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Basketball has become an important thread connecting generations, identity, and community in Haida Gwaii. 

These same values animate , the award-winning documentary by Haida filmmaker . Shannon鈥檚 work explores how storytelling can strengthen communities and carry cultural identity forward, and this film serves as a vivid example of that in practice.

On February 11, 2026, Shannon joined the 天美mv天美 community at the Surrey campus, located on the traditional and unceded territories of Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem (k史ik史蓹茮虛蓹m), Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Tsawwassen First Nations, for a screening of the film and a conversation about Indigenous storytelling, collaboration, and responsibility as part of the Indigenous Knowledge Holders Teaching Series, hosted by the Faculty of Education鈥檚 Office of Indigenous Education (OIE), the Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Council (IERC), and the Surrey Campus Administration.

A story rooted in community

Saints and Warriors explores the powerful role basketball plays within the Haida Nation, showing how the game has become intertwined with belonging, history, language, and intergenerational resilience. 

The film follows the Skidegate Saints as they defend their championship at the  in Prince Rupert, a gathering that has brought First Nations communities together for more than 60 years.

The documentary has received widespread recognition, winning three Leo Awards, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Canadian Documentary at the Calgary International Film Festival, and the Directors Guild of Canada鈥檚 Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director.

However, Shannon emphasizes that the film is about something deeper than the sport itself. During the Q&A with guest moderator , when asked to describe the film in a single word, his answer was immediate: 鈥淩esilience.鈥� 

鈥淲hen I think about everything the film covers, the only reason we are here today is because of the resilience of those who came before us. None of us are islands. We are connected.鈥�

Raised in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, Shannon explained that basketball is woven into the community's social fabric. Through the film, he sought to capture not just the excitement of the game but the deeper relationships that surround it.

Shannon noted, with a laugh, that he did not play basketball growing up, identifying more as the quiet, artistic type. Yet, making the film brought Shannon closer to both the sport and the community. He reflected that through the process he came to realize how central basketball is to identity and belonging.

The responsibility of storytelling

With over twenty years of experience across film, television, and music videos, Shannon has built a career grounded in Indigenous values such as collaboration and accountability, principles he connects to his Haida upbringing. 

Those values shaped the film鈥檚 production, which involved extensive community participation throughout the filmmaking process.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 important that community stories are told collaboratively and not extractively,鈥� he said during the discussion.

鈥淐ommunity members were involved throughout. From consultation to production and editing," he explained. "That鈥檚 how you make sure the story reflects the people whose experiences it represents.鈥� 

The film was shot over five months, during which Shannon noted that the story continued to evolve. 鈥淲e started editing early,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat allowed the edit to shape what we filmed next.鈥�

Reflections from the community

The film鈥檚 themes resonated beyond the world of sport.

鈥淭his Indigenous Knowledge Holder Teaching Series curated an intimate space for folks to witness Indigenous joy, togetherness, and resilience through the platform of film,鈥� shares Jasmin Glaw (Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation), Manager of the Office of Indigenous Education. 鈥淪aints and Warriors generously shared a contagious energy to cheer for a hometown team and a glimpse into the way basketball is part of identity and belonging within the Haida Nation.鈥�

For many audience members, the film鈥檚 themes also sparked reflections on their intersections with education and mentorship.

鈥淥ne thing that came to me was that when we are teachers, we take on a responsibility for everyone we鈥檝e taught in the past because they contribute pieces of themselves and their gifts to our future teaching,鈥� said attendee and Writing Services Coordinator, Student Learning Commons, Julia Lane.

Continuing the conversation

Beyond Saints and Warriors, Shannon鈥檚 broader work also centers on expanding opportunities for Indigenous storytelling.

In addition to filmmaking, he has spent over a decade teaching Indigenous social entrepreneurship and supporting youth media initiatives. He also co-founded , the world鈥檚 first and only all-Indigenous modelling agency, and launched the Haida Gwaii Media Collective.

At its core, Shannon鈥檚 goal is to expand platforms for Indigenous communities to tell their own stories. 鈥淪torytelling carries responsibility,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it is also how communities build strength.鈥� 

 continues to reach audiences across Canada, now streaming on Crave,YouTube, and the  and bringing its story of resilience, identity, and community to new audiences. In Haida Gwaii and beyond, the film shows how a game can become a living thread, connecting people to one another and to who they are.