Skodoodisden Project

Skodoodisden 2024 was a groundbreaking year-long filmmaking project led by the Winnipeg Indigenous Filmmakers Collective (WIFC). Built around four unique incubators, the project created a welcoming space for storytellers , each empowered to bring their vision to life. Over the course of the year, 37 films were made by local Indigenous artists — works that are already reaching audiences at major festivals including Red Nation International Film Festival, Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, Gimli International Film Festival, and others across Turtle Island.

At its heart, Skodoodisden was about more than making films. It was about nurturing creativity, sparking collaboration, and reclaiming narrative sovereignty so Indigenous filmmakers could tell stories that are unapologetically their own. Supported by the Indigenous Screen Office and the Winnipeg Film Group, the initiative gave creators the tools, mentorship, and community needed to push their artistry forward.

The Four Incubators

Switch-A-Roo

Switch-A-Roo set the tone for the project with a bold experiment in collaboration. Three short films were created through a rotating process: first, each team wrote a script; then the scripts were swapped, and participants produced the story they received; finally, the films were rotated once more, with each team editing a different project altogether. This unique structure gave participants the chance to contribute to every film — writing, producing, and editing — while also learning to let go of their own work and trust in the collective process.

Artist Fusion

Artist Fusion celebrated cross-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and visual artists. The incubator encouraged blending mediums to create projects that lived both on and beyond the screen. Participants experimented with weaving live performance, sound, movement, and visual art into their films, resulting in bold, hybrid works that showcased the richness of Indigenous creativity.

Analog Alchemy

Analog Alchemy invited filmmakers to step away from the digital and embrace the tactile. Each participant created a film using Super 8, diving into the grain, texture, and unpredictability of analog cinema. Alongside this, they explored cameraless techniques such as phytograms on 16mm — creating images directly on film using plants, light, and chemistry. These works celebrated the raw beauty of experimentation and the resilience of film as a storytelling medium.

Legacy Lens

The year culminated with Legacy Lens, an incubator dedicated to intergenerational storytelling. Emerging filmmakers worked alongside Elders and Knowledge Keepers to create films rooted in cultural teachings, community histories, and lived experience. Together, they honoured ancestral knowledge while ensuring these stories would be carried forward for generations to come.

Looking Ahead

Skodoodisden 2024 showed what’s possible when Indigenous voices are given space to create freely. But this is only the beginning. WIFC is committed to building on this momentum — bringing new programming to life in the years ahead, while continuing our regular gatherings such as our General Meetings, and Camera & Lighting Club, along with special workshop programming.

We invite you to join us, connect with community, and be part of the stories still to come.

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