#skoden, a documentary, directed by Damien Eagle Bear, is a portrait of Pernell Bad Arm, a kind, generous, homeless Kainai man in Lethbridge, AB. He attained viral internet fame when an image of him with fists raised confronting a photographer briefly became an anti-indigenous racist meme. It was reclaimed by indigenous youth as a symbol of pride and resistance – NDN country’s most iconic meme.

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. This documentary seeks to reclaim Pernell’s humanity, offering a deeper, more complex portrait of the man behind the meme. This is his story.

This film contains references to alcohol and drug use, foster care, intergenerational trauma, residential schools, and racism and racialized violence. Viewer discretion is advised.