- Indigenous rising star, Joshua Odjick, hails from Ottawa, Ontario and was raised by a single mother in Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, a First Nation community located in Maniwaki, Quebec. He is of Algonquin-Anishinabe and Cree heritage, belongs to the Deer clan and recognized in ceremony as 'Nabigabow' (he who replaces the first).
He was recently awarded both a Canadian Screen Award (2022) and Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award (2022) for Best Supporting Actor for the multi-award winning feature film Wildhood.
Joshua is described as the "scene-stealing Joshua Odjick" (Salon, Gary M. Kramer) in Wildhood, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has gone on to screen at many festivals worldwide. Wildhood (filmed in both English and Mi'kmaq), follows the journey of 'Link' (Phillip Lewitski) as he tries to locate his mother who abandoned him when he was young. At the start of his travels, 'Link' meets pow wow dancer 'Pasmay' (Joshua Odjick) who joins him on his journey of identity, community and love in the land where he belongs.
Wildhood is celebrated by the TIFF Next Wave Committee as a film that transports and moves you and above all, reaffirms what it means for young people to tell their own stories and fight for change in the world. Next for Joshua is a supporting lead role in the series Little Bird, a premium, six-part limited dramatic series slated to premiere on Crave for the 2022-2023 television season. Little Bird is about an Indigenous woman on a journey to find her birth family and uncover the hidden truth of her past.
To be released in early 2023, Joshua plays one of the lead roles in the series The Swarm, (2023) an ecological thriller about the delicate interconnectedness between mankind and Earth, from Primetime Emmy Award winning television producer Frank Doelger (Game of Thrones).
Joshua landed his first major role in the television series Unsettled. Other recent credits for Joshua include the multi-award winning feature film Bootlegger, the CW television series Coroner and the CBC series Bones of Crows.
Industry professionals have found that Joshua possesses a deep presence that is rare in an actor. Having grown up on a reserve with relatives who are survivors of residential/day schools, gives his work an authenticity that reveals all of the beautiful pain, vulnerability and brokenness of his characters. The vivid emotional life that Joshua brings to the camera is unparalleled.
Joshua approaches everything from a place of spirit. He holds a powerful connection with his creator, his guardians, the land and all the beautiful creatures it inhabits.
As a full-blooded Indigenous artist, Joshua is grateful to have a platform to tell the stories, teachings and traditions of his people.
May 2022- IMDb Mini Biography By: Claudia Jurt - Indigenous rising star Joshua Odjick is of Algonquin-Anishinabe/Cree heritage and comes from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nations Community. Odjick is the 2022 Canadian Screen Award Winner for Best Supporting Actor in the independent film Wildhood, which premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, among many other festivals. He was also awarded Best Supporting Actor Award from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle (2022). He appears in a major role in Bones of Crows, which will be screening at TIFF 2022. Most recently Odjick acted alongside Britt Lower in the feature The Incident Report, and he will soon commence filming a lead role in a yet to be announced feature film. Odjick landed his first series regular role in the Canadian television series Unsettled and has since worked on the award winning feature film Bootlegger and several shows, including Little Bird, Three Pines, Pour Toi Flora, Tom Longboat and most prominently, the international series The Swarm, an ecological thriller from Primetime Emmy Award-winning television producer Frank Doelger (Game of Thrones), which will premiere at Berlinale 2023. Industry professionals have found that Odjick possesses a deep presence that is rare in an actor, going so far as to dub him the "Native Brando." Having grown up on a reserve with relatives who are survivors of residential/day schools, his work has an authenticity that reveals a beautiful juxtaposition of the love, vulnerability, and brokenness of his characters. Odjick approaches everything from a place of Spirit. He holds a powerful connection with his creator, his guardians, and the land with all the beautiful creatures who inhabit it. Odjick is grateful for the opportunity to have a platform to tell the stories, teachings, and traditions of his people.- IMDb Mini Biography By: TIFF
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