Zoe Hopkins

Zoe Leigh Hopkins is a Canadian Heiltsuk/Mohawk writer and film director who began her career in acting in 2009 and later pursued film making.

Biography

The daughter of journalist Brian Maracle,[1] Hopkins was born in British Columbia, in the Heiltsuk fishing village. She is a fluent speaker of the Mohawk language. She started working in film at the age of 15 as an actor in the film Black Robe (1991)[2]. She attended Ryerson University and received a BAA in Film in 1997. She then went on to work as an independent filmmaker directing her first short film Prayer for a Good Day (2004) starring; Christina Bomberry, Taysha Fuller and Delmor Jacobs, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Hopkins is also a part of the Embargo Collective, which is a group of seven Indigenous film makers from around the world who collaborate and challenge each other to create new, unusual films. She was selected by the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival to join this group. The majority of her films are short films, however she is transitioning to feature-length. Her feature film Running Home is currently in production after being selected by Telefilm Canada as one of the four projects to receive financial support in partnership with the ImagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival.[3]

The Embargo Collective

The Embargo Collective has happened twice. In both instances of the program Zoe Leigh Hopkins has been an active member and participant. The second Embargo Collective, named Embargo Collective II, was started due to the major success of the first Embargo Collective. The goal of this program is to provide more opportunities for Indigenous film making and collaboration within the industry of film. The program pairs both established and up and coming Aboriginal film makers together to create new and interesting short films.

Filmography
ProductionRoleYear
Black RobeActor1991
Prayer for a Good DayDirector, Writer, Producer2004
One-eyed Dogs Are FreeDirector, Writer, Producer2006
Tsi tkahéhtayen (The Garden)Director, Writer, Producer2009
Our First VoicesDirector, Writer2010
Button BlanketDirector, Writer2010
Mohawk Midnight RunnersDirector, Writer, Producer2013
The Embargo ProjectDirector2015
Kayak to KlemtuDirector, Writer2018

Awards

Hopkin's short Tsi tkahétayen (The Garden)[4] received the NSI Online Festival’s A&e Short Filmmaker’s Award. Additionally, Hopkins was the winner of the #TIFFStarWars contest for her submission "Star Wars - Trash Compactor Scene", a short which recreated the scene from the original film in the Mohawk language.[5] Her short Mohawk Midnight Runners received accolades at the NSI Online Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, SWAIA Class X, Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Yellowknife International Film Festival and the Niagara Integrated Film Festival[6] including Best Canadian Short Drama at imagineNATIVE 2013.[5]

In 2017 Hopkins won the Audience Choice award at imagineNATIVE for Kayak to Klemtu.[7]

References
  1. Laura Neilson Bonikowsky, "Brian Maracle". The Canadian Encyclopedia, April 23, 2013.
  2. Canada, National Film Board of. "NFB Films directed by Zoe L. Hopkins". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  3. "Telefilm Canada announces support of four Indigenous feature films". Telefilm Canada. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  4. "Tsi Tkahehtayen (The Garden)". National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI). 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  5. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5711573b044262398e3acb85/t/58013bb2e58c62fb5d69b244/1476475843830/iN2016_catalog_v1.30wcovers.compressed.pdf
  6. https://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/m_filmmakers/zoe-hopkins
  7. "Festival 2017 Winners — imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival". 2019-01-09. Archived from the original on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  1. "Zoe Leigh Hopkins - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  2. "Zoe Leigh Hopkins | National Museum of the American Indian". filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  3. "Artist | Vtape". vtape.org. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  4. "The Embargo Collective II | imagineNATIVE". imaginenative.org. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  5. The Embargo Collective II
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