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July 05, 2025 at 00:06 — By Noah Rhodes, Leaf & Thought

This year’s Skoden Indigenous Film Festival drew a vibrant crowd of filmmakers, students, and community leaders to Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus for two days of storytelling, screenings, and dialogue.

Now in its fifth year, the festival has become a vital space for Indigenous artists to share their work and audiences to engage with Indigenous narratives told from within. The program included 18 short films, ranging from experimental visual poetry to documentary profiles of elders.

Festival co-founder and filmmaker Sierra Whitehorse emphasized the event’s student-led roots. 'Skoden isn’t just about screening films—it’s about building relationships, creating space for healing, and affirming that our stories belong here,' she said.

Several of the featured films were created by emerging Indigenous filmmakers enrolled in SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts. One standout was 'Cedar Smoke,' a short film about intergenerational trauma and reclaiming ceremony, directed by 22-year-old Wren Tyee from the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation.

The festival also hosted a series of panel discussions addressing Indigenous representation in Canadian media, funding access, and the impact of land-based storytelling.

Attendees praised the welcoming atmosphere and emphasis on collaboration. 'You don’t often get a chance to see work made by and for our people in a space that feels safe and celebratory,' said actor and panelist Jolie Cardinal.

Community elders were also involved in the opening ceremony, which featured drumming, song, and a welcome from Squamish Nation representatives. The event concluded with a feast and a community roundtable reflecting on next steps.

Skoden has grown in both size and visibility, drawing attention from national arts councils and Indigenous media collectives. Organizers say they plan to expand to other campuses in the future while maintaining its grassroots ethos.

The word 'Skoden' itself is slang for 'let’s go then'—a fitting name for a festival that invites action, unity, and forward momentum in Indigenous cinema.