Walking with Story
ABOUT JULES
Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin is an award-winning Cree filmmaker, writer, scholar, actor, and educator from Attawapiskat First Nation in the MoshKeKoWok Territory of northern Ontario. Born in Moose Factory and raised between Moosonee and Ottawa, she was deeply influenced by her Cree-speaking grandparents and her mother, a residential school survivor whose strength and resilience continue to inform her work.
Named one of Variety's Top 10 Canadians to Watch, Jules is recognized internationally for her contributions to Indigenous storytelling across film, television, literature, and academia. Her work centres Indigenous resurgence, relational accountability, language, land, and the transformative power of story.
Jules is the founder and president of VisJuelles Productions Inc., where she develops and produces film, television, and literary projects that amplify Indigenous voices and experiences. Her recent directing credits include Angela's Shadow (2024), winner of the VIFF Audience Award; NiiMisSak (2024), winner of the GEMS Best Feature Documentary Award; WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) (2023), recipient of multiple honours including VIFF's Best of BC Documentary Award; Chubby Cree (2022); Broken Angel (2021); and MisTik (2021), which received Best Short Film at Indigen Film Festival in Germany.
Her acclaimed television series AskiBOYZ, co-produced with Big Soul Productions, airs nationally on APTN in both Cree and English. She has also directed episodes for popular children's programming, including Moosemeat & Marmalade and Lands Enchanted, earning a Leo Award for her directing work.
Currently, Jules is developing several major projects through VisJuelles Productions, including the narrative series Truth in Toronto, the documentary Crees a Crowd, and the feature films Bucking History and KaTaWaSiSin. She is also expanding her work internationally through participation in the LA Blackmagic Collective Breakthrough Initiative.
In addition to her filmmaking career, Jules holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia's Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. Her doctoral research, MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew: Unearthing Spirit, explored Indigenous documentary methodologies, protocols, and positionality. She currently teaches Writing for Screen at the UBC School of Creative Writing, where she mentors emerging storytellers and contributes to the advancement of Indigenous media arts.
A published author and former Indigenous Storyteller in Residence at the Vancouver Public Library, Jules is the author of Unearthing Secrets, Gathering Truths and is currently completing her memoir, Moccasin Souls. She is also known to audiences as the voice of Layla in the award-winning PBS Kids/CBC animated series Molly of Denali.
Whether working as a filmmaker, writer, educator, speaker, or mentor, Jules remains committed to creating stories that honour Indigenous knowledge, celebrate community, and inspire future generations.
CREATIVE PROCESS
Through VisJuelles Productions Inc., Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin develops and produces film, television, literary, and interdisciplinary media projects that centre Indigenous voices, stories, and ways of knowing. Her work spans documentary, dramatic narrative, television, performance, writing, and community-engaged arts practice.
Over the past decade, Jules has directed and produced an award-winning body of work, including the documentaries NiiSoTeWak: Two Bodies, One Heart, OshKiKiShiKaw: A New Day, KaYaMenTa: Sharing Truths About Menopause, Butterfly Monument, Chubby Cree, NiiMisSak, and the National Film Board feature documentary WaaPaKe (Tomorrow). Her dramatic works include Broken Angel, Angela's Shadow, and the award-winning short film OChiSkwaCho, which premiered at imagineNATIVE and inspired an ongoing television series development.
As a creator, Jules continues to expand her slate of original projects, including the television series Truth in Toronto and feature films such as KaTaWaSiSin and Bucking History. Her work is rooted in Indigenous storytelling methodologies and explores themes of identity, kinship, healing, language, land, and Indigenous futurisms.
Beyond film and television, Jules is an accomplished writer and poet. Her collection Unearthing Secrets, Gathering Truths was published by Kegedonce Press, and she is currently completing her memoir, Moccasin Souls, while continuing to develop new literary works for publication.
Jules is also an accomplished performer and voice actor. She voices Layla, one of the lead characters in the award-winning PBS Kids and CBC animated series Molly of Denali, bringing Indigenous representation to audiences across North America. She is represented by The Characters Talent Agency for acting and Anna Archer at Lucas Talent for writing and directing.
Her creative practice is informed by decades of experience working within Indigenous communities in a variety of capacities. Grounded in relationships, advocacy, and cultural responsibility, Jules approaches storytelling as both an artistic practice and a commitment to community, ensuring that Indigenous stories are shared with integrity, care, and purpose.
