Eva Thomas is a Canadian First Nations filmmaker and screenwriter.
Early life and education
editThomas attended Arizona State University, where she studied Communication and Broadcasting.[1] She went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[2]
Career
editThomas was initially interested in acting in Hollywood, but after realizing the limited number of roles available for Indigenous actors, she decided to become a script writer and editor instead. She went on to work at Imaginative Features Lab, doing script editing. While there, she worked with Kaniehtiio Horn as a story editor and executive producer on a project called Seeds.[2]
After completing the Harold Greenberg Fund's Indigenous Story Editing Mentorship, Thomas decided she would aim to create her own short film as a way to break into the feature film industry.[2]
Thomas worked as an associate producer on the 2021 film Night Raiders.[2]
In 2021, Thomas was chosen as one of five Indigenous women to participate in Women in View's Five in Focus: Indigenous program.[3] At the time, she was working with producer Darren Anthony to develop a series called Dwayne has Issues.[3]
In 2023, Thomas debuted her short film, Redlights, at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2][4] The film stars Kaniehtiio Horn and Ellyn Jade, and its story was inspired by the Starlight Tours in Saskatoon and the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.[2][4]
Thomas has also filmed documentaries for the Walpole Island First Nation, and directed episodes of the CBC docuseries Still Standing.[2][5] She has also written for CTV's Shelved (2023) and CTV/APTN's Acting Good (2022).[5]
Personal life
editThomas is a member of the Walpole Island First Nation,[2][4] and is also of Tohono O’odham, Cherokee and Scottish descent.[3] She is based in Wallaceburg, Ontario, and Toronto.[5]
She is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "LA Skins Fest | Eva Thomas". laskinsfest.com. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Saito, Stephen (2023-09-07). "TIFF 2023 Interview: Eva Thomas on "Redlights"". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ a b c Townsend, Kelly (2021-01-27). "Women in View unveils participants for Five in Focus: Indigenous". Playback Online. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ a b c Laskaris, Sam (2023-08-29). "First Nations director hopes to raise awareness of Starlight Tours with film premiering at TIFF". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ a b c "'Starlight Tours' fear felt by Indigenous people in Canada explored in TIFF short film". CBC. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
External links
edit- Eva Thomas at IMDb