Media Release

Skoden Indigenous Film Festival showcases Indigenous talent from across Canada

March 31, 2021

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The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival returns for a two-day online event March 26-27, featuring Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada and British Columbia.

The festival was created in 2019 by SFU film students Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen from SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts.

The annual film festival is maintained through a semester-long interdisciplinary class taught by Sappier and Kathleen Mullen, a filmmaker and film festival consultant. SFU students from all faculties are invited to participate in building this festival. Read more about the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival course in SFU News.

More than 100 films were submitted to the festival. This year’s features include an eclectic selection of filmmakers including comedian Jay Cardinal Villeneuve (Is That One of Your Jokes), rising-star Asia Youngman (This Ink Runs Deep), and hip-hop artist Diana Hellson (The Foundation: Indigenous Hip Hop in Canada).

The festival will open with a welcome ceremony led by Elder Syexwaliya and will also include a series of Q&A sessions.

Festival-goers can access five film programs that include: Program 1: Healing the Nation; Program 2: Back to Grassroots; Program 3: Future Generation; Program 4: Potpourri, a program ranging from Indigenous life to music videos; and Program 5, the feature film Shadow of Dumont by Métis director Trevor Cameron.

Skoden is an Indigenous slang term meaning ‘Let’s go then!’. According to 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.” Mullen adds: “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.”

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

Carr Sappier (they/them) - Festival co-founder; Skoden course co-lecturer

Kathleen Mullen (she/her) - Festival mentor; Skoden course co-lecturer

Students who are part of planning the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival:

Emilyn Sim (she/her), Communication and Contemporary Arts student

Vivian Chu (she/her), Communication student

FOR INTERVIEW OR OTHER MEDIA REQUESTS

Tessa Perkins Deneault, manager, communications & strategy, SFU’s Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, 778-782-2133 | tcp@sfu.ca

About Skoden Indigenous Film Festival

Skoden is a two-day student led online film festival which features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada and British Columbia. Each year, the film festival is organized and led by a class of students. Founded on the principles of truth and reconciliation, SFU Film students at The School for Contemporary Arts, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen created the festival in 2019.