RIFFA Launch Pad

After a competitive pitch process, Arnolda Dufour Bowes has been awarded a prize valued at over $12,000 to support the production and distribution of her film project, Piyak Oskân (Family).

We were genuinely moved by her vision and the strength of the story she brought forward. We are excited to see how this next step brings her project to life and launches them into the next phase of her creative journey.

This prize is made possible through the generous contributions and collaboration of Play Creative Media, Lo and Behold Public Relations, and The Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre.

Congratulations from the entire RIFFA team!

Arnolda is a Cree-Métis iskwêw and mother of three, with family roots in Sȃkitawȃk, George Gordon First Nation, and Punnichy, SK. She is a past recipient of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the High Plains Award. Her novel for young readers, Maggie-Lou, Firefox, published by Groundwood Books, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. The sequel, Maggie Lou Meets Her Match, released in August 2025, was selected as a Gold Standard Title by the Junior Library Guild in the USA. Arnolda currently serves as Playwright Resident at the Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre and had the world premiere of Apples & Train Tracks, a play based on her award-winning book 20.12m. She is also a writer on a Māori TV show in Aotearoa and is an emerging screenwriter, with her feature screenplay Truthwalkers and short film Kiskiskowina both in development. Arnolda’s sensory art exhibit has been featured in four galleries, and in her spare time, she trains and competes in Strongwoman events because she loves the challenge!

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