Victoria Anderson-Gardner/ Photo Credits To Morningstar-Derosier
A top honour for Ojibwe Filmmaker Victoria Anderson-Gardner.
Gardner, is the winner of the 15 thousand dollar Glen Gould Protégé Prize from the City of Toronto.
“I feel like I’m getting recognition that I didn’t think that would be possible, just because I’m from such a small place I wasn’t sure how far my film career would actually go. There’s a lot of people I have to thank for the support for getting me to this place. One of those people is my friend Daniel Roher. I don’t think I would be at this place without him, he has definitely helped guide me to here. On top of that and everyone I want to thank, it’s just an honour and I feel proud for my family.”
Gardner says she’ll carry this award with her for the rest of her life.
“It’s a very prestigious prize, that was gifted to me from Alanis Obomsawin who is one of my idol filmmakers. So to get that award given to me from her, that in itself, the fact that she even knows who I am, I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.”
Gardner’s role as director of the short documentary “Becoming Nakuset” (featured on CBC short docs and linked below) helped earn her the award.
The film features a woman on a journey to rediscover her Indigenous roots and identity, after she was taken from her home at a young age and raised to be Jewish.
“She has a very powerful presence, such a presence in a room. It was so amazing to meet her. Honestly, she really reminded me of my own Mom in a lot of ways, just because my Mom was also a part of the 60’s scoop so I felt like I almost knew her in a sense as well, on a deeper level. I was just really open she was so open and vulnerable with us, like with the story. It’s a hard topic to talk about, with anyone, let alone speaking on camera and with a whole crew around. So, I’m really grateful that she was so willing to share her story.”
Now working and living in Thunder Bay, Gardner just got grant approval to direct her first first feature film “Tenaya”, with hopes to return to Toronto in the future.
About Victoria Anderson-Gardner
Gardner is an award winning Ojibwe filmmaker from Eagle Lake First Nation, Ontario and completed a thesis film for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree under the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University. Gardner is focused on creating Indigenous content, showcasing underrepresented communities and using their skills as a filmmaker to educate and inspire.
To stay updated with Gardner’s future film projects, she can be found on all social media platforms @goforvictoria.
Full release about the Glen Gould Protégé Prize winner.
To hear more about Victoria Anderson-Gardner, “Becoming Nakuset” and future projects, listen to the full interview below.
