Tim Riedel
| Tim Riedel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Manitoba, Canada |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Canadian |
| 💼 Occupation | Filmmaker, producer |
| 📆 Years active | 2014 to present |
Tim Riedel is a Canadian Red River Métis filmmaker and producer. He is best known for the psychological horror feature film Ancestral Beasts. Riedel’s work has been recognized through selection for the Playback Ten to Watch list, Frontières at the Cannes Marché du Film, the Indigenous Screen Summit Pitch Forum at the Banff World Media Festival, the Whistler Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship, Netflix Diversity of Voices, and Capilano University’s Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership Management and Business Affairs program.[1] His films explore themes related to Indigenous identity, lived experience, and mental health, and have been covered in national media outlets including CTV News, ScreenDaily, Variety, and the Winnipeg Free Press.[2]
Early life and education
Riedel is a Red River Métis filmmaker born in Manitoba.[3] He began his artistic career in music and was an early member of the Winnipeg based band Sylmarillion. [4][5][6]
His interest in storytelling later expanded into web based animation and filmmaking. Before moving fully into documentary and narrative work, Riedel worked on digital and interactive media projects that introduced him to writing, directing, and visual design.[7]
Career
Early work
Riedel’s earliest projects included work in animation and children’s programming. He served as a creative director on the early 2000s Flash based educational series Eddy the Eco Dog Unleashed, also known as Eddy Unleashed.</ref>
He later transitioned into documentary filmmaking. His project Jackstones explored environmental themes and was profiled in Trendhunter and screened at multiple festivals.[8] Riedel’s documentary Pressure Baby received audience feedback recognition at WILDSound and won awards at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.[9][10] These early works helped establish his interest in international documentary storytelling and socially engaged themes.
Breakthrough
Riedel’s work began to receive wider industry attention in the mid 2020s. He was selected for several professional development initiatives, including the Whistler Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship,[11] the Indigenous Screen Summit Pitch Forum at the Banff World Media Festival,[12] the Netflix Diversity of Voices program,[13] and Capilano University’s Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership Management and Business Affairs program.[14] Playback selected Riedel for its Ten to Watch list in 2025, citing his growing body of work and the development of Ancestral Beasts.[15]
His films increasingly focused on Indigenous identity, mental health, and the relationship between personal experience and genre based storytelling.[16]
Ancestral Beasts
Ancestral Beasts is Riedel’s psychological horror feature film, developed through multiple Indigenous and genre focused incubators. The project secured funding through several Canadian agencies and was produced in collaboration with Indigenous creative partners.[17]
In 2025 the film was selected for Frontières at the Cannes Marché du Film, where it received media attention from Variety.[18][19] ScreenDaily also reported on the project, noting that Mongrel Media boarded the film for Canadian distribution.[20] Principal photography began in 2025, followed by post production and festival preparation.[21]
Artistic themes and approach
Riedel’s work engages with Red River Métis history and identity, often blending personal lived experience with allegory and genre conventions. Ancestral Beasts in particular has been described as a narrative about the inner world of mental health, framed through psychological horror and Indigenous perspectives.[22]
His approach emphasizes community centered storytelling, collaboration with Indigenous artists, and thematic exploration of trauma, resilience, and cultural memory.[23]
Filmography
Narrative and documentary
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Jackstones | Director, producer | Environmental documentary. Festival screenings and Trendhunter coverage.[24] |
| 2021 | Pressure Baby | Co director, producer | Documentary. WILDSound audience feedback feature and MIFF awards.[25][26] |
| 2025 | Ancestral Beasts | Writer, director, producer | Psychological horror feature. Selected for Frontières and Mongrel Media distribution.[27] |
| 2001 to 2002 | Eddy the Eco Dog Unleashed | Creative director | Children’s animated series. Winnipeg Free Press coverage.[28] |
Awards and recognitions
- Playback Ten to Watch 2025[29]
- Indigenous Screen Summit Pitch Forum, Banff World Media Festival[30]
- Whistler Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship[31]
- Netflix Diversity of Voices[32]
- Capilano University Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership Management and Business Affairs[33]
- MIFF awards for Pressure Baby[34]
- Festival recognitions for Jackstones[35]
References
External links
Category:Canadian filmmakers Category:Canadian Métis people Category:Canadian documentary film director stubs Category:People from Manitoba
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