Eva Thomas
Eva Thomas is a Canadian First Nations (Walpole Island First Nation) filmmaker and screenwriter.
Early life and education
[edit source]Thomas attended Arizona State University, where she studied Communication and Broadcasting.[1] She went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London,[2] and Capilano University.[3]
Career
[edit source]Thomas was initially interested in acting in Hollywood, but after realizing the limited number of roles available for Indigenous actors, she decided to become a script writer and editor instead. She went on to run the imagineNATIVE Features Lab, doing script editing. While there, she worked with Kaniehtiio Horn as a story editor and later executive producer on a project called Seeds.[2]
After completing the Harold Greenberg Fund's Indigenous Story Editing Mentorship, Thomas decided she would aim to create her own short film as a way to break into the feature film industry.[2]
Thomas worked as an associate producer on the 2021 film Night Raiders.[2]
In 2021, Thomas was chosen as one of five Indigenous women to participate in Women in View's Five in Focus: Indigenous program.[4]
In 2023, Thomas debuted her short film Redlights at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[2][5] The film stars Kaniehtiio Horn and Ellyn Jade, and its story was inspired by the Starlight Tours in Saskatoon and the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.[2][5]
In September 2023, it was announced that Thomas would be co-directing and co-writing her first feature film, Aberdeen, alongside Ryan Cooper. The film, about an indigenous women who relocates to Winnipeg, stars Gail Maurice, Billy Merasty, Jennifer Podemski, Liam Stewart-Kanigan and Ryan Rajendra Black.[6] It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[7]
Thomas has also filmed documentaries for the Walpole Island First Nation, and directed episodes of the CBC docuseries Still Standing,[2][8] for which she won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Factual Program or Series at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.[9] She has also written for CTV's Shelved (2023) and CTV/APTN's Acting Good (2022).[8]
In November 2024, Thomas was announced as entering production on Nika and Madison, a feature-length expansion of Redlights which is her full-length debut as a solo director.[10] It premiered in the Discovery program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[11]
Personal life
[edit source]Thomas is a member of the Walpole Island First Nation,[2][5] and is also of Tohono O’odham, Cherokee and Scottish descent.[4] She is based in Toronto and Wallaceburg, Ontario.[8]
She is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.[1]
References
[edit source]- 1 2 "Eva Thomas". LA Skins Fest. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Saito, Stephen (2023-09-07). "TIFF 2023 Interview: Eva Thomas on "Redlights"". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ↑ "Indigenous CapU film students head to Cannes Film Fest". North Shore News. 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- 1 2 Townsend, Kelly (2021-01-27). "Women in View unveils participants for Five in Focus: Indigenous". Playback Online. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- 1 2 3 Laskaris, Sam (2023-08-29). "First Nations director hopes to raise awareness of Starlight Tours with film premiering at TIFF". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ↑ Townsend, Kelly (2023-09-26). "Ryan Cooper, Eva Thomas set feature debut with Aberdeen". Playback Online. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ↑ Zac Ntim, "TIFF 2024: Laura Carreira’s ‘On Falling’ & ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ Starring Chloë Sevigny Among Titles Set For Discovery Sidebar". Deadline Hollywood, July 24, 2024.
- 1 2 3 "'Starlight Tours' fear felt by Indigenous people in Canada explored in TIFF short film". CBC. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ↑ Thiessen, Connie (2024-05-30). "Canadian Screen Awards winners: Documentary, Factual, Lifestyle & Reality". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ↑ Jamie Casemore, "Eva Thomas directs first solo feature with Nika & Madison". Playback, November 12, 2024.
- ↑ John Hazelton, "Toronto film festival unveils Discovery selection with 23 world premieres". Screen Daily, July 23, 2025.
External links
[edit source]- Eva Thomas at IMDb
- Living people
- 21st-century American screenwriters
- 21st-century American women writers
- 21st-century Canadian screenwriters
- 21st-century Canadian women writers
- 21st-century First Nations writers
- 21st-century Native American writers
- 21st-century Native American women writers
- American documentary filmmakers
- American film directors
- American people of Cherokee descent
- American women documentary filmmakers
- American women film directors
- American women screenwriters
- Arizona State University alumni
- Canadian people of Cherokee descent
- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- Canadian women documentary filmmakers
- Canadian women film directors
- Canadian women screenwriters
- Film directors from Ontario
- First Nations screenwriters
- First Nations women writers
- Native American screenwriters
- Canadian Screen Award winning directors
- First Nations filmmakers
- Native American filmmakers