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The Arctic (29)
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Available in English Options
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Arctic IVJames de B. Domville 1975 57 minThis feature-length documentary offers a glimpse at the unknown world that lies beneath the Arctic ice. Arctic IV follows Dr. Joseph MacInnis, a specialist in underwater medicine, as he probes and explores the polar depths. Filmed at Resolute Bay, Dr. MacInnis and his team must chip through over 2 metres of ice and dive into the frigid, watery depths at the North Pole - all in the name of science. -
Alexander Mackenzie: The Lord of the NorthDavid Bairstow 1964 27 minFilmed on the great Mackenzie River, this short fiction film recreates the amazing voyage of the man who gave his name to it. Following the path outlined in Mackenzie's journal, the film depicts his arduous journey by canoe all the way to the salt water of the Arctic Ocean - one of the great epics of northern exploration.
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Across Arctic Ungava1949 20 minThis documentary follows four scientists and their Native guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks, take readings of soil temperature and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.
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Arctic DefendersJohn Walker 2013 1 h 30 minSet in the dramatic and alluring landscape of the north, Arctic Defenders tells the remarkable story that began in1968 with a radical Inuit movement that changed the political landscape forever. It lead to the largest land claim in western civilization, orchestrated by young visionary Inuit with a dream - the governance of their territory - the creation of Nunavut. The story reveals Canada’s misguided attempts at sovereignty in the north and finds hope and inspiration from determined people who changed the rules of the game.
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CoppermineRay Harper 1992 55 minThis feature documentary introduces us to the Copper Inuit of the Coronation Gulf region of Canada's Northwest Territories, one of the last aboriginal groups to be contacted by people from outside. When Doctor R.D. Martin arrived in Coppermine in 1929, he had to deal with one of the consequences of that contact: a full-blown tuberculosis epidemic.
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Caribou of Northern Canada1971 13 minThis nature documentary looks at the Barren Ground caribou of Canada's vast northern tundra. This film observes the life cycle and environment of the caribou.
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Climate on the EdgeAlain Belhumeur & Jean Lemire 2003 52 minA documentary that gives scientific context to the controversy and debate on climate change. Accessible interviews with climatologists, glaciologists, astrophysicists and oceanographers, juxtaposed with stunning footage, bring understanding to the impact of the melting of the Arctic permafrost and release of greenhouses gases that affect our whole planet.
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In Search of the Bowhead WhaleBill Mason 1974 49 minThis adventure film features Scott McVay, an authority on whales, and filmmaker Bill Mason. The objective was to film the bowhead, a magnificent inhabitant of the cold Arctic seas brought to the edge of extinction by overfishing. With helicopter and Inuit guide, aqualungs and underwater cameras, the expedition searches out and meets the bowhead and beluga.
Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused. -
Land of the Long DayDouglas Wilkinson 1952 37 minDuring the short Arctic summer on Baffin Island, the native Inuit enjoys four months of continuous daylight. But it is no time for relaxation, for provision must be made for the long, cold winter night ahead. In this film Idlouk, an Inuit hunter, tells of his life in this northern land. We watch as he stalks the seal so vital to his existence, and as he and other hunters set out in kayaks to harpoon the white whale and the narwhal. At camp we meet his wife, children and aged parents, each of whom has work to do in the unceasing struggle for survival in this harsh land.
Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused. -
Life on IceWilliam Hansen 1986 27 minThis documentary film focuses on the animal life that survives in this harsh arctic climates at the edge of the ice - from the simple algae to narwhals, polar bears, sea birds, seals, whales and walruses.
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Lords of the ArcticCaroline Underwood & Jean Lemire 2003 52 minThis documentary by award-winning filmmaker Caroline Underwood focuses on Northern wildlife and its close and tragic relation to climate change, which affects all of the Arctic's fragile ecosystems. The example of the polar bear, studied by biologists for the past 20 years, is revealing. Scientists are also concerned about the precarious situation of bowhead whales and belugas, not to mention seals, walruses and many species of birds. Are the lords of the Arctic in danger of ending their reign over their kingdom of ice and snow?
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MeltdownCarrie Mombourquette 2012 1 minIn this short animation, a polar bear must try his luck finding a job in the big city when the last of his Arctic ice environment disappears. It’s hard fitting into the human world, however, so this bear finds a more creative solution to his predicament.
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Martha of the NorthMarquise Lepage 2008 1 h 23 minIn the mid-1950s, lured by false promises of a better life, Inuit families were displaced by the Canadian government and left to their own devices in the Far North. In this icy desert realm, Martha Flaherty and her family lived through one of Canadian history’s most sombre and little-known episodes.
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Nunavut Animation Lab: The Bear FactsJonathan Wright 2010 3 minIn this animated short, a self-important colonial explorer emerges from a sailing ship and plants a flag on the Arctic ice, as a bemused Inuit hunter looks on. Then the explorer plants another, and another, and another, while the hunter, clearly not impressed that his land has been “discovered,” quietly goes about his business.
In this charming and humorous re-imagining of first contact between Inuit and European, Jonathan Wright brings us the story of a savvy hunter and the ill-equipped explorer he outwits. -
Nunavut Animation Lab: The Bear Facts (Version Inuktitut)2010 3 minIn this animated short, a self-important colonial explorer emerges from a sailing ship and plants a flag on the Arctic ice, as a bemused Inuit hunter looks on. Then the explorer plants another, and another, and another, while the hunter, clearly not impressed that his land has been “discovered,” quietly goes about his business. In this charming and humorous re-imagining of first contact between Inuit and European, Jonathan Wright brings us the story of a savvy hunter and the ill-equipped explorer he outwits.
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Nowhere LandRosie Bonnie Ammaaq 2015 14 minThis short documentary serves as a quiet elegy for a way of life, which exists now only in the memories of those who experienced it. Bonnie Ammaaq and her family remember it vividly. When Bonnie was a little girl, her parents packed up their essentials, bundled her and her younger brother onto a long, fur-lined sled and left the government-manufactured community of Igloolik to live off the land, as had generations of Inuit before them.
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Nowhere Land (Inuktitut Version)2015 14 minThis short documentary serves as a quiet elegy for a way of life, which exists now only in the memories of those who experienced it. Bonnie Ammaaq and her family remember it vividly. When Bonnie was a little girl, her parents packed up their essentials, bundled her and her younger brother onto a long, fur-lined sled and left the government-manufactured community of Igloolik to live off the land, as had generations of Inuit before them.
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Our Street Was Paved with GoldAlbert Kish 1973 28 minFilmmaker Albert Kish revisits Montreal's St Lawrence Boulevard in the '70s. The street, also known as "The Main," is a little Europe with many languages, foods and small courtesies that make a stranger feel at home.
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Postcards from Canada2000 41 minSweeping in from the frozen vistas of the Arctic to the frenzy of rush-hour traffic, from deep within the Canadian Shield to the orbiting Radarsat satellite, Postcards from Canada takes us on a whimsical trip through this magnificent nation. Narrated by Peter Gzowski, this film shows us the wonder of the wilderness, the impact of Canadians on the land and the ingenuity we have shown in turning huge obstacles into advantages.
Shot in stunning 35 mm, Postcards from Canada updates the popular 1967 film Helicopter Canada with breathtaking images and aerial photography. And like postcards themselves, these snapshots of Canada are tantalizing glimpses that will make you "wish you were here"--and be glad that you are. -
People of the IceCarlos Ferrand & Jean Lemire 2003 52 minThis feature documentary explores the threats of global warming to the Arctic environment that has nurtured the Inuit for 4,000 years. The Inuit have lived in harmony on this frozen landscape for generations. Today, global warming threatens their habitat. As the ice disappears, so does the Inuit culture it is intimately connected to. Ever-changing temperatures have even made predicting the Arctic climate difficult. Will this extraordinarily resilient people be able to adjust to such dramatic change?
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Qallunaat! Why White People Are FunnyMark Sandiford 2006 52 minThis documentary pokes fun at the ways in which Inuit people have been treated as “exotic” documentary subjects by turning the lens onto the strange behaviours of Qallunaat (the Inuit word for white people). The term refers less to skin colour than to a certain state of mind: Qallunaat greet each other with inane salutations, repress natural bodily functions, complain about being cold, and want to dominate the world. Their odd dating habits, unsuccessful attempts at Arctic exploration, overbearing bureaucrats and police, and obsession with owning property are curious indeed.
A collaboration between filmmaker Mark Sandiford and Inuit writer and satirist Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat! brings the documentary form to an unexpected place in which oppression, history, and comedy collide. -
A Step Towards the Arctic - Reflections and Visions of the NorthAnne-Marie Tougas 2012 52 minIn this feature documentary, Swiss citizen Yves Delaunay seeks to understand how the Inuit are coping with the mutation of the Arctic as it is caught in the violent sway of climate change. In Sachs Harbour, an Inuit village on the fringes of the Earth, he discovers a small community attached to its land, conscious of the importance of its traditions and culture, which struggles daily to face the challenges of modernity by way of carving out a place within it.
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ShamanEcho Henoche 2017 5 minThis animated short tells the story of a ferocious polar bear turned to stone by an Inuk shaman. The tale is based on emerging filmmaker Echo Henoche's favourite legend, as told to her by her grandfather in her home community of Nain, Nunatsiavut, on Labrador's North Coast. Hand-drawn and painted by Henoche in a style all her own, Shaman is the first collaboration between the Labrador artist and the NFB.
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Three Thousand (Inuktitut Version)2017 14 minIn this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light. Diving into the NFB’s vast archive, she parses the complicated cinematic representation of the Inuit, harvesting fleeting truths and fortuitous accidents from a range of sources—newsreels, propaganda, ethnographic docs, and work by Indigenous filmmakers. Embedding historic footage into original animation, she conjures up a vision of hope and beautiful possibility.
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Three ThousandAsinnajaq 2017 14 minIn this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light. Diving into the NFB’s vast archive, she parses the complicated cinematic representation of the Inuit, harvesting fleeting truths and fortuitous accidents from a range of sources—newsreels, propaganda, ethnographic docs, and work by Indigenous filmmakers. Embedding historic footage into original animation, she conjures up a vision of hope and beautiful possibility.
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Unitas Fratrum: The Moravians in LabradorHubert Schuurman 1983 26 minThe Moravians, an early Protestant group, founded missions on the Labrador coast in the 18th century. Serving as a buffer between the Indigenous people and the whalers, the Moravians laid the basis for a new society that blended traditional European and Inuit cultures. This film shows a year in the life of the Moravian mission of Nain and describes some of the stresses the modern world has brought to this isolated Arctic community. Interviewed are a retired teacher who came with the last European mission, and the first Native Moravian minister. (Telecast in the Man Alive series under the title Band of Brethren.)
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Katinngat2012 1 h 22 minIlaqutariit Inughuit qimussimik ingerlaarput Kalaallit Nunaanni sikumi isorartoorsuarmi. Ingerlaarfissualli aakkiartorpoq, qimmillu siku aserortertoq nakkarfigisarpaat, nakkarfigisarlugu Issittumi imartaq nilleqisoq.
Angalaqatigiinni utoqqartap Navaranap, akueriartuaalerpaa Issittumi inuiaat tamarmik allanngoriartornermik siornatigut aqqusaarsimanngisaannakkaminnik aqqusaarneqalersut. 1860-ikkunni Navaranap siulersua takorluuillaqqissorsuaq – angakkorsuaq Canadami Baffin Island-imeersoq, Qitdlarssuarmik atilik – angalanermut tusaamaneqaqisumut ilaavoq, naggueqatigiit Inuit Kalaallit Nunaannut ingerlaarnerannik kinguneqartumik. Tassa taassuma angakkorsuup nunassaminik ujaasinerata aakkut naggueqatigiinnerit uummaarissut, sakkunillu atortunillu ineriartortitsinerit, Navaranap siulianut nunassarsiortunut katinngaserpai. Ukiut 150-it sinnerlugit qaangiummata Navarana siulersuarmi nunaanut angalavoq, attaveqarfiginiarlugit Canadamiittut ungasissukkut illooraqqiutini.
Navaranapangalaqatigaiilaqutariitnunanisumiiffinnimarlunniassigiinngitsuneersut, ukiumoortumik piniariarlutik angalaneranni. Isiginnaarpai qanoq taakkua aatsigut naggueqatigiit Inuit, allanngorarnernut avataaneersunit sunniutaasunut, piniarnermilu ileqqutoqqanut sunniuteqartunut qimarratigisinnaanngisaminnut, assigiinngunik periuseqarlutik imminnut tulluarsartarsimanerat. Misilittakkani aallaavigalugit neriuuteqarpoq inuiaqatimi ataannarnissaanut matuersaat toqqagassanut eqqortunut ammaassisinnaasoq nassaarisinnaassallugu.
Navarana eqqarsaatersortinneqarpoq neriuuteqalersinneqarlunilu inuiaqatigiit taakkua suli imminnut ataqatigiinneraniit, minnerunngitsumillu siulersuarmi ersigisaqaratik angalasarsimasunit kingornussassaanit, ukiuni issittumi inuusut inuiaat oqaluttuarisaanerminni inuiaqatigiittut avatangiisitigullu aatsaat taama unammillerneqarnerisa nalaanni.
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KatinniqStephen A. Smith & Julia Szucs 2012 1 h 22 minᕿᒧᔅᓯᖅ ᐅᓯᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᒡᕼᐅᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᓂᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕗᑦ ᓯᕕᑐᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᓯᑯᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᓂᑦ. ᓯᑰᑉ ᐊᑖ ᐊᐅᑉᐸᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ --- ᕿᒻᒦᑦ ᒪᐅᕙᑉᐳᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᕐᒥᓂ, ᐃᒫᓚᐅᖅᐸᑦᑐᑎ. ᓇᕙᕋᓇ, ᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᒧᑎᒥᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᖅ, ᐊᖏᕈᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ ᓂᕆᐅᓇᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᐅᒪᔪᓂᑦ.
1860-ᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᓇᕙᕋᓇᐅᑉ ᓯᕗᕚᖓ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᒐᖃᓲᖅ --- ᐊᖓᒃᑯᖅ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥᐅᑕᖅ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᑎᓕᒃ ᕿᓪᓚᖅᓱᐊᒥᑦ --- ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖏᑦᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᒃᑯᑦ, ᓯᕗᒃᑲᑕᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᓕᐊᖅᑐᑎ. ᑖᔅᓱᒪ ᐊᖓᒃᑰᑉ ᐃᓚᒌᓕᖅᑐᑎ ᑭᖑᕚᖃᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᓇᕙᕋᓇᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᓴᖃᑦᑕᐅᑎᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐊᒻᒪᐃᓪᓗᓂ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ 150 ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᕿᓪᓚᖅᓱᐊᑉ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕕᒥᓂᖓᓂᑦ ᑐᔾᔭᐃᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐅᑎᒧᖔᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐳᓚᕋᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᑕᓄᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ.
ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᐃᓚᒥᓂ ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓂᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᕐᒥᐅᓂᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᖅᓯᐅᑎᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᕙᖃᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ. ᑕᑯᔭᖃᖅᑯᕐᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᓯᓚᑎᒥᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᒪᐃᓐᓇᕋᔅᓴᐅᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᕙᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑕ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑎᒍᑦ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᓂᕆᐅᑉᐳᖅ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᖅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓪᓗᐊᑕᓂᑦ ᓱᓕᔪᓂᑦ ᓴᖅᑮᔪᒫᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕈᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᓗᓯ ᐊᓐᓇᐅᒪᓂᒃᑯᑦ.
ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᓖᒃ ᑲᓲᑎᕙᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᒃ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᕐᓂᒥᓪᓗ ᒪᑭᒪᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᐸᑉᐳᖅ ᓯᕗᕚᖏᑕ ᐆᒻᒪᔾᔭᕆᓚᐅᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᓚᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓇᒻᒥᓇᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᒥᒍᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ.
Click here for the English version
Click here for the Greenlandic version, Katinngat -
Vanishing PointStephen A. Smith & Julia Szucs 2012 1 h 22 minThis feature documentary tells the story of 2 Inuit communities of the circumpolar north—one on Canada’s Baffin Island, the other in Northwest Greenland—that are linked by a migration led by an intrepid shaman. Navarana, an Inughuit elder and descendant of the shaman, draws inspiration and hope from the ties that still bind the 2 communities to face the consequences of rapid social and environmental change.
