Isuma making history with Atanarjuat

MARIE-HELENE COUSINEAU
Special to Nunatsiaq News

IGLOOLIK — Igloolik Isuma Productions has finally shot the last scenes of Atanarjuat.

Since last April more than 60 people in Igloolik worked on the ground-breaking Canadian feature film, the first-ever written, produced, directed and shot by Inuit, in Inuktitut.

Paul Apak, who originated the project and wrote the screenplay, passed away last December without knowing if the film ever would be finished. Telefilm Canada shot down the production in April 1998 by refusing to invest in the film, when production was already under way.

With persistence, Igloolik Isuma Productions started again in April, 1999. This time, with the National Film Board as co-producer, a CBC broadcast commitment, and widespread national support, it seemed impossible for Telefilm to deny a major investment to the small Igloolik company.

Approved on a budget of $1.96 million, the Atanarjuat shooting kept Igloolik residents busy for more than five months this year. Northern contributors include the Government of the Northwest Territories, the BBDC, the Kakivak Association, NTI, First Air and most recently, the Aboriginal People’s Television Network.

Igloolik Isuma Productions is ahead of the cultural infrastructure of Nunavut. Nothing is in place right now in the new territory to support or develop a film industry.

In fact some old programs from the NWT government seem to have been lost and not replaced.

An important impact of this enterprise has been the on-site professional training of local Inuit technicians and actors. Instead of relying on southern teams as with many other films produced in the ARctic, Atanarjuat’s props, costumes, crew and entire cast were from Igloolik.

Zacharias Kunuk is the director. Long-time Igloolik resident Norman Cohn is the executive producer and director of photography.

Isuma says Atanarjuat will be aired on April 1 2000 to celebrate the first birthday of Nunavut.

Their next project? Well, most of the actors and technicians want some time off to go hunting and get their breath back after the effort.