British Columbia·Q&AFilm director Nang Ḵ’uulas Patrick Shannon’s debut feature documentary Saints and Warriors has been a slam-dunk success on the film festival circuit this year. He spoke to CBC’s Daybreak North about how the Haida used basketball to keep their culture alive. All Native Basketball Tournament’s political roots are explored in Patrick Shannon’s documentaryCBC News · Posted: Nov 23, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Director Nang Ḵ’uulas Patrick Shannon is excited for the theatrical release of his film ‘Saints and Warriors.’ The documentary follows a basketball team as it defends its championship title at the All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, B.C. (Uninterrupted Canada/Submitted)Film director Nang Ḵ’uulas Patrick Shannon’s debut feature documentary Saints and Warriors has been a slam-dunk success on the film festival circuit this year.The documentary follows the Haida Gwaii-based basketball team, the Skidegate Saints, through its 2023-24 season as it defends its championship title at the All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, B.C. — and battles for Indigenous sovereignty.The film has won three Leo Awards for best director, best editing and best cinematography.Shannon spoke with CBC’s Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk about the significance of Indigenous basketball and how the Haida used basketball to keep their culture alive during some of the most oppressive eras of Canada’s Indian Act.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.How does it feel now that Saints and Warriors is opening in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and in Terrace, B.C.?It feels amazing — not only this whole festival run, but especially screening it back home on Haida Gwaii. Seeing the demand and the excitement already for the broader theatrical release is something that’s very, very exciting — as is sharing the story of Haida Gwaii and Indigenous basketball in the North Coast with the rest of Canada. Here in Prince Rupert, we have a fairly strong sense of the importance of the All Native Basketball Tournament. For those who don’t live here, how do you describe the importance of basketball to Haida culture?One of the easiest descriptors is that it’s kind of like our Super Bowl. Jesse Barnes, a basketball player from British Columbia’s Skidegate, is shown in a still from Saints and Warriors. (Grand Scheme Productions)It’s the one big event that gathers nations from all over the place, not only to compete in sport and rekindle those old rivalries, but also to rekindle those old relationships that the All Native tournament has been able to facilitate for generations. Speaking of those generations, this documentary looks at how key members of the Saints led political and legal efforts to secure Haida title on Haida Gwaii. Can you tell us a bit more about that part of the film?When Saints and Warriors was in early development, I knew from the beginning that part of the Haida story is not only the historical pre-contact or time of contact, but really the present-day battle for sovereignty and land rights, which has been a huge part of every single Haida’s life as far as I can remember, well before I was born. And so I wanted to make sure that the holistic story of Haida Gwaii in the North Coast was being represented in this film. Being able to weave the present day battle for sovereignty with the historical context into this present day All Native story was a task — but one that I think really made an exciting, educational and fun film. There’s often a reticence to mix politics with sport in North America, but politics seems to be at the heart of the All Native Basketball Tournament.I don’t think there’s a more political tournament out there, whether the organizers want it or not.The proto version of the tournament was started in 1947. It was really influenced by the gathering laws that were enacted in the Indian Act at that point, as a way for us to gather in groups larger than three, in a way that wasn’t just church. LISTEN | Saints and Warriors doc tells the story of the Skidegate Saints:Radio West9:05A story made in Northern BC that combines basketball with Indigenous politicsA new documentary screening at the Hot Docs festival is sharing the story of a powerful basketball team from Haida Gwaii as they compete for two titles – defending their championship title at the 2024 All Native Basketball Tournament, and the political title battle for their land and water.So basketball and that tournament in particular, since the 1940s, have been playing an integral role in reconnecting and revitalizing Indigenous communities and cultures. So, just inherently, basketball and sport up on the coast is probably going to be more political than you’re going to find anywhere else. Saints and Warriors isn’t showing in every city in Canada. So are there other ways that people can catch this documentary?At the end of the month, once we’ve done our limited theatrical run, it’ll be on video on demand, you know, able to be purchased through Apple TV and all that. Then it’s going to be on Crave streaming in January, so everyone will be able to check it out. With files from Daybreak North and Lauren Vanderdeen
Basketball and Haida culture woven with battle for Indigenous sovereignty in new documentary
