Documentary brings stories from Inukjuak to international stage
Film reflects on residential schools and resilience, says co-director
“Inukjuak,” a documentary directed by Geela Kumarluk, left, and Hannah Walti, is scheduled to screen at the International First Peoples’ Festival in Montreal on Aug. 5. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Walti)
A documentary that celebrates a Nunavik community’s resilience is set to be screened at the International First Peoples Festival in Montreal on Aug. 5.
Directed by Geela Kumarluk and Hannah Walti, Inukjuak was filmed in spring 2022 but took several years to complete due to a lack of funding. It premièred at the Montreal International Film Festival last August — the same month it was completed.
“We’re really, really happy that it’s at the festival and that it’s gonna be seen,” Walti said in an interview.
She met Kumarluk during a research trip to Inukjuak in December 2021, when Walti was planning to film a documentary.
“She asked me, ‘Is it a true crime?’” Walti said, with a laugh.
Kumarluk, who could not be reached for this story, shared her experiences about life in Inukjuak and described her search to better understand her family’s residential school history, which had remained largely unspoken about, Walti said.
The two decided to explore intergenerational trauma and how the community has tried to overcome it.
Through interviews with elders, the film depicts the impacts of residential schools, the Nunavik dog slaughter and the High Arctic relocation, during which the federal government forced Inuit out of communities such as Inukjuak to remote settlements like Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay.
But trauma isn’t the only focus.
“We’ve spent time with a men’s group that teach children the traditional ways for hunting and making kayaks,” Walti said. “It’s about the future of Inuit through healing and transmitting the lifestyle that was attacked by colonization.”
Teenage girls who participate in the Junior Rangers program are also featured in the film.
Walti said that, at times, residents would simply invite the crew into their homes to share experiences.
“We didn’t know where the movie was going, but instead we just kind of lived inside of it until we could all put it together,” she said, adding she hopes the documentary will influence audiences within and beyond Canada.
“I always love to open up dialogues between people,” Walti said “So, we can all see more of each other, and hear more of each other.”
Inukjuak is produced by Voxfilms NYC and local Inuk leader Tommy Palliser, with support from the village and Air Inuit.
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