A washed-up former child actor who can’t seem to get his life together decides that the only way to get back on track is to recreate his glory days with a belated sequel to the landmark 1998 indie movie that put him on this path. Cue Smoke Signals 2: Still Smoking…
Cody Lightning (who played the young Viktor in Chris Eyre’s seminal Native American classic) has a lot of fun, mostly at his own expense, with this surprisingly edgy meta-mockumentary, and successfully reassembles many of the original cast, including Simon Baker, Adam Beach, Gary Farmer and Irene Bedard. For the most part, they’re (understandably) dubious about his project — only his best friend Kate (Hannah Cheesman) really believes. But Cody’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Lightning strikes twice.
This dark and sometimes raunchy comedy suggests healing comes through laughter and chaos — not necessarily in that order.
October 4 & 5: Q&A with director Cody Lightning & crew
Presented by
Series Presenter
Series Media Partners
Community Partner
Cody Lightning, Hannah Cheesman, Simon Baker, Adam Beach, Gary Farmer, Irene Bedard, Colin Mochrie
Canada
2022
Northern Lights
English
Frequent Coarse Language
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Blackhorse Lowe, Samuel Miller
Producer
Joshua M. Jackson, Sara Corry, Kyle Thomas, Blake McWilliam
Screenwriter
Cody Lightning, Samuel Miller
Cinematography
Liam Mitchell
Editor
Sarah Taylor
Production Design
Megan Koshka
Original Music
Matthew Cardinal
Director
Cody Lightning
As an actor, Cody Lightning is iconic for his performance as Little Viktor in 1998’s Smoke Signals. Hailing from Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, Cody began acting at age five in the film Geronimo. Since, he has become one of Hollywood’s most active Indigenous actors, best known for his roles in Johnny Depp’s directorial debut The Brave, Rian Johnson’s Brick, and many, many more. In 2023, Cody will star in Marvel’s upcoming ECHO series. In recent years, Lightning has taken on greater creative responsibilities, including producing, directing, and writing, focusing on projects that highlight how hilarious Indigenous people are.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Samia
Despite growing up in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the civil war, Samia Yusuf Omar persists in her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete and competes in Beijing, 2008 -- with London, 2012 next on her agenda. Based on a true story.
Sudan, Remember Us
A portrait of young artists and activists, Meddeb's doc charts events in Khartoum between 2019 -- in the immediate wake of the revolution that deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir -- and the mood four years later, when the country has been torn apart by civil war.
Margaret
Seventeen-year-old Lisa is rocked with guilt after a woman is killed in a traffic accident. But that’s only one thread in a teeming social tapestry this intense, passionate teen must negotiate as she comes of age in a time of contradiction and confusion.
E.1027 Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea
In this elegant non fiction film, actors play Irish designer Eileen Gray, her lover, the architect Jean Badovici, and modernist superstar Le Corbusier, who would become obsessed with the house on the Cote d'Azur that Eileen designed.
Scarecrow
A bittersweet, touching buddy movie with Gene Hackman as a volatile tramp, Max, and Al Pacino as "Lion", a drifter now set on returning to the wife and kid he abandoned years ago. Hackman's favourite of his own movies.