SKODEN INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL 2023: Program 1 (Opening)

PROGRAM 1 | OPENING

ACTIVATING THE LANDSCAPE: MARCH 31 | 5:00 PM (94 MIN.)

This shorts program focuses on the body and the connection to the land and opens the festival to activate the space and community at SFU.

The 5th Annual Skoden Indigenous Film Festival, March 31 – April 1, is  a 2-day student-led film festival which features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada. 

Skoden is a two-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 fifth annual Skoden Indigenous Film Festival. It’s organized and led by a class of students from all over SFU’s School of Contemporary Arts and FCAT, and co-taught by Carr Sappier and Kathleen Mullen (who has been involved as a Festival consultant / mentor since the first year).

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! Said with humour, dialogue, and respect.”

INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM TICKETS: PAY WHAT YOU CAN: $0, $10, $15, $20

FESTIVAL PASSES: SKODEN ACCESS PASS (STUDENTS, SENIORS, ARTS WORKERS): $25 | SKODEN FESTIVAL PASS: $50

Please note: Each individual program requires a separate ticket, while Festival Passes will give you access to all of the programs.

All ticket sales go directly back into the sustainability of the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival and the costs related to putting on the festival (e.g. artist and guest speaker fees, festival operations).

Content warnings to be updated closer the Festival. If you have any concerns, please contact the box office at gca_events@sfu.ca

More information about the festival can be found here.

PROGRAM 1 | OPENING

ACTIVATING THE LANDSCAPE: MARCH 31 | 5:00 PM (94 MIN.)

This shorts program focuses on the body and the connection to the land and opens the festival to activate the space and community at SFU.

BODY SOVEREIGNTY (SHELBY SONY & NEHTANIS TAYLOR, 3 MIN.)

Body Sovereignty is a youth-made short film that explores what liberation looks like from an Indigenous perspective.

THE KLABONA KEEPERS (TAMO CAMPOS, JASPER SNOW-ROSEN, RHODA QUOCK, 69 MIN.)

The Klabona Keepers is an intimate portrait of the dynamic Indigenous community that succeeded in protecting the remote Sacred Headwaters, known as the Klabona. Spanning 15 years of matriarch-led resistance, the film follows a small group of determined elders as they heal from the wounds of colonization to push back against law enforcement, the government, and some of the largest multinational companies in the world.

RETURN TO OMBABIKA (MA-NEE CHACABY, ZOE GORDON, SHAYNE EHMAN, 22 MIN.)

Two spirit Oji-Cree elder, activist and artist Ma-Nee Chacaby journeys home to Ombabika, Ontario where she grew up with her grandmother. She reflects on the land, her personal healing and the impacts of colonization on her community.

To purchase individual tickets for the rest of the festival, please visit the following:

Program 1: Activating the Landscape, March 31st @ 5:00pm

Program 2: It’s a Long Story with feature Ever Deadly, March 31st @ 7:30pm

Program 3: The Deepest Part of My Heart, April 1st @ 12:30pm

Program 4: Who I Am, Who We Are, April 1st @ 2:30pm

Program 5: Our Connections, April 1st @ 5:00pm

Festival Passes can be purchased here.

COVID-19 Safety:

Masks are encouraged on our campuses, particularly in spaces where people are in close proximity. Masks are not mandatory.

Further information on SFU's Return to Campus policy can be found here.