Jules Koostachin

Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin was born in Moose Factory Ontario, where she was raised by her Cree speaking grandparents in Moosonee, and also with her mother, a warrior of the Canadian Residential school system. Jules is a band member of Attawapiskat First Nation, the Ancestral lands of the MoshKeKo AsKi InNiNeWak. She resides in Vancouver with her family. She obtained her PhD with the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia (research focus is regarding Indigenous documentary). In 2010, she completed her masters at Ryerson University in Documentary Media where she was awarded the Award of Distinction for her thesis work, as well as the Graduate Ryerson Gold Medal for highest academic achievement. While in graduate school, she produced her first feature documentary "Remembering Inninimowin" regarding her journey of remembering InNiNiMoWin (Cree). After graduation, Jules was one of six women selected for the Women in the Directors Chair program at the Banff Center, where she directed a scene from her feature script "Broken Angel", which went through development with the Whistler Screenwriting lab (2019). She will be in production by the fall of 2021. Jules' television series AskiBOYZ (2016) co-produced with Big Soul Production is now being aired on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in both English and Cree. Jules' company VisJuelles Productions Inc. has a number of films and other media works in development. In 2017, she released her documentary "NiiSoTeWak: Two Bodies, One Heart" and her second CBC doc "OshKiKiShiKaw: A New Day" was released in early 2019. Her third CBC documentary "KaYaMenTa: Truth Sharing about Menopause" was released in the summer of 2020. In 2018, she also released her documentary "Butterfly Monument" about her relation, the late Shannen Koostachin with co-director/producer Rick Miller. Jules was the 2017 Aboriginal Storyteller in Residence with the Vancouver Public Library where she further developed her poetry. In the fall of 2018, Jules latest narrative film "OChiSkwaCho" premiered at ImagineNATIVE, and she is also in development with two (2) television series. Jules has recently delved back into the world of performance art, and is currently represented by The Characters Talent Agency in Vancouver. Jules is the voice of Layla, one of the leads on a CBC/PBS animation series "Molly of Denali". Jules is also represented by Lucas Talent for writing and directing. Her first book of poetry "Unearthing Secrets, Gathering Truths" (2018) was published with Kegedonce Press, and she was also a selected filmmaker for the TIFF Filmmakers Lab. Jules is writing her first novel "Moccasin Souls" with Kegedonce Press due for release in 2021, and she participated with the Tricksters and Writers program (VIWFF) working on her next feature script "KaTaWaSiSin: It is Beautiful". Jules carries extensive knowledge working in Indigenous community in several different capacities and these community experiences continue to feed her advocacy and her arts practice.