Asivak Koostachin is a descendant from the Cree, Inuit, Dene and Scottish peoples. Asivak spent three years of his early adulthood living the life of a vagabond out of his backpack, hitchhiking through north and central America. He is an adventurer, a passionate story-teller, actor and a thoughtful community leader with a wide range of artistic experiences and skills. His acting career started with a lead role in APTN’s AskiBoyz – a television show broadcast nationwide that follows Asivak and his brother in their adventure through Canada and their meetings with First Nations elders who teach them traditional skills and the ways of the land. Since moving to Vancouver Asivak has created and performed his own clown show at the Talking Stick Festival and worked at Bard on the Beach – a world renowned Shakespearean Festival – as a pre-show presenter and assistant youth educator. Asivak recently made his narrative television debut in the critically acclaimed CTV series Cardinal, where he played the recurring role of wayward teenage Jordan Akiwenzie, a good kid who is starting to make bad decisions in life. He can also be seen in the Comedy Network’s Letterkenny. Asivak lives a healthy and fun lifestyle in a vibrant, communal home where he enjoys being a big kid, not taking life too seriously, casually engaging in sword-play, archery, playing jazz piano and cooking elegant meals. He is the eldest of five brothers and continues taking a leadership role in his community. He intentionally engages with his indigenous roots through his lifestyle and through ceremony. The role of Dylan Nadazeau, a Gwich’in soldier from Canada’s Arctic is Asivak’s first starring role in a feature film.

Born in Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania in East Africa, Shafin Karim’s family immigrated to Canada in 1974 seeking a better life and escaping political dictatorship. He later completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, with plans to pursue a masters degree in counselling and
education. However, Shafin decided to take a break from his studies to revisit his childhood love of performance. After a series of successful theatre productions, Shafin re-focused his career towards film and television, sinking his teeth into a role on the popular NBC series, Bionic
Woman opposite Isaaiah Washington, and Disney’s Tron 2: Legacy, opposite Garrett Hedlund. Shafin’s style is quirky, heartfelt, soulful and character driven. Since then, his career has led him throughout Canada, including Vancouver, Toronto and Yellowknife to portray various roles in
Pashto, Arabic, and Indonesian. Shafin plays the lead role of Amana in the feature film, Red Snow, written and directed by 2018 Leo Award winner, Marie Clement. In the dramatic adventure Red Snow Aman, an Afghan translator must make a choice between two worlds to save his family from oppression and enslavement. Shafin is represented by Arianne Summach at CUE Agency.

Played by Mozhdah Jamalzadah, she never calls herself the “Oprah of Afghanistan”. That’s just the name her adoring fans—which includes individuals like Barack and Michelle Obama as well as Ms. Winfrey herself—have given her. That’s because, like Oprah, this Kabul-born, Vancouver-based icon has sparked conversations and inspired women all over the world as a bold, big-hearted example of female leadership. Through her internationally renowned music career and groundbreaking television show The Mozhdah Show, Mozhdah has inspired profound respect and serious controversy in equal measure. She’s the first Afghan artist to produce hit records in English, capturing a global audience and performing on international stages. She’s the first Afghan woman to brave death threats in order to host her own talk show and cover sensitive subjects impacting Afghan women and children. She’s also the first Afghan to perform in the White House, to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, or to express her mission of empowerment on CNN, Time, and other major news outlets. Mozhdah appeared on ET Canada as a guest co-host and was a panelist on CBC’s Canada Reads 2018 with Jeanne Becker and other prominent Canadian celebrities. Having just recently stepped into the acting industry, she has already booked a number of TV shows and commercials. In this her first leading role in a feature film, Mozhdah plays Khatira the spirited daughter of translator Aman.

Afghan-born Canadian actor, Kane Mahon is best known for his supporting role in Angelina Jolie’s The Breadwinner which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for Oscar and Golden Globe awards in 2018. Kane cut his teeth as the lead in Petrol, which garnered him a Canada Screen Awards nomination followed by a recurring role in the Amazon series The Patriot, starring Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show), and Gil Bellows (Shawshank Redemption). With a Masters degree in International Relations, Kane’s passion for storytelling started early and was enriched by his travels over the years. Kane just finished filming The Cuban, playing alongside Golden Globe winner Shohreh Aghdashloo and Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. He is represented by Cue Agency, Catalyst Talent Management and Stewart Talent.

Tantoo Cardinal is a Member of the Order of Canada, recognizing her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada. Tantoo has appeared in numerous plays, television programs, and films, including Legends of the Fall, Dances With Wolves, Black Robe, Loyalties, Luna, Spirit of the Whale, Unnatural & Accidental, Marie- Anne, Sioux City, Silent Tongue, and Mother’s & Daughter’s. Her stirring performance in Loyalties earned her a CSA (Genie) nomination, American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award, the People’s choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, plus Best Actress Awards at International Film Festivals in Zimbabwe and Portugal. Her television credits include recurring roles on the series: Penny Dreadful, Longmire, Strange Empire, Blackstone, Arctic Air, The Guard, North of 60, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Lightning Field, Street Legal, The Campbell’s, Gunsmoke, Tom Stone, Myth Quest, Lonesome Dove and Renegade Press.com. MOW’s include The Englishman’s Boy, Dreamkeeper and the PBS documentary Nobody’s Girls. Back to back feature films Shouting Secrets, Eden, Maina and Chasing Shakespeare were followed by Tantoo playing the role of Regan in the production of King Lear at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa followed by a production of The Rez Sisters at the Belfry Theatre. Tantoo’s most recent project is Godless, a limited Series for Netflix, produced by Steven Soderbergh and written and directed by Scott Frank.

Ishaan Vasdev is a Vancouver-based actor. At the age of 6 he started his acting in a Marpole-Oakridge community centre and was immediately signed by the Talent Agency after he booked his first commercial. In 2017, Ishaan was cast to play Okot in Marc Lawrence’s film – Noelle, working alongside stars like Bill Hader and Anna Kendrick. Ishaan speaks fluent English and Punjabi. Outside of acting, Ishaan loves playing basketball, guitar, singing and jamming with friends. His latest role is Tahir, the son of a translator who must flee Afghanistan to start a new life with his family in the feature film drama Red Snow directed by Marie Clements.

SAMUEL MARTY – YOUNG DYLAN NADAZEAU
Samuel most recently starred along with Jeff Daniels, Scoot McNairy, and Michelle Dockery in Steven Soderbergh’s Godless, for Netflix. Previously, Samuel played the role of Ishani opposite Scott Eastwood in Diablo which won best feature film at the San Diego Film Festival. His television credits include Hell On Wheels for AMC, Ray Donovan for Showtime, and Fargo for FX, among others. Samuel is from Frog Lake First Nation’s, the Land of Princes, a Plains Cree and Nakota Stoney descent, born in Edmonton Alberta.

Fourteen year-old Miika Whiskeyjack is from Saddle Lake Cree nation, treaty 6 territory. She began performing at the age of 7 with her debut role as Wendy Bull for 5 seasons in the raw and influential television series Blackstone. From there, she landed her first feature film after a North American-wide search for the role of young Aila in Rhymes for Young Ghouls, filmed in Montreal. Miika has appeared in several commercials and was a voice-over actor for the LaLoopsy Franchise as Fairy Z. She is an accomplished trained dancer in contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap and fancy shawl. She feels being an Indigenous artist allows her to tell important grassroots and contemporary stories through dance and film. Miika feels humbled and grateful to walk this journey in the arts. It has opened pathways of empowerment to use her voice in a magnitude of ways. She wants to continue on this path and hopes one day her story and work will inspire other young women and girls to take chances and fulfill their dreams.

STEVEN CREE MOLISON – MAD JACK
Born of Métis ancestry in southern British Columbia, Steven was adopted at the age of 6 months and raised in northern Canada’s Yukon and Northwest Territories. Adventurous and rebellious, Steven left his northern home at 16. He has met with many varied and diverse life experiences, some more difficult than others, but his resilience has always remained and enhanced the authenticity of the characters he portrays. Always passionate about art and creating music, Steven had an early interest in acting and soon arrived in Vancouver at the age of 20 to try his hand on the stage and screen. However, the twists in life and his young family responsibilities ultimately shelved the dream. He worked as a carpenter and homebuilder for over 20 years, often teaching his trade in small northern communities in BC. As fate would have it, a severe motorcycle accident and brain injury presented Steven the opportunity to choose a career in the film industry once again, some twenty years later. He began working as a stunt performer and then went on to study for two years, graduating from the full- time program at Vancouver’s William Davis Centre for Acting in 2001. Steven has been pursuing the dream ever since. For his recurring role as Daryl Fraser on Blackstone, Steven has been nominated three times, 2012, 2014 and 2015 for the Leo Award’s Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series, winning it in 2012. He was also nominated for a 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role.

MICHELLE THRUSH – BIG FRAN
Michelle Thrush has worked professionally in film, television and theatre for more than 25 years with her first film role at the age of seventeen. With over forty professional credits in the entertainment industry Ms. Thrush has also won numerous awards and special recognition, including multiple Awards for her role of Gail Stoney on the dramatic series Blackstone, such as Best Performance by an Alberta Actress 2015 Rosie Awards, Best performance by an Actress at the 2014 AMPIA Awards, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role 2011 CSA (Gemini) Awards, as well as nominations for Best Actress in a TV series at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards, Best Alberta Actress at the 2010 Alberta Motion Picture Awards, and Best Lead Actress at the 2011 Leo Awards in Vancouver.

Link Baker studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, receiving the Charles Jehlinger Award for top acting honours in his graduating class. After graduation, Link was a member of the AADA Repertory Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Over the years, Baker has appeared in numerous film and television productions such as Timeless, The 100, CSI: Miami, Heroes, and Zoo. Link had a recurring role as Officer Lou Tarchuk on the USA Network/CTV series, Motive. In the movie Time of Death opposite Kathleen Robertson, Baker played Miles Hayden, a corporate executive hiding a dark secret in his past. Link can also be seen in the Hallmark movie, Operation Christmas alongside Tricia Helfer and Marc Blucas. In the second season of the CBC espionage drama The Romeo Section from acclaimed showrunner Chris Haddock, Link can be seen as Michael Gary. Link is from both Tlingit and Tagish First Nations and is thrilled to be a part of Red Snow.

Mike Dangeli is of the Nisga’a, Tlingit, Tsetsaut, and Tsimshian Nations. He is of the Beaver Clan and carries the names Goothl Ts’imilx (Heart of the Beaver House) and Teettlien (Big Wave). Mike trained under the leaders of his family to be a Sim’oogit (hereditary chief) among the Nisga’a. Mike lives in Terrace, BC works as a commissioned based artist and Sm’algyax arts instructor . His commissions are primarily by private clients, galleries, and ceremonial pieces for Indigenous people who use his work in ceremony and for their dance groups. Mike’s works include masks, drums, regalia, paintings, and limited edition silk-screened prints. In 2017, Mike completed twenty-five totem poles and a thirty-foot ocean going canoe. His works can be found all over the world. Mike co-leads the internationally renowned The Git Hayetsk Dancers with his wife Dr. Mique’l Dangeli. He is also an accomplished singer, songwriter, and dancer. One of Mike’s specializations is creating mask and other ceremonial wealth that is used in dancing. Mike and Mique’l have performed, held lectures, workshops, and carving demonstrations in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, British Columbia, Ontario, Yukon, Manitoba, Quebec, Austria, Malaysia, Germany and Japan. They take pride in respectfully being traditionally contemporary. They make it a priority to both continue and expand our ancient traditions in contemporary times and as such they sing the songs of ancestors as well as create new songs, dances, drums, rattles, masks, and regalia to reflect and record our experiences as First Nations people today.

Tarun Keram, known for playing JAKOB on CW’s hit show Supernatural and JASPER on Life Sentence, is a Surrey, British Columbia-born actor. He’s worked alongside Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Simon Pegg in Paramount’s Star Trek Beyond. While majoring in creative writing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2010, Tarun decided to drop out and pursue a career in acting. His upcoming projects include a recurring guest star role on Syfy’s Magicians and he will appear in CBC’s new miniseries, Unspeakable.

– THE YOUNG THIEF
Elias Mehdawi was born in Vancouver, BC to Parastu and Jeb Mehdawi. He has an older brother, Joseph. In school Elias was involved in sports and theatre. While taking many science and math classes in high school he had other, quiet aspirations that were the product of a childhood love of movies. He went to the cinema often with his family, his favorite actor is Marlon Brando. After graduating high school, he decided to attend the University of Victoria and study engineering. After attending his first class he quickly decided to change his path. He transitioned to Simon Fraser University where he pursued acting and studied drama. When he isn’t acting he continues studying at SFU in Communications and Dramatic Theatre. He is a huge fan of film and has taken many film history classes to get a better knowledge of cinema. He spends his free time working on student films and attending classes at the Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his free time he loves spending time with friends and family.

Anousha has acted on many of the major Canadian/US television shows and has performed with various theatre companies across Canada. Born in Iran, he moved with his family to Montreal at the age of 11. Following his passion for acting and the arts, he enrolled in a professional theatre program at Dawson College and received the “Excellence in Acting” Award in his last year. Subsequently, Anousha pursued BFA at Ryerson University in Toronto, where he had a chance to work with acclaimed directors and was the recipient of the “Excellence in Speech Award”. Anousha then advanced to professional theatre companies including CanStage, The Arts Club and Vancouver’s Shakespeare festival Bard On The Beach playing a variety of Shakespearean characters. Among his theatre credits, Anousha had the privilege to play the leading role of Amir in the Canadian premier of The Kite Runner (Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre), nominated for Best Actor. Most recently he played the leading part of Rasheed in A Thousand Splendid Suns at The Grand Theatre. He was also honored to be a series regular on one of the last CBC radio Drama ensembles – Afghanada. Playing a variety of roles in theatre paved Anousha’s way for a successful career in television and film. His TV credits include: The 100, Colony, Prison Break, Wisdom of The Crowd, Rogue,
Regenesis, Fringe, Degrassi and The Border among others. His Film credits include: Death
Note, Afghan Luke, Diverted, Green and the upcoming reboot of The Predator.

This is Sadetlo Scott’s feature film debut. She has performed in short films shot in and around Yellowknife, NWT and studied Cinematography at Capilano University, however she took a long hiatus from film work after school. Sadetlo says that playing Lily in Marie Clement’s Red Snow has been an amazing learning opportunity. Having grown up curious about her Tłı̨chǫ culture, Sadetło is now working towards an education in cultural anthropology.