Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man – A Gentle Revolution in Storytelling

“It’s okay to be scared.”

That simple line, spoken to a young boy about to ride a bull, echoes through Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, a documentary that redefines what it means to be an Indigenous man.

Directed by Sinakson Trevor Solway of the Siksika Nation, this award-winning film is a tender, vérité-style portrait of Indigenous masculinity. Solway spent over four years filming, often alone with his camera, capturing raw, unscripted moments of everyday life on the Prairies.

In the interview, Solway shares how the project helped him unpack his own relationship with masculinity.

“I was a sensitive kid,” he said, “but I felt pressure to ‘cowboy up.’ This film let me explore the full spectrum of what it means to be a man – not just tough, but vulnerable, emotional, and deeply human.”

🎥 Highlights from the Interview:

On breaking stereotypes: “We’re often portrayed as warriors or ‘Lords of the Plains.’ I wanted to show that a warrior can also be gentle, loving, and caring.”
On community response: “At our first screening with the community in the film, the conversation after, lasted two hours. People felt seen even in their quiet, everyday moments.”
On filmmaking style: “I didn’t want to impose a narrative. I just showed up and witnessed. That’s the power of vérité – letting people be themselves.”
On trust and authenticity: “Because I’m from the community, people opened up. If it had been an outsider, it would’ve been different.”

Solway’s approach is a breath of fresh air in documentary filmmaking – no talking heads, no staged scenes, just life unfolding. The result is a film that’s as intimate as it is powerful.