#HOTDOCS: “#SKODEN” TO PREMIERE AT HOT DOCS 2025

TELUS originals is pleased to announce that Damien Eagle Bear’s restorative biopic feature documentary, #skoden, will have its world premiere at Hot Docs 2025 on April 29 at 8:30 PM at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with a second screening on May 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM at TIFF Lightbox 1.

skoden is written, directed and produced by Damien Eagle Bear (Napi, Big Momma, The Bannocking). It was filmed on location in Lethbridge and the Blood Reserve on traditional Blackfoot Territory.

Every meme has its story. #skoden delves into the origins of Turtle Island’s most iconic meme to redefine the man at the center of it all, Pernell Bad Arm. In the early days of social media, a notorious image circulated of an Indigenous man with raised fists, ready to strike. The photo was initially shared to mock and reinforce stereotypes of Indigenous peoples, but one word added to the image would change it forever. SKODEN – an Indigenous shortening of “let’s go then” – ignited an instant Indigenous pop culture icon that spread like wildfire across Turtle Island and beyond. But underneath the viral fame was a kind and generous Blackfoot man from Kainai who faced immense challenges while living on the streets. This documentary seeks to reclaim Pernell’s humanity, offering a deeper, more complex portrait of the man behind the meme.

This is his story.

“Pernell’s story is more than just a meme; he was a person deserving dignity and respect. For me, that was the driving force behind #skoden to reclaim his narrative and delve into the story behind that photo. I’m grateful to TELUS originals for supporting me on this journey so that this story could be told with the depth and respect it deserves,” said writer/director/producer Damien Eagle Bear.

“It was a privilege to collaborate with Damien Eagle Bear in supporting an essential and powerful story that is so deeply personal to him and the Kainai First Nation community. I’m struck by Damien’s remarkable sensitivity in his nuanced directorial voice and I’m thrilled that #skoden honours the untold story of the man behind the meme, Pernell Bad Arm,” added Ken Tsui, Sr. Production Executive, TELUS originals.

Cinematography by Tamarra Canu (1 Million Followers, The Superhero Who Loved Me), editing by Jasleen Kaur (Pharma Bro, Perfect Daughter), Kane Stewart (Seagrass, Until Branches Bend), and Billy Calling First (The Bannocking), with Melody McKiver (Singing Back the Buffalo, Wildhood) serving as composer, and Elle-Maija Tailfeathers (Until Branches Bend, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) as story editor.

#skoden is a TELUS original production with the participation of Indigenous Screen Office and Creative BC.

ABOUT TELUS originals
TELUS originals supports the production of compelling, locally-reflective, social-purpose documentaries and docuseries that connect mid-career and established filmmakers in B.C. and Alberta from diverse identities and communities to local and global audiences. TELUS original films are available free on TELUS Optik TV channel 8, Stream+, online at watch.telusoriginals.comand in film festivals globally. The TELUS original documentary,Delta Dawn, will also be screening at Hot Docs 2025.

ABOUT DAMIEN EAGLE BEAR
Niitsitapi, amateur physicist, frybread-eating machine, Damien Eagle Bear is a multifaceted filmmaker from the Kainai First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. His career began with the short experimental documentary Napi, which asks the question of what will happen when the Blackfoot trickster gets behind the camera. It premiered at the opening night of the 37th American Indian Film Festival in 2012 and went on to screen at multiple film festivals. Damien continued to work as a videographer, building his technical filmmaking skills before moving into producing. With the support of the National Screen Institute’s IndigiDocs program, He developed Big Momma, a short documentary about the journey of a Two Spirit comedian, Preston Stimson, from personal struggles to the stage. This was quickly followed up with the short film q’sapi times, supported through TELUS STORYHIVE’s inaugural Indigenous Edition, is a modern take on a traditional Syilx (Okanagan) coyote story. Both short films premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2019. Following that success, he took on his next challenge, The Bannocking, a six-part horror-comedy web series that explores family dynamics and relationships during an outbreak of a zombie-like sickness. The series was selected for Telefilm’s Talent to Watch Program and released online through CBC Gem in 2023. Damien’s projects have gone to multiple film festivals throughout Canada and the United States of America, including the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, and LA Skins Film Festival. He is an alumnus of Capilano University, graduating from the Cinematography and Indigenous Filmmaking Programs. His work explores the themes of belonging and Indigenous resiliency.