Language, #sealfie activism and the best of this year’s Inuit filmmaking

Nunavut hit the quarter-century mark this year. For all those years, culture has been the ambassador of Nunavut Inuit on the world stage: carvings, prints, jewelry — all of them representing the Canadian Arctic.

But there is one medium that has flourished more than any other, and according to cultural historian Mark David Turner, will flourish even more in the next 25 years. It’s filmmaking.

As this anniversary year in Nunavut history winds down, Nunatsiaq News asked some experts to list the best Inuit movies and TV shows of the past 25 years. They all mark years of activism, language and cultural preservation and Inuit sovereignty.

All of them are available for streaming online, sure to make a good holiday watch.

Best feature films: Mark David Turner

Turner is the author of On Inuit Cinema | Inuit TakugatsaliuKatiget, a collection of interviews and writing on Inuit filmmaking.

He underlined that he has an “outsider” perspective on Inuit filmmaking as he is an academic who was “lucky” to get to know Inuit cinema through research and writing.

Atanarjuat – The Fast Runner (2001) Creators of the movie called it the “first feature-length fiction film written, produced, directed, and acted by Inuit.”

“It’s hard to overstate the importance,” Turner said, adding the film introduced Inuit cinema to Canadian and international audiences.

Directed by Zacharias Kunuk, Atanarjuat – The Fast Runner, set in Igloolik, is an adaptation of an ancient Inuit legend about evil disguised as a shaman and two brothers emerging from that evil order 20 years later.

A 2015 Toronto International Film Festival poll named Atanarjuat – The Fast Runner the greatest Canadian film ever made.

Atanarjuat – The Fast Runner can be streamed on Netflix and CBC Gem.

Iqaluit-based lawyer and activist Aaju Peter, centre, during a celebration of the launch of Air Greenland’s Iqaluit-Nuuk route at the Iqaluit airport on June 26. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)

Angry Inuk (2016) Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, the documentary followed 2009 European Union seal ban legislation and was part of a pushback against what many Indigenous nations consider an unfair policy.

In the film, Arnaquq-Baril, along with Inuk lawyer and activist Aaju Peter, lobby the EU and “spearhead the #sealfie campaign,” Turner said.

“It’s a rare case where the film and the actions it documents propel each other.”

Angry Inuk can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

Twice Colonized (2023) The award-winning documentary by Lin Alluna follows Aaju Peter over several years of her life. It includes her activism, personal tragedy, and life as a Greenlandic Inuk in Nunavut.

“It’s a really vivid portrait of her life,” Turner said.

Twice Colonized can be streamed on CBC Gem.

Tia and Piujuq (2018) This “Narnia-like” story directed by Lucy Tulugarjuk is film for a broader Canadian audience, Turner said. It’s a story of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee in Montreal who finds a magic portal and travels to Inuit Nunangat where she befriends an Inuk girl.

“Most films from Inuit Nunangat understandably focus on Inuit experiences, but this expands the frame,” Turner said.

Best of short films:  National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board’s collection curator, Camilo Martín-Flórez, chose some of his personal favourites of the short Inuit films, all of which can be found on the NFB’s website.

Three Thousand follows an imaginary universe exploring the Inuit way of life. It was listed as one of the best Inuit short films by the National Film Board’s collection curator. (Image courtesy of National Film Board of Canada)

Three Thousand (2017) Directed by Asinnajaq, also known as Isabella Weetaluktuk, this is set in an “archive-inspired” imaginary universe that explores Inuit present, past and future.

Arctic Song (2021) This short film is an animation that through a song tells how the world came to be, according to traditional Inuit tales from the Igloolik region. It was created by Germaine Arnattaujuq, Neil Christopher and Louise Flaherty.

Nalujuk Night (2021) An annual tradition of Labrador Inuit is showcased in this short film. On every old Christmas Day, Jan. 6, people dress up as Nalujuit, two-legged creatures with otherworldly faces. The film is directed by Jennie Williams, showing that sometimes “it can be fun to be scared,” the NFB website says.

Lumaajuuq (2010) Another creation of Arnaquq-Baril, this animated story is based on an Inuit legend The Blind Boy and the Loon. It’s a story of a young boy’s revenge against his cruel mother.

Best of TV: Inuit Broadcasting Corporation

The Inuit Broadcasting Corp. currently has three shows on APTN. All of them are resources for Inuit who want to preserve their culture and language, said Manitok Thompson, the corporation’s executive director.

All these shows can be streamed on APTN lumi in Inuktitut.

Ajungi! (2024) The show gives youth an opportunity to learn essential survival skills and practices from Inuit elders. Anything from skinning a goose to tending a qulliq.

Nunavummi Mamarijavut (2018) This is a show about Nunavut food — how it’s retrieved, gathered and preserved in a traditional Inuit way.

Uakallanga! (2019) The show travels around Nunavut showing a variety of Inuit materials, products and activities and making traditional Inuit crafts.