Stories We Have Earned

Cody Lefthand is a Stoney Nakoda Filmmaker from the Eden Valley Bearspaw First Nation. His interests centre around the historical indigenous experience of Treaty 7 members. He has a background in the Prop’s Department with John Scott Productions and has been creating and developing both fiction and documentary projects. Cody wrote, directed, and produced the drama The Lost Lemon Mine, in 2020, The film premiered the ImagineNative Film festival in 2020. Cody recently received an Original Peoples Investment Grant from Calgary Arts Development for the WW1 drama, The Trench which is currently in post-production. The script was created with a Virtual Studio Development Grant from Wapikoni Mobile. Cody’s feature length documentary Stories We have Earned: The Stoney Nakoda Film Project had its world premiere at the Calgary international film festival with two sold out theatres and was well received by audiences. The film looks at the history of the Stoney Nakoda and Hollywood film industry alongside the history of exclusionary practices put upon the Stoney community since the signing of Treaty 7. The project has received funding from the Indigenous Screen Office, Canada Council for the Arts, as well as Telefilm’s theatrical documentary fund.  Cody has a short documentary Lost Lemon Tapes (2025)which received funding from Telus StoryHive and can be found on Telus TV one of his biggest accomplishment was being chosen one of six producers from across Canada to attend the Cannes film in the south of France.

Cody is currently on board of directors of Making Treaty 7, a non-for-profit indigenous theatre and art organization.

Cody has also worked on a number of local productions as the production designer including the shorts Skyler’s Comet (2023) and Conviction (2022) both directed by Bruce Miller.

In late fall Cody was presented with the 2024Heritage Calgary Award for his efforts in promoting Stoney Nakoda histories through elder stories, which are accessible via QR codes that can scanned on Nakoda artwork and maps displayed throughout the city.