The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is a two-day, student-led film festival that features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada April 6-7, 2024.
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival 2024
- Date: April 6-7, 2024 from 12:00pm to 8:00pm
- Location: Djavad Mowafaghain Cinema (SFU School For The Contemporary Arts, 149 W Hastings St, Vancouver)
- Tickets: Purchase tickets to programs online on a pay-what-you-can basis.
Founded on the principles of Truth and Reconciliation, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen created the festival in 2019. SIFF is organized and led by a class of students from all over SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts and the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, and co-taught for the last three years by Carr Sappier and Kathleen Mullen. SIFF features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada, presented in 5 Programs, all thematically different, each ending with a Q&A session.
2024 Programs
Program 1: Retracting Our Roots + Opening Ceremony | April 6, 2024 from 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Tracing the roots of a tree is nearly impossible – as soon as they extend into the ground, they become entangled with all of those around them, entering an extensive network of interconnectedness. This is the journey the films of this program embark upon: tracing both the metaphoric (and literal) roots to rekindle a connection to culture, family, land, and more. Films showing during this program include Our Maternal Home (Janine Windolph), Ajjigiingiluktaaqtugut: We Are All Different (Lindsay McIntyre), Our Grandmother: The Inlet (Jamie Leigh Demetra Gianopoulos & Kayah George), and more.
Program 2: Sea to Sky | April 6, 2024 from 3:30pm to 5:20pm
From political trances to the political trenches, the films of the Sea to Sky program create an intricate portrait of nature from diverse Indigenous perspectives. These films serve as reminders that our environment, with all its life and resources, is something to admire contemplatively, to defend actively, and to respect with reverence. Films showing include Keepers of The Land (Deidre Leowinata and Douglas Neasloss), On the Land – Ice Fishing (Alysha Johnny Hawkins), Lii Bufloo Aen Loo Kishkishiw (Dianne Ouellette), and more.
Program 3: Stronger Together | April 6, 2024 from 6:00pm to 8:15pm
The colonization of Turtle Island was accompanied by violent acts of assimilation and genocide that sought to separate Indigenous peoples from their family, communities, and culture. The films of this program aim to shine a light on the impact giving people a platform to tell their personal experiences with the Residential School system, hoping to heal the deep wounds they inflicted. Program 3 features March with Arch (Toby Mak) and Waapake: Tomorrow (Jules Arita Koostachin).
Program 4: Planting the Seed | April 7, 2204 from 1:00pm to 2:45pm
Planting a seed is a new beginning. An opportunity to grow and develop new experiences both on our own and with loved ones that we find along the way. With the powerful storytelling and traditional practices found in these films, this program hopes to inspire youth to find meaning within themselves and value their unique experiences with bright colours, creativity, and Indigenous pride. Films showing include My Girl (Megan Shott), Abaznoda: Basket (Charlotte Gauthier-Nolett), To a Proud Generation (Cheyenne Flamand and Jimmy Clary), and more.
Program 5: All My Affections | April 7, 2024 from 3:30pm to 6:05pm
Adapted from the phrase “All My Relations” used by many Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, this program seeks to explore the interconnectedness of diverse emotions and experiences that affect all Indigenous lives. Digging deep into ongoing histories of violence and uplifting acts of resilience, these films showcase representations of what it means to be Indigenous and refuse attempts at reduction. Films showing include Conviction (Bruce Thomas Miller), Kiwolathmushis (Asha Bear), Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher (Heather Campbell) and more.
Closing & Award Ceremonies | April 7, 2024 from 6:20pm to 7:25pm
Join in to witness the closing ceremonies and presentation of awards.
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is organized and led by a class of students from all over SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts and the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, and co-taught for the last three years by Carr Sappier and Kathleen Mullen.
Follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram for more info.