COUSIN is a collective supporting Indigenous artists expanding the form of film. We are building an Indigenous-led film movement. We create work that is personal, proudly provocative and driven by strong, artistic voices. We celebrate this work and get it made, seen and shared.
Founded in 2018 by Sky Hopinka, Adam Khalil, Alexandra Lazarowich and Adam Piron, COUSIN was created to provide support for Indigenous artists expanding traditional definitions and understandings of the moving image by experimenting with form and genre.
COUSIN Cycle 1, its first cycle of commissioned films, was made possible with the generous support of Cinereach. With commissions ranging from features, short films, installation, and hybrid projects, these artists make up a diverse international group of emerging and established artists poised to take the next important step in their practice and expand traditional definitions and understandings of the moving image.
Colectivo Los Ingrávidos - Tlaltícpac
Raven Chacon - Silent Choir (3 Songs)
Olivia Camfield & Woodrow Hunt - If You Look Under There You'll Find It
seth cardinal dodginghorse - Nadisnoni Cowa Gut'i
Laura Hinman - One Big Selfie + Shy Heart
Kite - Brighter Than The Brightest Star I've Ever Seen
Eve-Lauryn LaFountain - Re/DisLocation
“Two years ago, the four of us talked about how we could create opportunities for more indigenous artists and from that moment on we decided to create COUSIN,” states COUSIN co-founder Alexandra Lazarowich. “Our intent was to use our collective privilege to create more space for diverse indigenous artists whose work might not fit in other funding avenues and with the support of Cinereach we have been able to fund 9 incredible projects in our first year.”
Part of COUSIN’s mission is to celebrate this work, with an aim of getting it seen and shared. In the spirit of that directive, the collective launched COUSIN: CYCLE 0, a weekend-long screening series of select previous work of its commissioned artists. These works embodied COUSIN’s ethos and showcase a robust and provocative array of films by Indigenous artists working in experimental and avant-garde cinema. This program was screened online for free from Friday, May 8th through Sundsy, May 10th.