I was there when Sinakson Trevor Solway began his journey as a filmmaker, sitting in the passenger seat as we drove through Siksika, capturing footage for his first documentary, Siksika Strong, which documented the aftermath of the 2013 flood that devastated our home, Siksika Nation. As his career flourished, he always made space for his younger cousins like me to be part of his work—whether behind the camera, as actors, or helping on set. (I’m still waiting for that key grip credit, Trev.)
The men in our family have been gifted with storytelling. And while the details may shift with each retelling of a creation story, cultural history, or family memory, what never changes is the foundation we carry as Siksikaitsitapi: Mokakssinni (wisdom), Aistamattsstohkssinni (teaching), and Mokamo’ta’tapssinni (truth).
In his latest film, Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, Trevor introduces us to Siksika boys and men from all walks of life, exploring what it means to grow up on-reserve and the ways intergenerational trauma has shaped gender roles. Despite the pressures to embody a hardened version of masculinity, many of these men reveal themselves as something else entirely—sensitive, flawed, complex. Through them, we are reminded of a vital Blackfoot teaching: Ikkina’pitapiiyissinni (gentleness) lives at the heart of our fathers, brothers, and sons. And in our collective healing, we have a responsibility to help the men in our lives reconnect to that part of themselves.
-Written by Kelsey No Runner, Trevor’s cousin
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Which ’hood are you in?
I live in Mission. It’s my favourite neighbourhood in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). It’s very walkable and close to the Elbow River. I like to go for morning walks and meditate by the water. Being close to nature grounds me and allows me to start my day in a good way. After my walk, I like to check out my favourite café, La Boulangerie, for a cappuccino.
What do you do?
I’m a film director and screenwriter working in both documentary and narrative. I’ve been making films since I left film school at Capilano University in 2012. I recently finished a four-year-long project with the National Film Board of Canada called Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man. This feature-length documentary explores experiences and expressions of Indigenous masculinity in my community. This project is near and dear to my heart because I intimately spent a lot of time with the men in my Nation. I listened and carried their stories with me, and now I’m excited for the world to hear their perspectives on the topics of masculinity, identity and the importance of vulnerability.
It’s a real privilege to be able to “create” for a living. Creativity and storytelling are like oxygen to me. Making films is when I feel the most alive. I’m grateful to be creating my work within Blackfoot Country. This land is not only a character in my stories, but it’s at the centre of them. It’s the gravity that pulls all the narrative elements together. I recently incorporated my own company, Bull Otter Films Inc., where I’ll soon be producing my own work.
What are you currently working on?
I’ll be taking off my documentary director hat and replacing it with my narrative director hat. Currently, I’m in pre-production for season 2 of Tales from the Rez on APTN lumi. I am the writer/director and showrunner for the series. It’s a cool horror/comedy anthology series reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt and Goosebumps. It’s an interesting space where our Blackfoot ghost stories and legends intersect with the rising Indigenous horror genre. I’m very proud to shoot this project entirely in Blackfoot Country as well.
Where can we find your work?
Most of my work is scattered throughout different streaming services, like APTN lumi, CBC Gem and Amazon Prime. Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man will be screened at imagineNATIVE in Toronto on Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 2:30 PM. After its festival circuit, you’ll be able to stream on the NFB’s platform, nfb.ca, and on the NFB app.
I keep links to all these projects on their respective platforms at my website. You can also follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with my upcoming projects.
