(Sky Hopinka, Canada 2025, 88 min., DCP)
Powwow People is a vérité-style documentary grounded in the rhythms, relationships, and lived experience of a contemporary Native gathering. Rather than entering as outside observers, the filmmakers organized the powwow itself, inviting dancers, singers, vendors, and community members to participate in the making of this film. Structured around the arc of a single day, the film follows four central figures: Gina Bluebird, who frames the powwow’s shape and guides its setup; Ruben Littlehead, the MC whose presence anchors the present moment; Jamie John, a non-binary dancer imagining the future of these traditions; and Freddie Cozad, a singer and drummer who considers the past. The film culminates in a 30-minute unbroken shot of a Northern Traditional dance special, drawing the viewer into the textures, movement, and collective presence of the powwow. It is both a reflection of a beloved and complicated community and a gesture toward the continuities of Native life.
DCP from Sky Hopinka.
This screening is Free to All!
Upcoming Events in this Series
Free To All, Film Screenings | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (DCP) - Free to All!
Native American Cinematic Heritage Selected as the best Canadian film of all time by critics and filmmakers in 2015, this adventure epic adapts an Inuit legend to the big screen, earning the Camera d’Or at Cannes for the best first feature film.
Film Screenings | Mekko (DCP) - Free to All!
Native American Cinematic Heritage Before creating Reservation Dogs and The Lowdown, Sterlin Harjo wrote and directed this drama of post-incarcertation reintegration.
Film Screenings | Fancy Dance (DCP) - Free to All!
Native American Cinematic Heritage Starring Lily Gladstone, Academy Award nominee for Killers of the Flower Moon, this drama is Erica Tremblay’s feature debut, after writing and directing for Reservation Dogs. Jax (Gladstone) has been taking care of her niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson), since her mother’s most recent disappearance.