DRIFF day 1
Thursday, October 23
Centennial Building | 416 Centre St S | Whitby ON
Feature Film at 7:30PM
Nika & Madison
Q&A with director Eva Thomas and stars Ellyn Jade and Star Slade
2025 | Canada | 87 Minutes | English
Director: Eva Thomas
In this tense and emotionally charged story, two childhood friends find themselves testing their resilience and loyalty in an ultimate fight for justice. Madison, a University of Toronto student, is sharp and career focused while Nika prefers the solitude and simplicity of life on the reservation. During a weekend back home, Nika rescues Madison from a sexual assault by policeman, but the violent encounter leaves the officer critically injured. Fearing they won’t be believed, the Indigenous women go on the run; first seeking refuge on the reserve and then deep into the wilderness, until they’re chased back to the city. Two sharp-eyed detectives begin to uncover the truth but when the case involves one of their own, the justice system reveals its deeply ingrained biases, blurring the lines between right and wrong.
Content Advisories: Explicit violence, Sexual violence, Racism, homophobia, abelism or hate speech
About The Director
Eva Thomas is a writer, director, and producer. Her directorial short film debut, REDLIGHTS, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She co-directed and co-wrote her first feature, ABERDEEN, which premiered at TIFF 2024. Eva just completed her first solo feature, NIKA & MADISON. She directed episodes of CBC's STILL STANDING, earning a 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction, Factual. Eva worked on ACTING GOOD (Bell Media/Crave) as a writer and director. As a writer, she was in the writing room of DON'T EVEN (Bell Media/Crave), SHELVED (CTV) and ZARQA (CBC Gem). Previously, she was Associate Producer on Danis Goulet’s NIGHT RAIDERS and Executive Producer on Kaniehtiio Horn’s SEEDS.
Schedule
Thursday October 23
Centennial Building | 416 Centre St S | Whitby ON
5:30PM - Gala Opening Night Reception
7:30PM - Feature Film: NIKA & MADISON plus Q&A with director Eva Thomas and stars Ellyn Jade and Slade Star
