Kiley May is a multifaceted individual, belonging to the esteemed Hotinonhshón:ni confederacy, Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) nation, and the Turtle Clan. Born and raised in the Six Nations of the Grand River territory, Kiley now calls Aterón: to (Toronto) home, embracing her city-minded Rez Girl roots.
As a two-spirit transgender, queer multidisciplinary artist and storyteller, Kiley wears many hats. She is a writer, author, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director, with a passion for creating authentic and empowering portrayals of Indigenous and transgender women. Her extensive acting training includes stints at the Centre For Indigenous Theatre, the Miriam Laurence Acting Studio, The Dirt Underneath Acting Studio with John Gordon, and The Lighthouse Acting Studio with Angela Besharah.
Kiley's impressive acting credits include a recurring role as assistant pathologist River Baitz on the hit CBC show Coroner, as well as appearances in IT Chapter Two, Woman Dress, and The D Cut. Through her activism, educating, public speaking, and involvement with ACTRA and InsideOut, Kiley is dedicated to promoting representation, diversity, and inclusion.
As a screenwriter, director, and producer, Kiley creates scripts and roles for Indigenous and transgender women, focusing on positive, empowering, and authentic portrayals. Her work aims to showcase representation and narratives for 2SLGBTTQQIAAP+ identities and histories. Kiley is a recent winner of The Magee TV Diverse Screenwriters Award, presented by the Toronto Screenwriting Conference, and is being mentored by Eva Thomas in developing her first TV series, T*W*A*T*S, a trans woman of colour-centred action revenge fantasy.
Kiley is also the recipient of the 2021 imagineNATIVE & Charles Street Video Residency. She is currently producing her Transamorous Trilogy of short films with her production company, Braided Sisters Productions, and has a new short film, Discretion, premiering at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in October 2021.
