Inuit high kick film now online

The Inuit high kick is now online.

On a new Inuktitut and English website, launched July 11 by the Inuit Broadcasting Corp., you can watch a short film called “Inuit High Kick” and learn about traditional Inuit games.

Since the two and a half minute film first screened at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in February of 2010, it’s been shown more than 20 film festivals including Hot Docs in Toronto, Palm Springs ShortFest in California, the Calgary International Film Festival, ImagineNative in Toronto and the TIFF Cinematheque (Toronto International Film Festival).

On the new High Kick website, created with money from the Government of Nunavut, Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, you’ll also find featured interviews with Inuit High Kick athlete Johnny Issaluk and the film’s director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, who talk about their experiences with Inuit games and their involvement in making the film.

The website also has a section to watch the best-of clips on YouTube of people performing the games.

High Kick was produced by Iqaluit-based Inuit Communications, a division of IBC, the film stars Issaluk, one of the circumpolar world’s top athletes in Inuit games, and its music track incorporates traditional throatsinging and drumming, composed by Geronimo Inutiq — also known as DJ Mad Eskimo.

The money to make Inuit High Kick was provided by the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition, the Nunavut Film Development Corporation, Telefilm Canada and the GN.