As we prepare for the 2027 Images Festival, we are thrilled to invite applications for our Curator-in-Residence program. One curator will be selected from this process to join the 2026 residency. This selected curator will be invited to develop programming in response to the festival’s recurring theme, “Metabolizing Moving Images,” and will curate a minimum of two screenings by reviewing and selecting work submitted through our open call.
The selected Curator-in-Residence will receive a curatorial honorarium of $4,000 CAD, a separate programming budget, and comprehensive administrative and production support from the festival team—including hosting in-person screening sessions of festival submissions; artist contracting and payment; media quality control; venue coordination; communications and outreach support; editorial assistance; and more. The resident will be supported by the Residency and Submissions Coordinator and will have access to the Images Festival archive, office, and shared spaces at 401 Richmond.
Over the course of the residency, the curator will participate in collective submission screening sessions, attend regular meetings, and be present for their own curated programs during the festival. Each resident will develop and deliver at least two moving image programs, incorporating at least one open call submission per program, meeting all Canadian content requirements, and will write a programmatic essay for each program. Public, post-screening discussions featuring participating artists are expected, though alternative public engagement proposals are welcome, pending approval by the Programming Director. A final residency feedback form will be required after the festival concludes.
The 2026 residency will host up to three Curators-in-Residence working both independently and in dialogue with one another. While each curator may develop their own distinct programs, shared discussion, feedback, and mutual support across the cohort are encouraged. Residents must be available to attend in-person submission screening sessions (approx. 800 short films of varying lengths) and must be present in Toronto to participate during October and November.
The residency runs from September 21, 2026 to May 2027, inclusive.
The festival is scheduled for April 2027, with exact dates to be confirmed.
Deadline to apply: August 1st, 2026.