“The more personal a story is, the more universal it becomes,” shares Olivia Marie Golosky is a Two-Spirit Métis person originally from Fort McMurray now living in Vancouver. They grew up in the city but spent a lot of time with their grandfather and cousins on their family’s trapline. Outside of work, they are an avid cyclist, having gone on two substantial bike packing trips, one from Canmore to Castlegar and one for six months in South America. Being in South America was physically challenging and also emotional given the anti-mining protests that were happening and the court decision that came down protecting land from extractive industries. They also love gardening, an intergenerational passion in their family.

Professionally, Golosky works full-time as an associate producer for Experimental Forest Films, a Vancouver-based production company. They are also an independent producer, director and writer, working on their own projects. Experimental Forest Films produces mostly feature films, narrative and documentary. Many of the films are shot on 35 mm film. Their boss is Métis also and they work on many Indigenous-led projects together. Their independent projects are exclusively with queer, trans, and BIPOC people.

Golosky got their BFA in Drama with a minor in Indigenous Studies from the University of Calgary but started out in English, wanting to be a journalist. As a child they wanted to be a storm chaser and at one point wanted to be a war photographer or war journalist but realized they didn’t have the stomach for the work. “Social justice and equity has always been embedded into who I am and into my work throughout my life,” they explain. Two of their aunts were theatre actors. Growing up they would go to college shows and attended a high school with a strong theatre program. They became a technician through their schooling and were stage and production manager.

In 2015, they took a break from what they were doing and went into music and radio production, working and volunteering for music festivals. They also had their own podcast at the time. They saw a post online looking for Indigenous and Métis people for a project but they didn’t think they would get the gig because of their minimal film experience. They landed an interview and that’s how they met their current boss and began their love affair With film professionally. After growing up watching movies and being raised by film fans who exposed them to a range of works, they say, “doing this fulltime, which feels a bit surreal…I feel very honoured and thrilled to have the job that I have.”

Once aspiring to chase storms and document wars, now Olivia Marie Golosky works in the film industry as a producer, director and writer. Overcoming their own socioeconomic barriers and addressing anti-Indigenous racism, this Two-Spirit Métis filmmaker is creating accessibility while bringing forward queer, trans, and BIPOC narratives.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.