On September 30, Innis College and the Cinema Studies Institute present a special screening of Hey, Viktor! in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Director and lead actor Cody Lightning and executive producer Samuel Miller will join for a discussion and Q&A after the screening, moderated by TIFF’s International Programmer Kelly Boutsalis.
In this comedy, actor Cody Lightning tries to rejuvenate his career by getting a sequel made to the beloved film, Smoke Signals (1998). Hey, Viktor! is both a mockumentary and, much like the film it’s tapping into, a journey of self-discovery.
Town Hall, Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave
Register for this free screening below
Cody Lightning is a Native American (Cree) multi-hyphenate, who was one of the leads in the Marvel Studios series Echo for Hulu/Disney+. He also wrote, directed, and starred in Hey, Viktor! which premiered at Tribeca 2023, and also screened at TIFF 2023. Best known for his role as ‘Young Victor’ in Smoke Signals (Sundance 1998), he also won an American Indian Film Festival award for Best Actor for his role of ‘Cufe Smallhill’ in Four Sheets to the Wind (Sundance 2007). Cody is also a competitive skateboarder and snowboarder.
Samuel Miller is a novelist, screenwriter, musician, and little league baseball coach, made in South Dakota, based in Los Angeles. His second novel, Redemption Prep (Harper-Collins, April 2020), was a New York Times and Indie Bestseller. He is writing the television adaptation for MGM. His most recent novel, Dark Parts of the Universe (Harper-Collins, April 2024) is in development for television with The CW, with Samuel attached to write and produce. His first feature film as a writer / producer, Hey Viktor!, played at Tribeca and Toronto Film Festivals and is due this Summer from CRAVE Canada.
Kelly Boutsalis is the Associate Programmer, International, Canadian Features at the Toronto International Film Festival. This marks her second year with the Festival. As a freelance writer, she has written about film and television for The New York Times, NOW Magazine, ELLE Canada, Flare, Realscreen, and POV Magazine. The bulk of her journalism focuses on telling positive Indigenous stories. Originally from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, she moved to London, Ontario, for a BA in comparative literature at Western University, and then Toronto for Humber College’s postgraduate journalism program. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two small kids, one named after their grandfather and the other for a member of Wu-Tang Clan.
Register here
The Canadian Film Forum is proudly sponsored by U of T affinity partners, Manulife and TD Insurance.
Discover the benefits of affinity products!