A member of Walpole Island First Nation is making her mark on the big screen.
Eva Thomas is a writer, producer, and director, and debuted her first feature film, Aberdeen at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Thomas initially got into the film industry with aspirations of being an actor, but quickly learned there was a bias towards Indigenous performers.
“I moved to L.A where my first agent asked me if I knew how to ride a horse because if I wanted to work in Hollywood as a Native actor, I needed to know how to ride a horse.”
Thomas says she found the comment highly offensive, but soon realized how true it was.
“Every audition I went on was the leather and the feathers and on a horse. I thought to myself, this is not going to change until someone starts writing something different.”
Thomas co-wrote and co-directed Aberdeen with Ryan Cooper. She also served as the film’s executive producer.
The drama follows an Indigenous climate-change refugee adjusting to big-city life before going back to her roots and her family, and stars Gail Maurice, Billy Merasty, Jennifer Podemski, Liam Stewart-Kanigan, and Ryan Black.
Thomas believes it is important to have Indigenous stories told by Indigenous people.
“It’s important that we tell our own stories because for so long, we weren’t represented well, stories told about us but not by us. It’s a really exciting time to be an Indigenous creative because we are finally getting the chance to tell our stories.”
Thomas says her time at TIFF this past week has been surreal with a standing ovation at the film’s premier and great feedback from audience members.
“I’m really happy with how many non-Indigenous people came up to me and said how much they appreciated and how moved they were by our film. I’m really proud of it.”
This is Thomas’ second appearance at TIFF. She debuted her short film, Redlights, at the 2023 festival, and was selected for the Every Story Accelerator Program for her film Seeds, in which she served as executive producer, written, directed and starring Kaniehtiio Horn.
Thomas has already secured funding for her next project, Nika And Madison, which is based on the storyline of Redlights. Thomas says she’s going to take a week off after TIFF, and then get back down to work.