Skoden Indigenous Film Festival | 2025
Friday, April 11, 2025 | 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM | Doors at 5:00 PM
SFU's Leslie & Gordon Diamond Family Auditorium
8888 University High Street, Burnaby
The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival returns for its 7th year on April 11, 2025.with two evening screenings (including a family-friendly program) of films from Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Turtle Island.
Founded on the principles of truth and reconciliation, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen created the festival in 2019. According to Carr Sappier, “Skoden represents a sense of happiness, inclusion and a space where all filmmakers can feel like they are part of something that holds them up in respect.”
The 7th annual Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is curated by Akira Iahtail, Kathleen Mullen, and Carr Sappier.
Presented in conjunction with SFU's First Nations, Métis & Inuit Student Association's 3rd Annual “Honouring Indigenous Students” Powwow on April 12, 2025, at SFU Burnaby.
Schedule
Shorts Program: Kinship (family-friendly) - Total running time: 61 min
Kinship is the connection between the land, people, animals, and every living being. It has the power to heal, nurture, and teach the spirits of the next generation through knowing who you are and where you come from. The films in this program use storytelling to share stories of Kinship, teaching us that we must take care of everything that belongs to us, whether it is our kinship ties, dreams, land, or our stories and histories. Settler colonialism attempted to break these bonds but the films within this program prove that through sharing and awareness, kinship will be carried on to each generation.
Kikino Kids
Barry Bilinsky
2022 | 14 min
Created by and starring the youth of Tap Root Actors Academy, founded by Tantoo Cardinal, from Kikino Métis Settlement, this film presents a whimsical blend of Wes Anderson's and Taika Waititi's early styles. Explore the story of rebellious friends, star-crossed lovers and brave explorers coming together to discover how connected they truly are.
Pow Wow Xperience
Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse
2018 | 10 min
Learn about why everyone is welcome to dance at the Pow Wow, a place to celebrate, connect, reclaim, and revitalize Indigenous traditions and kinship systems.
Hop Along Hang On
Cobra Collins
2020 | 4 min
Follow Rose the rabbit on a journey as she seeks her way back home, sharing the difficulties and trauma surrounding cultural disconnection in order to build a better tomorrow, together. Métis spoken word artist Cobra Collins blends spoken word poetry, music, and animation to share a story of reclamation, recovery, and reconciliation.
My Friend the Green Horse
Alanis Obomsawin
2024 | 11 min
Often feeling alone in her waking life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found friendship with the Green Horse, a benevolent being she visited regularly in her dreams. Together with other animal spirits, the Green Horse guided Alanis to realize the immensity of the gift of life and the power of kindness.
The Scissors
Katia Kurtness
2023 | 3 min
At the sound of cardboard being cut, Annette remembers the first time she cut out animal silhouettes and passed on this talent to her daughter, Katia.
The Train Station
Lyana Patrick
2020 | 2 min
In this beautifully animated documentary short, filmmaker Lyana Patrick narrates her family's powerful story of love and survival at Lejac Indian Residential School.
Woman Dress
TJ Cuthand
2019 | 7 min
Pre-contact, a Two Spirit person named Woman Dress travels the Plains, gathering and sharing stories. Featuring archival images and dramatized re-enactments, this film shares a Cuthand family oral story, honouring and respecting Woman Dress without imposing colonial binaries on them.
The Mountain of SGaana
Christopher Auchter
2017 | 10 min
The ancient tale of Haida master sea hunter Naa-Naa-Simgat who is stolen away to the spirit world by a SGaana (the Haida word for “killer whale”), and his beloved, Kuuga Kuns who rescues him. The story unfolds in a traditional animation style with formal elements of Haida art, brought to life by a rich, evocative palette and stylized effects.
Program 2: Feature Presentation - Total running time: 88 min
Inkwo for When the Starving Return
Amanda Strong
2025 | 18 min
Follow Dove, a gender-shifting warrior, in their fight to protect their kin using the gifts and burdens of Inkwo, their medicine, against the greedy flesh-consuming creatures.
NiiMisSak: Sisters In Film
Jules Arita Koostachin
2025 | 70 min
Dive into the journey of IsKweWak (women) storytellers like writer-director Jules Koostachin, Marie Clement, Jessie Anthony, Kayah George, Tristin Greyeyes, Kira Doxtator, Asia Youngman, and acclaimed documentarian Alanis Obomsawin as they share what it is like navigating the film and television industry. Highlighting the systemic discrimination in the film industry and tackling topics like storytelling protocols, gender biases, and imposter syndrome, Koostachin raises awareness and proves how vital Indigenous women are to the film industry.
Director Jules Koostachin will be in attendance.
Curators biographies
Akira Iahtail
Akira Iahtail is from amiskwaciwâskahikan, also known as Edmonton, Alberta, and is a member of Attawapiskat First Nation. She is a student at Simon Fraser University, majoring in Indigenous Studies. She began her programminging career in 2021 with the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival, and has been co-curating the Turtle Island and Beyond program at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. She currently curates Our Stories to Tell, a monthly series at The Cinematheque.
Carr Sappier
Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) is a two-spirited multi-genre filmmaker from Neqotkuk with a BFA in film at Simon Fraser University. Carr’s passion for filmmaking stems from an aspiration to decolonize the screen and to offer an alternative and non-binary perspective of Wolastoqew storytelling. Blending and morphing different genre styles and film mediums provides Carr with methods to express their two-spirited and Wolastoqew identity. Carr co-instructed the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival course offered at Simon Fraser University. Carr co-founded and co-directed the festival in their final year of study at SFU. Moreover, Carr is sharing their time with like-minded individuals in their community to encourage Neqotkuk to create space and support for the 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
Kathleen Mullen
Kathleen (she/her) is a first generation settler. She is an experienced film programmer and festival director with a focus on inclusive, impactful film experiences. She is the lead programmer for Frameline: San Francisco LGBTQ+ Film Festival and programs for the Victoria Film Festival, Skoden Indigenous Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. Kathleen also works with the Sustainable Production Forum, advocating for sustainability in film. A lecturer at Lesley University, she guides students in creating the Lesley University Independent Film Festival. Formerly the Festival Director of the Seattle Queer Film Festival, she has also programmed for TIFF, Hot Docs, Inside Out Toronto, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Planet in Focus. Kathleen holds an MFA in Film Production from York University and has directed the documentary Breathtaking.
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Organized by SFU Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology