Arctic

Programmes

10 TITLES

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Availability ended 15/11/2020 BST

Attla

Availability ended 29/10/2020 BST
(22-29 Oct worldwide) Spanning his fifty-year dogsled racing career, ATTLA explores the life and persona of George Attla, from his childhood as a tuberculosis survivor in the Alaskan interior, to his rise as ten-time world champion and mythical state hero, to a village elder resolutely training his grandnephew to race his team one last time.

Bringing Home the Blubber

Availability ended 29/10/2020 BST
(22-29 Oct worldwide) With the mountains and ice floes of Greenland as backdrop, Ujuunnguaq Heinrich arguably has the most beautiful workplace on earth. “I wouldn’t trade this for the world!” he says smiling at the camera, before returning his gaze towards the horizon. Hunting seals is all he has ever known, but things could have turned out very differently for Ujuunnguaq, as we learn in this intimate documentary. As trust is gained, his story unfolds - one of unbearable loss and personal struggle. Once a broken man, we discover how he managed to find strength in being vulnerable. This documentary offers a glimpse into Ujuunnguaq’s incredible life and the bigger issues that the Inuit face today - from an inside perspective.

Manasie Akpaliapik

Availability ended 15/11/2020 BST
(22 Oct-15 Nov worldwide) Renowned Inuk artist, Manasie Akpaliapik, comes from a family of carvers in Arctic Bay, Nunavut. When he was 9-years-old, he sold his first carving to the Hudson’s Bay Company for a box of carnation milk and a toy gun. Manasie’s artwork now lives in collections like the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Ontario Art Gallery and National Art Gallery. This short film explores how Manasie shares his culture and relationship to land through his carvings.

Happiness Scares Me No More

Availability ended 25/10/2020 BST
Currently not available in your region.
(22-25 Oct UK only) Gukki Nuka (53) is an artist returning to the hometown where he was sexually abused as a child. Kornelia (24) is working with her psychologist to break the grip of her anxiety caused by her childhood and abuse. While following two personal stories, the documentary examines the wider social context and implications of sexual abuse, seeking to understand the debilitating issue.

My Dear Mother

Availability ended 30/10/2020 BST
Currently not available in your region.
(23 -30 Oct UK only) Dasha is a native nine-year-old Lapp girl. She is an inmate of a Russian orphanage, even when she is not an orphan. Tasha believes that her mother is dead and that her father is in jail for life. To survive she has found a Russian stepmother at the orphanage. One day her biological mother suddenly calls her. In the background of Tasha’s fate lurks the greater global narrative about the 'Stolen Generations'. Children belonging to different indigenous peoples all over the world were 'stolen' and placed in orphanages hoping that they might be assimilated into the majority population.

The Tongues

Availability ended 29/10/2020 BST
Currently not available in your region.
The edge of the reindeers tongue holds all the lies and shall not be eaten. The one who eats it, will be a liar.
(23-26 Oct UK & Ireland only) During a blizzard on the tundra, a Sami woman is herding her reindeer when she is attacked by a man. Her sister senses that something is wrong and starts looking for her. Wrapped in fear and confusion, both women will unite in their fight for revenge. NJUOKCAMAT is a strong visual and exploratory film story that deals with the taboo theme of abuse of women in indigenous communities in Northern Norway. The story takes place in a wild and beautiful winter landscape where both nature and animals are essential elements of the story. The film is directed by the sisters Marja Bål Nango and Ingir Bål. Both Sami indigenous, living in the Tundra in arctic Norway and working as reindeer herders, which is their heritage

Life is a two-way dream — Eallin lea guovttesuorat niehku

Availability ended 30/10/2020 BST
"Eallin lea guovtte suorat niehku — Life is a two-way dream"
(23-30 Oct worldwide) "Eallin lea guovtte suorat niehku — Life is a two-way dream" shows the way in a world undergoing rapid change, with polarisation and globalisation going in many directions. We are in an age marked by adoration of youth, fixation on the present and extreme individualism. What we do today will affect the way people live in the future. The wisdom from the shaman’s worldview from the old Sami religion helps weave together another interpretation and story.

Hedtoft

Availability ended 29/10/2020 BST
(22-29 Oct worldwide) The personal story of the greatest tragedy in Greenlandic maritime history, told by the grandson of one of the 95 passengers who lost their lives on the cold stormy night of January 30th, 1959, when M/S Hans Hedtoft - on its maiden voyage - allegedly hit an iceberg.

ᓇᓄᕐᓗᒃ / Giant Bear

Availability ended 15/11/2020 BST
A timeless Inuit legend about a solitary man, a giant bear and their daunting foes: each other
(now-15 Nov worldwide) A timeless Inuit legend about a solitary man, a giant bear and their daunting foes: each other. Centered on a confrontation between the last monster bear and an Inuit hunter, Giant Bear is a chilling short that brings an ancient story out of the North. In Giant Bear, we follow a hunter in the depths of starvation. The snow is thick, his dogs are mysteriously dying and food is nowhere to be found. A quest for answers leads him straight to a nanurluk, an iceberg-sized polar bear, setting up a “kill or be killed” battle that pits one man’s wits against a fearsome foe. A co-production between Taqqut Productions (Iqaluit) and e→d films (Montreal) this animated short film follows a lone Inuit hunter as he uses his wisdom, courage, and experience to find and confront his terrifying adversary -- a nanurluk (an iceberg-sized polar bear) in an epic battle for survival. Animated in a painterly, hybrid 2D and 3D style, some of the film was made using real time animation from Unity game engine, via the open source Scene Track plug-in. This traditional Inuit legend explores the power, beauty, and perils of nature through a meticulously handcrafted CG animation lens. The score, by composer Tyler Fitzmaurice in collaboration with singer Beatrice Deer, bassist Michael Felber, synth player Parker Shper, and electronic musician Greg Debicki (Woulg), features traditional northern singing techniques woven into an ethereal soundscape to bring the tundra to life.

Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves

Availability ended 15/11/2020 BST
(now-15 Nov worldwide) A hunting excursion evolves into an otherworldly encounter, as two brothers navigate the spirit realm in this ethereal and haunting animation that celebrates the ancient art of Inuit storytelling.