How Damien Eagle Bear tells the whole story on “#skoden” and community-driven filmmaking

If you’ve been watching the film festival circuit in Canada of late, there’s a name you’ve definitely heard by now: Damien Eagle Bear. The Niitsitapi filmmaker based in Lethbridge, Alberta, has been picking up awards for this latest documentary film, #skoden, as it screened at Hot Docs, imagineNATIVE and DOXA.The project, funded through TELUS originals, isn’t Damien Eagle Bear’s first TELUS-funded film. In fact, there’s a lot more to that story.

We talked to the now-decorated filmmaker about his journey from TELUS STORYHIVE to TELUS originals, the importance of community in documentaries and the most important tool he’s got in his filmmaker toolkit.

STORYHIVE: Congrats on the success of #skoden, your film tour and the many, many accolades you’ve had of late. How are you feeling about everything right now?

Damien Eagle Bear: It's surreal, to say the least. This is my first feature documentary, and it’s really exciting to see everyone’s positive response. All the attention feels good because it’s helping tell the story I set out to share and that was the goal.

I'm incredibly happy about the project. Personally, though, it’s a bit overwhelming. I usually prefer being behind the camera; I’m not someone who seeks the spotlight. So this has all been very new: a real learning curve.

But that’s filmmaking, right? You’re always learning, especially in documentaries.

SH: Tell me a bit more about why you felt called to tell a deeper story behind the meme, and the man at the centre of it all, Pernell Bad Arm. 

DEB: Ultimately, I felt a responsibility to Pernell and to people in my community because of how popular the meme became. So many people only see Pernell in that one way. But for me, having known him from my time working at the shelter, it was the complete opposite of who he really was. 

That’s what drove me. I felt this responsibility because I had spent years learning the skills of filmmaking: working as a videographer, developing all these documentary-adjacent skills. I had built a bit of a career, produced a few projects and created opportunities for myself.

Then, Ken Tsui from TELUS originals reached out and asked if I had a project. This one came to mind immediately and it just made sense. TELUS originals were asking for pitches and if I could make anything, it would be this because of how important Pernell’s story is.

SH: Tell me a little more about your working background—you had been training in film school to be a filmmaker, but you were also working at this shelter. Can you tell me more about that?

DEB: Before becoming a filmmaker, I worked at the Lethbridge shelter. And even before that, I made a short documentary at the shelter. It never really went anywhere but it was a collaboration between me and the shelter’s admin. We wanted to create some kind of educational piece to show people in Lethbridge what the shelter was like and the issues it faced.

At the time, I had no filmmaking skills whatsoever. I was really young and I thought making a documentary was as simple as interviewing people, asking a few questions, then going home to cut the interviews together and throw some visuals on top. Done.

Obviously, filmmaking is so much more than that.

Technically, I put it all together, but there was no real story—no characters—just a lot of information. So the project didn’t end up going anywhere. But actually, Pernell was one of the first people I ever interviewed for that project.

When I decided to make #skoden, I went back to look at those old tapes. I knew I had interviewed him, but I didn’t know which tape he was on. So I thought, “Alright, I’ll start at the beginning.” I popped in the first tape, hit play and there he was. His face was the first thing I saw. He was literally the first person I ever interviewed as a documentary filmmaker.

SH: #skoden was funded through TELUS originals, but this isn’t your first time being funded for a film through TELUS! We loved your short, q’sapi times. Can you tell me more about your first foray into STORYHIVE and how you heard about it?

DEB: Yeah, I produced a short film called q'sapi times with a Syilx Okanagan storyteller. It was a retelling of a traditional Coyote story: really playful and just a fun project to work on.

When I heard about STORYHIVE, I thought it would be the perfect fit for that project. STORYHIVE provides training and it gave me an opportunity to further develop my producing skills, which was really valuable.

I think what’s cool about STORYHIVE is how present they are in the community. As a creator, it’s one of those places you naturally want to go to for support and to help get your project off the ground. So I’ve always thought, ‘Okay, what can I pitch next?’

SH: You’ve produced q’sapi times, which is a modern re-telling of a Syilx story, helmed a webseries, The Bannocking, and now produced and directed #skoden, a documentary. Between narrative and documentary film or episodic fiction, is there a format you prefer or feel more drawn to as a storyteller?

DEB: I’m kind of all over the place. I think eventually I’d love to do a thriller or horror film, something in the fictional narrative space. But right now, I feel really drawn to documentaries.

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been at a couple of documentary film festivals recently and I’m still riding that wave. But I think, for me, documentaries feel more like a creative playground. There's more room to experiment and try things you can’t always do in fiction.

I come from a bit of an experimental background so I like the idea of trying different, even “wrong” ways of telling a story just to find the one way that feels right. It’s a weird process, but it works for me. It’s how I find the story’s truth.

SH: Stories are important but so are the people behind them. Can you tell me a little bit about the people you worked with on #skoden? With both your collaborators and subjects, what was the working relationship like?

DEB: When it came to the community and to Pernell’s family, working with them was one of the most important parts of telling this story. It wasn’t a situation where I just showed up and said, “Hey, I need you to sign this contract so I can tell this story.”

With Pernell’s brother, Dennis, it started with a conversation and that conversation continued throughout the entire process. Same with Pernell’s best friend, Mark. The film grew out of those ongoing conversations with both of them. They participated in the film and the storytelling had to stay community-oriented and centered on what they felt was right. That was really important to me and I think it’s what makes the project unique.

And then, our crew. We had so many amazing people supporting the film. Everyone from the sound team to the camera crew was incredible and so supportive.

This was my first time directing a feature and working with a full crew in those specific roles was new for me. I’d spent years as a videographer, doing everything myself—camera, sound, editing—so it was definitely a learning curve.

Same with the editing process. Jasleen Kaur and Kane Stewart, our editors, were amazing. They were so supportive and really helped refine the story throughout the edit. I couldn’t have done it without them.

SH: Now that you’ve been through the STORYHIVE Editions program and onto TELUS originals, what advice would you give to other emerging filmmakers who are thinking of applying?

DEB: One of the biggest lessons, especially in trying to be a documentary filmmaker, is that it's not really the tools of the trade that matter most. Sure, you need a solid understanding of how they work and what each crew member’s responsibilities are, but I think the most important tool is empathy.

You have to go into these stories ready to truly listen and understand people: where they’re coming from and what they've experienced in order to tell their stories honestly. As a storyteller, that’s the skill I value most: being able to empathize and to keep questioning and nurturing that throughout the entire process, with everyone you're working with. That, to me, is the biggest tool.

I think that goes beyond documentary. Even in fiction writing, you have to understand all your characters whether they’re the protagonist or the antagonist. You need to know them.

Some of my favorite films are about anti-heroes—characters who aren’t necessarily good people. But you still understand where they’re coming from. That’s what makes them compelling.

SH: What’s next for Damien Eagle Bear?

DEB: I have an upcoming documentary that I’ve been working on for a while. 

It’s a documentary about my late grandfather, Jim Wells, who was a groundbreaking educator in our community. He was the first Indigenous teacher in the southern Alberta public school system, the first Indigenous teacher on reserve and later the first Indigenous principal on a reserve.

He even went back to the residential school he once attended to help make changes. His story is really powerful and I’m excited to keep working on it.

#skoden is currently on the film festival circuit but will be available to watch on TELUS Optik TV channel 8 and Stream+ Winter 2025. 

The annual TELUS originals annual Pitch Intake Window is now open to mid-career to established documentarians. Learn more at telus.com/telusoriginals.