Film Lens
#skoden is a documentary directed by Damien Eagle Bear that presents the life of Pernell Bad Arm, a homeless Kainai man living in Lethbridge, Alberta. The film focuses on Bad Arm's experience of gaining viral fame in the 2010s when an image of him confronting a photographer became an anti-indigenous racist meme. This moment was later reclaimed by indigenous youth as a symbol of pride and resistance, shifting the narrative around Bad Arm from a mere image to a representation of a real person with a complex life.
Eagle Bear aims to deepen the public's understanding of Bad Arm beyond the viral meme, presenting him as a multifaceted individual. The film premiered at the 2025 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, where it earned Eagle Bear the Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award, indicating its recognition within the documentary community.
Why Watch
- •Meet Pernell Bad Arm, a symbol of indigenous pride.
- •See how a meme transformed into a story of resistance.
- •Follow Damien Eagle Bear's vision to humanize a viral figure.
Did You Know
•Pernell Bad Arm became known through a viral meme in the 2010s.
•The film premiered at the 2025 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
•Damien Eagle Bear won the Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award in 2025.
•The documentary has a runtime of 75 minutes.
Perfect For
Indigenous rightsViral internet cultureCanadian documentaries