Ivanna Samuel

Ivanna Samuel is an actor, spoken word poet, performer, and filmmaker based in Vancouver. Ivanna created her short film "Who We Are", under the Reel Youth Black Brilliance program, in partnership with Telus StoryHive. On-screen, Ivanna can be seen playing the role of Asha in her directorial debut film, “Looking Glass”. Ivanna holds a strong passion for raw and vulnerable storytelling, with a focus on stories about mental health and self-expression. In 2023, Ivanna was selected as a delegate for the 2023 Black Women Film! Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and she is a recent alumni of the VIFF Catalyst Mentorship Program 2023 cohort. Through the ‘Fabienne Colas’ and Netflix's Being Black in Canada Program, Ivanna has recently completed her second short film and first documentary “The Book of Black Voices”, which tells the story of two Black poets (Adonis and Imbali) as they grapple to find community in Vancouver. She is currently working on her narrative debut titled, “Looking Glass”. Ask her about it!Through spoken word, Ivanna reaches out and connects with the audience, breathing life into the words that flow in her poetry. Ivanna and her poetry have graced many stages in Vancouver, Delta, and BC (from Poetry Night at Pacific Arts Market to the Delta Composed Festival, and the 2024 Verses Festival) and she is the winner of DA LUV JONES Poetry Slam in 2023.She is honored to be at Vines Art Festival, making much-needed space for poetry.