#skoden

description

Every meme has its story. #skoden delves into the origins of NDN country’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.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Hot Docs Film Festival 2025
ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 2025
DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2025
Chilliwack Independent Film Festival 2025
Windsor International Film Festival 2025

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Niitsitapi, amateur physicist, frybread-eating machine, Damien Eagle Bear is a multifaceted filmmaker from the Kainai First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Damien started with the short experimental documentary NAPI, which asks the question, what will happen when the Blackfoot trickster gets behind the camera? Since then, Damien has continued to expand his skillset from directing to producing, including premiering two films, Q’SAPI TIMES and BIG MOMMA at the Vancouver International Film Festival in the same year. With his latest project, he returns to directing for the TELUS original feature documentary #SKODEN. Damien’s work explores the themes of belonging and Indigenous resiliency.