The most recent documentary by the Cheyenne River Youth Project will be shown this weekend (Oct. 3-5, 2025) during the 16th Annual Black Hills Film Festival in Rapid City.
“The Children Are Coming Home” (“Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi”) will receive the Best Short Documentary award, earning one of the festival’s “Bronze Fedora” trophies. It will be shown Oct. 5 during a session late Sunday afternoon (3:45-6pm MT).
Cheyenne River Youth Project Chief Executive Officer Julie Garreau says filming took place in the spring of 2024 at CRYP’s nearly 40-acre property adjacent to Bear Butte/Bear Mountain (Mato Paha). She says they purchased the land 18 months ago with the intention of restoring access to one of the Lakota Nation’s most sacred places.
Garreau says the property serves as a safe, healthy space to share traditional teachings, engage in cultural and recreational activities, and encourage young people to build a deeper, reciprocal relationship with the land. She says it’s also is a home base from which the youth can visit sacred sites throughout the region, including Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk Peak), Maka Oniye (Breathing Earth/Wind Cave) and Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge/Devils Tower).
Executive produced by CRYP, “Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi” filmmaker/producer Richard Steinberger will appear in the “How to Make Films in South Dakota” panel, while director Andy Wakeman will appear in the “Empathy Through Film” panel. CRYP will be represented in the audience by Arts Manager Wakinyan Chief and several young people, all of whom appeared in the film.
“Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi” also has been an official selection at the 2025 Beaufort International Film Festival, Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival, Spokane International Film Festival, Central Michigan International Film Festival and Los Angeles Short Film Awards. It also was featured at Open Projector Night 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and won a silver award in the international 2024 Spotlight Documentary Awards.
You can find more information on the Black Hills Film Festival website, www.blackhillsfilmfestival.org.
You can purchase tickets on the Journey Museum website, www.journeymuseum.org/upcoming-events/black-hills-film-festival-2025.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, visit www.lakotayouth.org.
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