Katarina Ziervogel is an emerging Indigenous filmmaker with a burning passion for writing, producing, and the most important one of all… filmmaking. With a great thirst for the learning of visual storytelling, she thrives to reach out and acquire the knowledge, experience, and understanding of the craft behind filmmaking of all genres. She brings professionalism, enthusiasm, and a great confidence to try and commitment to her craft.

She was raised in a family with a visionary for creative arts. She comes from the background in Ojibway and Mohawk from her mother. Her parents are both writers, so it is no secret that Katarina has inherited her passion for writing (her mother is Kim Wheeler, a journalist and producer for Aboriginal media and the mainstream media over at CBC. Her stepfather is Jordan Wheeler, a screenwriter for North of 60, Arctic Air, and various television shows). Hence, she has a strong sense of the involvement with the professional. With her mother’s strong involvement in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women inquiry and its community, Katarina comes with a great understanding of the emotional impact it has on all people’s involvement with MMIW inquiry. She recalls attending the vigil for Tina Fontaine at the Forks two year ago and was overwhelmed by a pressing issue of the safety for Indigenous women and the community in Canada. Not only is she passionate about filmmaking but she shares the same passion for Indigenous politics, which will assist her position in participation of Taken.

Katarina’s passion for filmmaking was initiated with a digital camera she received during her early teenage years. She enjoyed being behind the camera, creating the frame as she taped her friends acting out and she would go on her computer to edit the videos. In high school, she participated in elective courses such as digital design and animation. She created a full-30 seconds animation in both 2D and 3D, several modelings, texturing objects and light designs. She graduated from Kelvin High School with honours in 2015 and attended University of Winnipeg in 2016 for one year with an intention of going back for their filmmaking program.

Katarina was recently the subject of a documentary for the doc series Orange Daisy Project. Katarina’s position on Taken will be supported by Sphere Quebec, through REES, as well as ASL interpreters (as Katarina is deaf).

She is looking forward to share a part in Taken’s season two and is eager to be working with Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving, Rebecca Gibson and the rest of team as she continues to grow her emerging skill set and potential ideas from them.