Nika & Madison is a new film that follows two Indigenous women in Ontario who, after assaulting a man in self-defence, go on the run. It’s a good movie that tackles friendship, family, Indigenous culture, and how Indigenous cultures in Canada intersect with policing. It features Ellyn Jade, Star Slade, Amanda Brugel, and Shawn Doyle as the two young women and the two detectives pursuing them, respectively.

I had the opportunity to sit down with co-writer and director Eva Thomas to discuss the film and its themes and impact.

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Matthew Simpson: Eva, thank you for joining me today. How has the response to the film been since its premiere at TIFF?

Eva Thomas: I’ve been lucky to arrange my life so I could really travel with the film on this film festival circuit. So the film has, so far, played at 25 film festivals since TIFF in September, and I’ve been lucky to be able to go to 19. So I really didn’t get a chance to travel with my previous films, Aberdeen and Red Lights, on the circuit. I think in both cases, I only went to two film festivals, but this one, I told everyone, “I’m travelling with the film!” 

So it’s so great to see the reception and that audiences are connecting with it in different locations, and that it works in Hawaii, works in Vancouver, or works in Toronto.  It’s really nice to see, and we’ve won a handful of awards as well, which has been an unexpected blessing of the journey.

We had our international premiere at the Honolulu Film Festival, and then we went to Santa Fe where we won Best Narrative Film. We went to Los Angeles, and we won five awards at the Red Nation Film Festival in November. And over the weekend, we were just in northern Minnesota, where we won Best Feature Film and, of course, certainly the theatrical release in Canada. I think we’ve been to about 20 Canadian film festivals so far.

Matthew: Sounds like the response has been incredibly positive. That must be quite rewarding!

Eva: I remember when we locked the final cut of the movie, I remember my first thought was “I think I made a bad movie. But then, you add all the layers, the music, the colour and all the components, and now I just feel really proud of it. I think there’s so much self-doubt sometimes as an artist, and the film’s reception has been helpful in building confidence.

Matthew: I think we call that imposter syndrome, right? It’s very much like you did the thing and suddenly, like, “Oh no, is the thing any good?”

Eva: Yes, I did that! I have certainly been battling a bit of that.

Matthew: I’m gonna ask a question that I’m sure comes up all the time, but where did the original inspiration for the film come from? I mean, obviously, kind of ripped from the headlines. But is there something more personal going on there, or something closer to home, maybe?

Eva: It is certainly inspired by the classic film, Thelma & Louise. I remember thinking as a child, “Why don’t they go to the cops? These two women should go to the cops and tell them what happened, and then they’re gonna have no problem, right?” And it wasn’t until I watched it as an adult that I could see that there were a lot more layers going on.

I didn’t, at the time, understand Susan Sarandon’s character’s trauma, and why she didn’t want to go through Texas.  I remember thinking to myself, “Oh, wow, if these two women, these two white women, couldn’t go to the police, what if it was two Indigenous women and they really couldn’t go to the police?” And that was the spark of the idea.

I always wanted to make a feature, but at the time, I hadn’t really directed much. And so I set out on a journey to make a short film first, and then go on to make the feature. And so I did Red Lights, which premiered at TIFF in 2023, and then two years later, I was back with the feature, an expanded version of it.

Matthew: And just to be clear, this is your solo narrative feature debut picture?

Eva: Yes! I had co-directed a feature called Aberdeen, which premiered at TIFF in 2024, so I was at TIFF in 2023 with Red Lights, then in 2024 with Aberdeen, and then in 2025 with Nika & Madison, my solo directorial film.

Matthew: Well, just for the record, I liked it! One thing I kind of liked about it, I don’t find it to be a very subtle film. It doesn’t need to be, and maybe it shouldn’t be in 2025, 2026 Right? Like, the things the film is talking about are things we should just know, and maybe putting them right in front of us is the best thing. Can you speak to that a little bit? It doesn’t feel like you were trying to be subversive; were you just trying to get the story out there, trying to get the themes out there?

Eva: Yeah, you know, when I first, you know, dreamt up the idea, I thought that the trouble that the girls would get into would have been more in the world of like domestic violence, like one of them was in a domestic violence situation, and the other one sort of saved her from that. That was sort of like where I was swimming, and then then the pandemic happened, and then George Floyd happened, and all those protests out west with the Indigenous people and the clashes between them and the law enforcement, I switched my focus to really be able to speak about the place where law enforcement meets Indigenous people, and how that always isn’t a place of safety. 

So, certainly, if you watch the film, that’s all there, and as an Indigenous person, these things aren’t subtle in our lives. We’re dealing with them all the time, and in varying degrees, depending on how close it is to your life. So yeah, I guess it’s not subtle in some ways, and I wanted to be able to speak about some of these really urgent issues we’re having,

Matthew: To be clear, when I say not subtle, that’s absolutely a compliment. I think it’s exactly the right choice.

Eva: It’s interesting because when you say that, I remember someone else saying the film wears its message on its sleeve, but maybe it needs to. So I think that that’s positive, that I could tell a story to and have a message that resonates with Indigenous people, but with non-Indigenous people as well.

Matthew: Yeah, not to put too fine a point on it, but people who look like me probably need to see the movie. 

Eva: Certainly, as a filmmaker, I want to tell stories that speak to my community, but as an artist, I want to reach a larger audience with my films, and I’m glad it is speaking to Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.

Matthew: Shifting gears just very slightly. I found two things that really worked for me are four of the people in the movie. And one is Star Slate and Ellen Jade, and their relationship works really well. But Amanda Brugel and Shawn Doyle are pretty great as well. Can you speak a little bit to the casting process? How did you come to these performers, and what cemented them into the roles for you?

Eva: Ellen Jade was in the short film Red Lights, and co-starred in that film with Kaniehtiio Horn, who’s a really good friend of mine, and they both were on LetterKenny, and they are friends. So you can almost feel their friendship through the frame, if you will. There’s authenticity to their back-and-forth. And we had always dreamed of making this short film together, and then to go on to make the feature together.

Then Kaniehtiio got pregnant, and she had the most beautiful baby, and I had to recast. We held a nationwide casting call for actresses to play Madison.  I made my little list, then called up Ellen Jade and said, “Who are you really good friends with in real life?” And she said, “I’m really good friends with Star Slade,” and I said, great, because she’s at the top of my list. I think Nika & Madison is actually the third project that they’ve worked on together. And yeah, and I think that’s one of the things that audiences are responding to, is the authenticity of their relationship. They really care about each other,

Matthew: Yeah, their vibe is immaculate, as the kids would say.

Eva: Yes! And on the second point about Amanda Brugel and Shawn Doyle, I would just say that our casting director, Larissa Mair, said, “We think Amanda Brugel and Shawn Doyle would be perfect for the detectives.” I remember thinking, “Oh, they’re never going to do my movie. These are working actors who have careers and names, they’re never gonna do it!”

But on Laura’s advice I made a little video and sent them the script, and they watched my film, Red Lights, and they graciously agreed, both of them, to take a meeting with me, and sort of told them that I was an actor’s director and the script wasn’t done, and I wanted to cast the actors that could help shape those characters together.  Nika & Madison was also, I believe, the third project that they’ve worked on together, so they’re colleagues, and they have a real relationship, too. Those two things really helped my job; they made my job as a director easier because there was trust.

Matthew: For the characters, Sean Doyle’s detective starts the film very adversarial to the Indigenous community -would be the politest way to put it- and Amanda Brugel, she’s far more receptive, and far more empathetic. Were you seeking a person of colour for that role?

Eva: I think in my mind, I always thought that if there was a bipoc actress in that role, that that would be a good thing, because I think as a person of colour, that you see the world in a different way. That’s what I was hoping that character would bring, but that would be strong and be able to challenge the guy who’s been there for a while, so yes, I thought that that would make a very good choice. And she’s brilliant! She’s such a good actress who brings so much. Both of them bring so much to the film.

Matthew: They’re both wonderful. And their interplay, and his growth through the movie, is really affecting. This is going to spoil the ending a little, but Shawn Doyle’s character undergoes probably the biggest change in the whole film. Did you at any point play with an idea of not doing that, of being a little more of an indictment, rather than hopeful? And to be clear, I like the ending. I think it works really well. I think that it is that sort of like glimmer of hope. If you know, if that guy can change, maybe everyone can. But also like, did you think about, did you have even an inkling of like, maybe something a little less hopeful, which would be on trend?

Eva: I knew that I wanted the film to end hopeful, because a story like this, a la Thelma and Louise or Queenie and Slim, could end really badly for these characters, and I didn’t want that.  I really wanted to explore the space where a character was conflicted. I think that’s what Sean Shawn Doyle’s character is navigating. Amanda Brugel’s character, Detective Timmons, really challenges him a number of times in the film to remind him of his humanity. And you’re absolutely right. I actually think that he has one of the biggest character arcs in the film, from where he starts to where he ends and shows that you can change, and it’s just as easy as that, and there’s honour sometimes in the change. You can move on from ideas you’ve had, and that’s okay.

Matthew: So it’s not just okay. I think it’s great in cases like this, especially, yes, changing our worldview to be better and more empathetic is always a good thing.

Eva: Yeah, and I guess, you know, they say that you watch the film through the director’s point of view, and I guess I still have hope that things can be different and they can be better, so, yeah, I guess you’ll get a dash of that in the film as well.

Matthew: It’s definitely there, and it definitely works. It’s funny you mentioned Thelma & Louise, because I was thinking about it while I was watching it, but that film does end in a slightly darker fashion. So the hope for change feels a little more, for lack of a better word, Canadian, and that maybe we can change and be better, so thank you for that. 

So right now, the film has played a lot of festivals, and it’s finally coming out in cinemas. Do you have any hopes for the film, or where it might go after this? 

Eva: We have a handful of festivals in April, and the film will come out on video on demand, so you’ll be able to rent it or buy it in April, and then we’ll have a broadcast airing of the film on CBC and APTN in the summertime, so I’m excited for those stages of the film as well. I’m happy to share that Michael McGowan and I have been nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada award for feature film, so that’s at the end of April. I was also nominated for a Directors’ Guild of Canada award for achievement in directing, but I did not win. So that kind of acknowledgement is nice, but I just wanted to make a movie, and I’m happy that it’s doing so well, and I’m happy that it’s being acknowledged in this way.

Matthew: That’s amazing. And like, you know, I’ll cross my fingers for you for the CSA nominations, which are out soon.

Eva: Yes, yes, yes, I’m going to cross my fingers too.

Matthew: I wanted to ask everyone the same question about the movies they make, which I’m sure you’ve done a lot of these interviews. You’ve been to 25 plus festivals. You’re talking to me now, I’m sure we’ve covered a lot of ground you’ve covered before, but is there anything that people aren’t asking about that you kind of wish they would? 

Eva: There’s a club sequence that’s in the film, the girls last night out, and I had gotten a note in the editing process, because in the first cut of the film, that scene was really short, and the note was for that moment to live on, because the following morning, when they wake up, their lives are never going to be the same. 

Also, as an Indigenous person, we use dance a lot to heal and celebrate. And I think in a lot of ways, when I think of that scene, it’s like a celebration for them. It’s a cleansing for them. I think people really get that with a smudging sequence. They really understand these women cleansing their energy before they’re going into battle, but I think the dancing sequence is sort of a modern version of the Indigenous use of dance practices. And I just don’t think people ask me about that very much, but it’s interesting, because I wonder if there’s enough time in there for them to like process how they feel about the girls’ journey so far. And that’s why it never comes up: the sequence is doing what I hoped it would. 

Matthew:  Yeah, I think it does what you’re intending. So that’s, I think it’s very successful. I think that’s also an interesting highlight of the collaborative process of filmmaking. If the editor said, “Hey, this could be better,” and you’re like, “yeah, that’s a good idea”. That kind of thing is amazing; it’s clearly your film, and it’s, but it’s clearly also the, you know, labour of love for everyone involved, which is great.

Eva: Yeah, I always say I, the director, get all the shine, but it’s really like 100 people who helped me make the film and brought ideas and their talents to it. And I think your job as a director is to recognize others’ talents and skills and incorporate them into the process. 

Matthew:  It’s amazing! I really hope that it really connects in the theatrical release. I’m looking forward to seeing it on TV. What is next? Do you have any more films in mind? Like, what’s next for Eva?

Eva: Oh, yeah, sure. I have about two or three more months of showing up for, promoting, and releasing the film, so I’m keen to have some time to decompress and also refill my creative well. But I’m in the process of adapting a novel I hope to direct, which will be my next project. 

Matthew: Interesting. Are you allowed to tell me which one?

Eva: … not yet.

Matthew: Well, thank you so much for joining me today. Congratulations again on the film. I think it’s great. I think it’s gonna do well. And wish you all the best.

Eva: Thank you so much!

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Nika & Madison, in cinemas Friday, March 27th, 2026