Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, a Canadian filmmaker, actor, and producer, was born in Cardston, Alberta, and grew up on the Blood 148 reserve. She trained in acting at the Vancouver Film School and in 2011 earned a degree in First Nations studies from the University of British Columbia. She later turned to writing, directing, and producing, making narrative, documentary, and experimental work about Indigenous women and their communities. Her short Bloodland (2011) dealt with fracking, A Red Girl's Reasoning (2012) won the Vancouver Crazy8s competition, and Rebel (Bihttoš) was a top ten short at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Co-directing The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open with Kathleen Hepburn brought her a shared Canadian Screen Award for directing and the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. She also won a Canadian Screen Award for her lead role in the CBC movie Unclaimed and, in 2022, was named best actress for Night Raiders (2021).