imagineNATIVE

Buffy Sainte-Marie
to be a special guest at
the annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Save the Date • October 19 – 23, 2011

Five days of Indigenous film, video, radio, new media, art, entertainment and so much more.
www.imagineNATIVE.org

(Toronto) – The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is thrilled to announce that legendary artist Buffy Sainte-Marie will headline The Beat music night and participate as a special guest at a panel discussion as part of its 12th annual festivities!

Ms. Sainte-Marie’s engagements kick off at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 on Friday, October 21 at 7PM for an intimate and free “In Discussion With Buffy” panel, which will span her triumphs and achievements. Celebrated musician, Academy Award winner, and new media artist, Ms. Sainte-Marie will discuss her incredible journey to becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed Indigenous musicians, her experiences as a pioneer of new media art, and what is in store for her future.

Continuing on Saturday, October 23 at 7PM (tickets $15 – $20) Buffy Sainte-Marie headlines The Beat, presented by Slaight Music, at the Phoenix Concert Hall. imagineNATIVE is thrilled to have Slaight Music as the new presenter of this event, and a new Gold Level sponsor of imagineNATIVE. Slaight Music’s mandate is to support the Canadian music community through various initiatives, and to develop Canadian talent via strategic partnerships with industry peers. Gary Slaight, CEO of Slaight Music, says of the new partnership, “We are honoured to play a role in the development of Indigenous Canadian Artists and excited about this new relationship with imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.”

One of the premier annual Indigenous music events in Toronto, The Beat will feature a program of international music videos and an electrifying performance by Buffy Sainte-Marie. The evening will also feature the premiere of a youth-made video project inspired by Buffy’s legacy, and an opening performance by local singer Lena Recollet.

“imagineNATIVE is incredibly pleased to have Buffy Sainte-Marie – a true Indigenous icon – at this year’s festival,” says Jason Ryle, Executive Director. “As an artist she continues to create work that inspires and challenges, and which has made a lasting impact in so many genres of Indigenous arts. As we make our move to the TIFF Bell Lightbox, we are very pleased to be able to share with our new and loyal audiences the talent and insight of one of the world’s most recognized and respected Indigenous artists.”

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE, BY PHONE AND IN PERSON STARTING OCTOBER 3, Complete details at www.imagineNATIVE.org

The Beat Tickets: $20 ($15 students/seniors/underemployed)

About Buffy Sainte-Marie
By the mid 1970s, Buffy Sainte-Marie had appeared all over Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia, receiving numerous honours, medals and awards. Throughout her career, Buffy has made immense contributions to the success and evolution of Indigenous arts and rights known as a Native American international activist pop star. She has been appointed Honourary Doctor five times in Laws, Humanities, Letters and Music, at top universities across Canada; received a Lifetime Achievement award from the American Indian College Fund; won an Academy Award in 1982 for the song Up Where We Belong; and won a Gemini Award for her 1996 variety special, Up Where We Belong.
Buffy Sainte-Marie emerged with the folk music era in the 1970s, although her diverse songs have become international classics in the worlds of country, rock, rap, jazz and pop, and have been covered by Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Courtney Love and Barbra Streisand. Buffy Sainte-Marie is recognized in the JUNO Hall of Fame and in 2009 Buffy won her third Juno Award for Best Aboriginal Recording and Music DVD of the Year, for her eighteenth album Running for the Drum, which included the DVD A MultiMedia Life; that September she was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. In July 2010, Buffy released a compilation of unreleased tracks The Pathfinder – Buried Treasures and is now touring in Canada, America and Europe.

About the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
imagineNATIVE is an international festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples at the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio, and new media. Each October, the festival presents a selection of the most compelling and distinctive Indigenous works from around the globe. The festival’s screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events attract and connect filmmakers, media artists, programmers, buyers, and industry professionals. The works accepted reflect the diversity of the world’s Indigenous nations and illustrate the vitality and excellence of our art and culture in contemporary media.
The 12th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival takes place October 19-23, 2011.

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