From the booming voice of the powwow MC, the local vendors and volunteers setting up, children running and climbing in and out of bleachers and tents, in between drums and dance, Sky Hopinka’s Powwow People is a documentary vérité celebrating a community of many Nations across Turtle Island coming together in this specially curated event. Filmed over the course of a single day, Hopinka’s second feature captures the audience not just as observers, but as participants with the inside perspectives of an organizer, an MC, a dancer, and a drummer reflecting on how their roles within the powwow circle ties them to their identity, community, and the passing on of tradition.

Sky Hopinka is a filmmaker, artist, and educator.