All Native Screening
First Community Screening
Our first community screening of Saints and Warriors took place during one of the most charged, emotional, and electric weeks on the coast: the 2025 All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert. While Haida Gwaii is home, the All Native has always been the backdrop for this story—the court where so much of our film unfolds, and where history is made year after year.
Words From The Director
We screened at the Lester Centre of the Arts to a full house of players, families, Elders, youth, and fans from every corner of the coast. There was something special about seeing so many faces from Haida Gwaii in the crowd—people who lived these stories, who know what it means to put on a jersey for your village. But just as powerful was seeing people from other Nations, other communities, who showed up with open hearts and left feeling connected.
And somehow—just like in the film—the 2025 All Native finals came down to the Skidegate Saints and the Burnaby Chiefs. Again. Members from both teams were not only in the audience, but joined me and producer Michael Grand onstage afterward for a Q&A. Watching these players reflect together—not as rivals, but as storytellers and community leaders—was something I’ll never forget. The conversations went from light-hearted jokes to deep, vulnerable moments about legacy, pressure, pride, and what it means to represent your people.
The response to the film was overwhelming in the best way. People laughed, nodded, wiped away tears, and shared personal memories that echoed scenes from the doc. There’s a different kind of weight when the audience knows—when they’ve lived it too. That night felt like a real-time reminder of why we made this film: to honour that experience, and to share it with the next generation.
There will be more screenings to come, but this one—screening Saints and Warriors during All Native—was unforgettable. Not because it was coming full circle on this journey, but because it felt like the story finally met one of the core communities it was always meant to reflect.