Born in Moose Factory Ontario, Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin was raised by her Cree speaking grandparents in Moosonee, and also with her mother in Ottawa, 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.
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, a dramatic thriller. Broken Angel was selected by the Toronto International Film Festival Filmmakers Lab in 2018 and the Whistler Screenwriting Lab (aka Praxis) in 2019. Jules’ popular television series AskiBOYZ (2016) co-produced with Big Soul Production is now being aired on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in both English and Cree. (source: juleskoostachin.com)
Awards & Nominations
OChiSkwaCho (short documentary)
2019 Best BC Short, Image Award, Vancouver International Women in Film Festival