The Cheyenne River Youth Project’s latest documentary, “Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi (The Children Are Coming Home),” will screen at the 16th Annual Black Hills Film Festival in Rapid City, South Dakota, Oct. 3-5. Executive produced by CRYP, the 2024 film will receive the Best Short Documentary award, earning one of the festival’s famous “Bronze Fedora” trophies.
What: 16th Annual Black Hills Film Festival
When: Oct. 3-5, 2025
Where: Journey Museum, 222 New York St., Rapid City, SD
Filmmaker Panels: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4
CRYP Film Screening: Session F, 3:45 to 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5
More info: blackhillsfilmfestival.org
Tickets: journeymuseum.org/upcoming-events/black-hills-film-festival-2025
Hosted exclusively by the Journey Museum, BHFF begins Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. with three films. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, guests will enjoy free discussion panels moderated by KOTA News anchor Alicia Garcia, followed by three afternoon film sessions.
“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.
Oct. 5, the final day of the festival, is devoted to Native American films. The day will kick off with a musical performance by Native American flute player Darren Thompson at 12:30 p.m. and the first of two film sessions at 1 p.m. CRYP’s documentary will be screened during the second, Session F, which is scheduled for 3:45 to 6 p.m. The day will conclude with the BHFF film awards.
“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.
Filming took place in spring 2024 at Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi (The Children Are Coming Home), the youth project’s nearly 40-acre property adjacent to sacred Mato Paha (Bear Butte / Bear Mountain). The youth project purchased the land 18 months ago with the intention of restoring access to one of the Lakota Nation’s most sacred places, severed generations ago with the breakup of the Great Sioux Reservation.
This vital 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. It 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).
“We have hosted multiple youth camps at the new property in 2024 and 2025, and our teens tell us they want more of these healing opportunities,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s chief executive officer. “They understand, at a deep level, that their cultural connection to Unci Makha (Grandmother Earth) is essential to their healthy development as Lakota people.”
Indeed, in their post-camp surveys, the teens said the Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi experience was amazing. They also noted that spending time there helps them learn how to live Wólakhota—in keeping with traditional Lakota values and lifeways.
“It was helpful because it got me out of Eagle Butte and grounded with nature,” said one camper. Another shared, “I want to experience more stuff like this.”
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.