Instagram
Takeovers

Cole Forrest (@art.nish.boy) is an eagle clan Ojibwe Artist from Nipissing First Nation, currently based in Toronto. Cole is regarded as an emerging filmmaker and cultural leader of Northern Ontario, that strives for compassion and acceptance within the arts and enjoys exploring both digital and analogue practices.

Cole trained and honed his craft at the “Big Medicine Studio” while working with the group Aanmitaagzi. He has written, directed, and acted in various student/ independent short films, theatre pieces, and a musical.

Cole’s films have been screened at various film festivals including ImagineNATIVE and Toronto Queer Film Festival. Cole is a recipient of the Ken and Ann Watts Memorial Scholarship and of the James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award. He is the current recipient of the ImagineNATIVE + LIFT Film Mentorship.

Currently, Cole works with the Coalition for Music Education in Canada as an ambassador for their Youth4Music Program and leads their Indigenous initiative, Ngamwag Shkinweg. As a film student, Cole continues to write, direct, and create, while attending George Brown College for their Video Design and Production Program. He is proficient in movement, theater, media, music, and most notably, writing.

“Media arts is such an incredible way to tell our stories. Being able to tell stories this way has had such a strong and positive impact on my life. I’m so grateful to able to make films! Miigwetch!” – Cole Forrest