Darlene Naponse

Darlene Naponse built a career bridging feature film, short narratives, and documentary work grounded in Anishinaabe perspectives. Born January 1973, she is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and director. Her breakthrough came with Falls Around Her, which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and won the Air Canada Audience Choice Award at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in October 2018. Before that, she directed short films including Retrace (2002) and She Is Water (2010), plus features Cradlesong (2003) and Every Emotion Costs (2010). In 2017, she was shortlisted as a Journey Prize finalist for her short story adaptation of "She Is Water". More recent work includes Stellar, which entered production in 2021 and premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and Aki, which premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival with a gala screening at the 2025 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. A member of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation near Sudbury, Ontario, she serves as part-time faculty in the Department of English at Laurentian University. As a Capricorn, she channels ambitious, structured creativity; her life-path 22 suggests a master builder archetype. Screenwriters shape narrative across formats—film, television, and adaptation—crafting dialogue, structure, and thematic depth. Canadian filmmakers operate within a distinct production ecosystem, with major festivals like Toronto International Film Festival serving as industry anchors.