storytelling through Indigenous narrative sovereignty flourish, and in turn, our communities will rebuild, restore and reclaim what has been taken,” said co-executive director Jesse Wente in a statement.

The ISO has set four strategic goals over the three-year period: leading systemic change in the Canadian screen-based industry; increasing access to Indigenous content; investing in talent; and ensuring the ISO will be a sustainable organization.

The planned second phase for Pathways and Protocols includes the development of a protocol tool kit as a supplement to the guide, supporting “industry standards for cultural, personal, and emotional safety” and taking a leadership role in eligibility considerations around Indigenous identities.

The ISO has already taken steps in that regard with the creation of a best practices guide on how to identify false claims of Indigeneity in funding programs, made in collaboration with APTN.

Other strategies under its systemic change goal include leading advocacy in the Bill C-11 talks, working with Canadian Heritage on more flexible and sustainable federal support, serving as an advocate on discussions around tax credits and CAVCO definitions, as well in talks on Indigenous funds and programs with industry partners, and building solidarity with other Indigenous organizations.

Other key strategies outlined include increasing the ISO’s presence at international film festivals and markets, supporting higher-scale productions and coproductions, creating an international strategy with Telefilm and the Canada Media Fund (CMF), further supporting industry training at all levels, and discovering new revenue streams, to name a few.

The ISO supported 162 creators and projects during the 2021/22 fiscal year, according to its annual report. The organization was allocated $13 million in federal funding for the period, which went to its programs, as well as establishing a remote team and a new application portal and website. The federal government earmarked $40.1 million over three years to the ISO, with $39 million of that available for the organization to disperse, according to a spokesperson for the ISO, and the remaining going to the Department of Canadian Heritage to administer the contribution agreement.

“Collaboration has been and will continue to be a cornerstone of our approach and key to our rapid evolution as Canada’s only independent Indigenous screen-based fund,” said co-executive director Kerry Swanson, pointing to ISO’s partnerships with Telefilm, CMF and the CMPA.

Other highlights from the annual report include the statistic that 67.18% of all projects include an Indigenous language; that 33 recipients identify as Two-Spirit, queer or bisexual; that 13 identify as an individual with a visible or non-visible disability; and that one identifies as a Deaf recipient.

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