Skoden Indigenous Film Festival | 2022
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival – ONLINE
Did you miss the chance to see the 2022 Skoden Indigenous Film Festival in person? Don't worry! Watch the films from the festival online until April 10 (at 11:59 PM).
March 31, 2022 | Prospera Credit Union Theatre – SFU Surrey Campus | 13450 102 Ave Unit 110, Surrey
April 1 – 2, 2022 | Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema – SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | 149 W. Hastings St. Vancouver
Tickets
Tickets are offered on a sliding scale: $0, $5, $10, $20, $25. The suggested donation is a $10 – $15 donation per program you wish to attend, but none will be excluded for lack of funds. You can also purchase tickets on the day of, at the venue.
Skoden is a three-day student-led film festival which features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada. Founded on the principles of truth and reconciliation, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen created the festival in 2019, and now we are headed towards the fourth annual Skoden Film Fest. It’s organized and led by a class of students from all over SFU’s School of Contemporary Arts, and co-taught by Carr Sappier and Kathleen Mullen. This year we also have the privilege to be helped by intern Akira Iahtail (Swampy Cree from Attawapiskat and Métis).
Skoden is an Indigenous slang term that stands for ‘Let’s go then!’. According to Carr Sappier, Skoden is emblematic of more. “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,” they say. And for instructor Kathleen Mullen, “we are sharing experiences and knowledge through this course and for me this is what SKODEN means—Let’s Go Then! with humour, dialogue, and respect.”
Schedule
Festival-goers can choose between six film programs – or go to them all!
Skoden Sampler | March 31, 2022 | 6:30 PM | Prospera Credit Union Theatre – SFU Surrey Campus, Surrey
This program will be held at SFU's Surrey Campus (13450 102 Ave Unit 110, Surrey, BC) and provide a sampling of films from across our other programs to set the tone for this amazing weekend!
Get tickets for the Skoden Sampler
To see the Skoden Sampler program, please click HERE.
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival | April 1 & 2, 2022 | Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema – SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Vancouver
The main festival is presented as several different programs at SFU's Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC).
- Opening Program: Stoodis! (Let's Do This!) + Opening Ceremony and remarks and post-screening Q&A | April 1, 5:00 PM
- Program 2 | Evolution Revolution | April 1, 7:30 PM
- Youth / Family Program: Carrying The Fire | April 2, 1:00 PM
- Saturday Matinée: Where We Come From, Where We're Going | April 2, 3:00 PM
- Closing Program: Skoden! (Let's Go Then!) + Witness Ceremony and Award Ceremony | April 2, 5:00 PM
Get tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival 2022 | Festival winners
Here are the winners of this years festival: Gitz Crazyboy and Tito Ybarra's The Peace Pipeline won Best Film and the Audience Choice Award, Terri Calder's Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics won the Trickster Award, and the Audience Award Honourable Mentions went to Abraham Côté's My Indian Name and Courtney Montour's Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again. Congratulations, everyone!
The Peace Pipeline | 2021, 24 Mins
Gitz Crazyboy & Tito Ybarra
Best Film and the Audience Choice Award
Comedians and activists Gitz Crazyboy and Tito Ybarra pose as a indigenous energy company sharing plans to reroute Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through the wealthy white suburbs of Duluth, MN, to more fairly share the risks oil pipelines bring to indigenous lands—with shocking and hilarious results.
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics | 2021, 19 Mins
Terri Calder
Trickster Award
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics charts a challenging journey for a precocious Métis baby girl as she contemplates her path to Hell.
Content Warning: female nudity, depiction of religious trauma.
My Indian Name | 2021, 45 Mins
Abraham Côté
Audience Award – Honourable Mention
My “Indian” Name is a one-hour documentary that takes a look at how having their traditional names stripped away from them has impacted Indigenous peoples. Without their original names, people are often left trying to find how they fit in this world. Luckily today, steps are being taken to reclaim their basic right to their true names.
Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again | 2021, 34 Mins
Courtney Montour
Audience Award – Honourable Mention
The powerful story of Mary Two-Axe Earley, who fought for more than two decades to challenge the discrimination against Indigenous women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act and became a key figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement.
Join us in the opening program of the festival, Stoodis! (Let’s Do This!) This program will feature seven short films about the Indigenous experience through mixed media, documentary and narrative films from Indigenous filmmakers across the country. Connecting to the land, culture, art practices and oneself are just a few topics of what to expect in this beautifully curated program. This program begins with an opening ceremony and remarks to start the festival, and ends with a post-screening Q&A with filmmakers K.J. Edwards (Meet the Sky) and Siku Alloloo (Spirit Emulsion).
Tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Spirit Emulsion | 2022, 7 Mins
Siku Allooloo
A woman’s connection to her mother in the spirit world reactivates Taíno culture and presence, revealing a realm unseen. Amidst a backdrop of flowers everywhere, a historic act of sovereignty is symbolically represented.
Filmed on Super 8 and developed by hand with plant medicines and botanicals, Spirit Emulsion develops a language for Taíno filmmaking based in connection to the earth and cosmos, breathing an ancestral connection into new form.
Meet The Sky | 2021, 14 Mins
K. J. Edwards
Two sisters travel to a reservation to learn about Kanien'kehá:ka culture. Due to the progression of her illness, Andie intends to live out her days there. Mel, on the other hand, rejects both the truth about Andie’s diagnosis and the importance of bringing ceremony into their lives.
Content Warning: Discussion or depiction of suicide (assisted death).
R.E.M. Burn | 2021, 7 Mins
Bawaadan Collective
Art can be a powerful means of communication. Through creative use of mixed media, film, and stop motion, R.E.M. Burn weaves together the common threads of beading and painting with the stories each one of us carries.
Content Warning: Epilepsy warning, flashing visuals.
Odehimin | 2020, 3 Mins
Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo
Odehimin is reconnecting with oneself and relearning to love oneself.
Kweskowsiw (She Whistles) | 2021, 12 Mins
Thirza Cuthand
En route to her girlfriend's place on a night when the Northern Lights are out, a 2-Spirit nêhiyaw woman is assaulted by her cab driver. Amidst the struggle, she discovers a deadly supernatural power that may help her solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault.
Nalujuk Nights | 2021, 13 Mins
Jennie Williams
Nalujuk Night is an up close look at an exhilarating, and sometimes terrifying, Labrador Inuit tradition of the dark of the Nunatasiavut night. The Nalujuit appear on the sea ice and make their way into the Inuit community of Nain to encourage members to celebrate their culture and tradition.
Angakusajaujuq – Shaman's Apprentice | 2021, 20 Mins
Zacharias Kunuk
A young shaman must face her first test—a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill. Facing dark spirits and physical challenges, she must trust her mentor and grandmother's teachings and learn to control her fear.
Content Warning: Graphic violence (against animals).
To close our opening night, this program offers, through a matriarchal lens, a meditation on Indigenous traditional values, and celebration for how things can change. While acknowledging the trauma and challenges that colonial violence entails, these films carry with them a drive to move forward and reinforce Indigenous values. The world can be unjust and cruel, but we carry within ourselves the agency to empower ourselves and others.
Tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Inniun Ueshkat Mak Anutshish | 2020, 5 Mins
Mary Menie Mark
A conversation between a mother and her daughter; memories of passing from the hut to the house.
Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again | 2021, 34 Mins
Courtney Montour
The powerful story of Mary Two-Axe Earley, who fought for more than two decades to challenge the discrimination against Indigenous women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act and became a key figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement.
Ȇmîcêtôsêt-Many Bloodlines | 2021, 11 Mins
Theola Ross
The film is a dual protagonist, character-driven story in which two women are on a path towards having a child together through the fertility treatment process. The central concept for the story is exploring how this couple will experience and explore building their own family while manoeuvring through their difference in race, culture, class and gender roles.
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics | 2021, 19 Mins
Terri Calder
Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics charts a challenging journey for a precocious Métis baby girl as she contemplates her path to Hell.
Content Warning: female nudity, depiction of religious trauma.
Our third program invites the youth in the community to engage with Indigenous knowledge and the ways in which it is passed on through the generations. We hope to inspire you to find love for the land and where you’re from, love for yourself, your community and your cultural roots. Knowledge is a sacred resource; share what you have with others and protect your community.
Tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Hop Along Hang On | 2020, 4 Mins
Cobra Collins
Through the narrator’s personal lens “Hop Along, Hang On" offers a glimpse into the difficulties and trauma surrounding the Sixties scoop and subsequent ongoing hardships faced by Indigenous people who have found themselves on the outside of their culture. Let Rose tell you how she found her way home, in hopes that we can all build a better tomorrow, together.
Evan’s Drum | 2021, 14 Mins
Ossie Michelin
In Evan's Drum, an adventurous young boy and his determined mother share a passion for the Labrador Inuit drum.
Avi: From The North | 2021, 5 Mins
Alex Maksagak
Filmmaker Alex Maksagak weaves poetry with cinematic images in this tribute piece to the North.
This online film program, made possible by Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society, brought together people from Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven and Ulukhaktok. They learned principles of filmmaking, and practised media production skills by shooting and editing original short videos telling their stories and addressing climate change in the north.
IndiGenie | 2020, 4 Mins
Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill
A doll who listens to your heart and makes your dreams come true.
Məca | 2021, 8 Mins
Ritchie Norman Hemphill & Ryan Edward Haché
A stop motion representation of the late elder Ida Smith telling her grandson the legend of the Mink.
Spirit Bear And Children Make History | 2020, 26 Mins
Amanda Strong
Spirit Bear tells a tragic story of Jordan River Anderson, and unfairness towards Indigenous Kids.
In our fourth program, we will be presenting a short film composed of archival footage followed by a mid-length documentary. Both films propose that reflecting on tradition can be the vital tool for reclaiming the past, reclaiming identity and ultimately as a means of moving forward with renewed strength.
Tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Caribou In the Archive | 2019, 8 Mins
Jennifer Dysart
A home movie of Cree woman hunting is saved from being lost forever, but how does it compare to official Canadian history of northern Manitoba?
Content Warning: Graphic violence (against animals).
My Indian Name | 2021, 45 Mins
Abraham Côté
My “Indian” Name is a one-hour documentary that takes a look at how having their traditional names stripped away from them has impacted Indigenous peoples. Without their original names, people are often left trying to find how they fit in this world. Luckily today, steps are being taken to reclaim their basic right to their true names.
The closing program of the festival is composed of six films that take us across Turtle Island. A mixture of documentary and animation regarding oral history and tradition that culminates in a message of strength and resilience in our collective mission towards justice and reconciliation. We hope that you will consider this final program our call to action–we hope you will carry the spirit of Skoden! With you (after the festival) and continue your engagement in Indigenous culture and rights.
Tickets for the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
NOTE: Please make sure to purchase a ticket for each program you'd like to attend.
Arctic Song | 2021, 6 Mins
Germaine Arnattaujuq
In this six-minute short, Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok) depicts Inuit creation stories in all their glory. Arctic Song tells stories of how the land, sea and sky came to be in beautifully rendered animation. Telling traditional Inuit tales from the Iglulik region of Nunavut through song, the film revitalises ancient knowledge and shares it with future generations.
The Mask Maker | 2020, 2 Mins
Desmond Simon
The Mask Maker is a mini documentary about aboriginal carver named Charlie Gaffney and his journey into mask making and art, and where he is heading.
The Peace Pipeline | 2021, 24 Mins
Gitz Crazyboy & Tito Ybarra
Comedians and activists Gitz Crazyboy and Tito Ybarra pose as a indigenous energy company sharing plans to reroute Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through the wealthy white suburbs of Duluth, MN, to more fairly share the risks oil pipelines bring to indigenous lands—with shocking and hilarious results.
I Am The Warrior | 2021, 8 Mins
Tara Audibert
A Residential School Story. A mother and daughter Fox have a poor relationship. The daughter wants to right the wrongs the residential schools have commited to make her mother this way. She becomes the Warrior in her thoughts to save the young version of her mother, only to find her mother is the true Warrior after surviving Residential School.
Content Warning: Graphic violence, discussion or depiction of sexual violence (implied that sexual assault was about to occur).
My Brother – A Story About Surviving | 2021, 3 Mins
Desmond Simon
This is my brother's story about his abuse of drugs and how it almost killed him. In the summer he suffered a major stroke that left him in a coma for weeks. After two open heart surgeries he is reflecting on life and grateful for another chance to live. Thank you for watching, and I hope everyone has a great 2021.
Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair | 2021, 29 Mins
Alanis Obomsawin
Senator Murray Sinclair's historically important acceptance speech for his award from McGill University for his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Presented at the Prospera Credit Union Theatre in SFU's Surrey Campus, the Skoden Sampler will show eight short films that were carefully selected from the main festival's five programs, which are screening in Vancouver on April 1 – 2, 2022: Stoodis! (Let’s Do This!), Evolution Revolution, Carrying The Fire, Where We’ve Come From & Where We‘re Going, and the Skoden! (Let’s Go Then!) programs.
We hope to see you at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts for the full program, as well! Enjoy the program!
Spirit Emulsion | 2022, 7 Mins
Siku Allooloo
A woman’s connection to her mother in the spirit world reactivates Taíno culture and presence, revealing a realm unseen. Amidst a backdrop of flowers everywhere, a historic act of sovereignty is symbolically represented.
Filmed on Super 8 and developed by hand with plant medicines and botanicals, Spirit Emulsion develops a language for Taíno filmmaking based in connection to the earth and cosmos, breathing an ancestral connection into new form.
Inniun Ueshkat Mak Anutshish | 2020, 5 Mins
Mary Menie Mark
A conversation between a mother and her daughter; memories of passing from the hut to the house.
Ȇmîcêtôsêt-Many Bloodlines | 2021, 11 Mins
Theola Ross
The film is a dual protagonist, character-driven story in which two women are on a path towards having a child together through the fertility treatment process. The central concept for the story is exploring how this couple will experience and explore building their own family while manoeuvring through their difference in race, culture, class and gender roles.
Meet The Sky | 2021, 14 Mins
K. J. Edwards
Two sisters travel to a reservation to learn about Kanien'kehá:ka culture. Due to the progression of her illness, Andie intends to live out her days there. Mel, on the other hand, rejects both the truth about Andie’s diagnosis and the importance of bringing ceremony into their lives.
Content Warning: Discussion or depiction of suicide (assisted death).
R.E.M. Burn | 2021, 7 Mins
Bawaadan Collective
Art can be a powerful means of communication. Through creative use of mixed media, film, and stop motion, R.E.M. Burn weaves together the common threads of beading and painting with the stories each one of us carries.
Content Warning: Epilepsy warning, flashing visuals.
Evan’s Drum | 2021, 14 Mins
Ossie Michelin
In Evan's Drum, an adventurous young boy and his determined mother share a passion for the Labrador Inuit drum.
The Mask Maker | 2020, 2 Mins
Desmond Simon
The Mask Maker is a mini documentary about aboriginal carver named Charlie Gaffney and his journey into mask making and art, and where he is heading.
Angakusajaujuq – Shaman's Apprentice | 2021, 20 Mins
Zacharias Kunuk
A young shaman must face her first test—a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill. Facing dark spirits and physical challenges, she must trust her mentor and grandmother's teachings and learn to control her fear.
Content Warning: Graphic violence (against animals).
Skoden Newsletter
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About
Used by Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast, Skoden is a unifying word that transcends a single language. Skoden is slang for “let's go then”. It’s an attitude and a battle cry and we’ve decided to take it to heart.
Held within the heart of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Kwantlen, q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen Nations territories, Skoden Indigenous Film Festival celebrates the works of Canadian based Indigenous filmmakers and talent, and features indigenous cultural traditions, including a welcome ceremony and witness. Started in 2019 by two SFU Film students at The School for Contemporary Arts, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqiyik) and Grace Mathisen, the festival was created to showcase Indigenous filmmakers and to Indigenize the SFU community. Festival-goers are able to attend film programs and Q&As, celebrating Indigenous voices and cultivating more active discussions about reconciliation. We welcome new traditions and invite anyone who is interested in making our community more inclusive to come, learn, and share with us in the spirit of Skoden.
Presented by the SCA with the support of the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology.
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Click HERE to make a one-time or monthly gift to help the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival grow.
The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is presented by SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts with the support of the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology.
