Vtape is thrilled to announce that the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival has chosen long-time Vtape artist Gail Maurice to be honoured with the 2026 August Schellenberg Award!

Gail Maurice is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, director, writer, producer, and a proud fluent speaking member of her Métis community in Northern Saskatchewan. She was named one of Variety’s Top Ten Canadians to watch in 2022.

Gail tells stories with strong female Indigenous leads. Her debut feature film, ROSIE, was a TIFF Top Ten Canadian film in 2022, won the Audience Choice Feature Award at imagineNATIVE, and many more. Gail’s sophomore feature, Blood Lines, premiered at TIFF 2025 and is currently winning many awards on the festival circuit; she also has seven shorts in distribution with Vtape.

Gail is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and was nominated for the DGC’s prestigious Jean-Marc Vallée Award. She is a recipient of the Hnatyshyn Indigenous Award of Excellence and has been nominated for Canadian Screen Awards for best supporting actor for her roles in Trickster and Night Raiders. Her recent acting credits include Nika & Madison, Aberdeen, Allegiance, Bones of Crows, Don’t Even, and Wind River: Rising, to name a few.