Zoe Leigh Hopkins
Zoe Leigh Hopkins is a Canadian Heiltsuk/Mohawk writer and film director who started her career in acting in 2009 and later pursued filmmaking.
Biography
Hopkins was born in British Columbia, Canada, in the Heilstuk fishing village. She started her working in film at the age of 15 as an actor in the film Black Robe (1991). Afterwards she went to Ryerson University to get a BAA in Film in 1997. She then worked as an independent filmmaker directing her first short film Prayer for a Good Day (2004) starring; Christina Bomberry, Taysha Fuller and Delmor Jacobs, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Hopkins is also a part of the Embargo Collective, which is a group of seven film makers from around the world who are indigenous peoples that collaborate and challenge each other to create new unusual films. She was selected by the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival to join this group. Most of her films are short films, however she is transitioning to feature-length films such as developing the film Running Home with Toronto-based Production Company Big Soul Productions.
The Embargo Collective
The Embargo Collective has happened twice, in both instances of the program Zoe Leigh Hopkins has been an active member and participant. The second Embargo Collective, named Embargo Collective II was started due to the major success of the first Embargo Collective. The goal of this program is to provide more opportunities for indigenous film making and collaboration within the industry of film. The program pairs both established and up and coming aboriginal film makers together to create new and interesting short films.
Filmography
| Production | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Black Robe | Actor | 1991 |
| Prayer for a Good Day | Director, Writer, Producer | 2004 |
| One-eyed Dogs Are Free | Director, Writer, Producer | 2006 |
| Tsi tkahéhtayen | Director, Writer, Producer | 2009 |
| Our First Voices | Director, Writer | 2010 |
| Button Blanket | Director, Writer | 2010 |
| Mohawk Midnight Runners | Director, Writer, Producer | 2013 |
| The Embargo Project | Director | 2015 |
References
- "Zoe Leigh Hopkins - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- "Zoe Leigh Hopkins | National Museum of the American Indian". filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- "Artist | Vtape". vtape.org. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- "The Embargo Collective II | imagineNATIVE". imaginenative.org. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- http://web.archive.org/web/20151007060217/http://www.imaginenative.org/wordpress/2014/07/welcome-to-the-embargo-collective-ii-blog-the-zoe-hopkins-pre-production-blog/