As we prepare for the 2027 Images Festival, we are thrilled to invite applications for the Images Festival Emerging Curator (IFEC) program. One emerging curator will be selected from this process to join the 2026-27 programming team. This selected curator will be invited to develop programming in response to the festival’s recurring theme, “Metabolizing Moving Images,” and will curate one screening by reviewing and selecting student work submitted through our open call.
The IFEC will receive a curatorial honorarium of $2,000 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 submission screening, attend regular meetings, and be present for their own curated programs during the festival. They will deliver one moving image 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.
The opportunity takes place in-person 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.