Sky Hopinka

Born in 1984, in Ferndale, Washington, Sky Hopinka is a descendant of the Pechanga band of Luiseno Native Americans, and has made an interest in Indigenous languages and cultural heritage a main part of his work.His pursuit of the documentary genre was developed during his college years at Portland State University, where he taught such languages as Chinuk Wa after graduating.in 2013 the future director enrolled in a graduate program for experimental Cinema at the University of Wisconsin in Mikwaukee, with James Benning becoming one of his influences.