Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon (69)

Animation from Cape Dorset
1973 18 min
Released in 1973, this collection assembles the first animated films to be made by Inuit artists at the NFB. Featured is work by Solomonie Pootoogook, Timmun Alariaq, Mathew Joanasie, and Itee Pootoogook Pilaloosie—all participants in the Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset) Film Animation Workshop on Baffin Island, established to teach animation skills to local artists. The soundtrack features performances by Aggeok and Peter Pitseolok. Commentary is provided in a blend of Inuktitut and English.
Arctic Saga
Douglas Wilkinson 1952 11 min

This film presents highlights in the life of Idlouk, Inuk hunter, and his family during the long day of the midnight sun on Baffin Island. Depicted are: a seal hunt, a narwhale chase, and scenes of busy camp life. Surrounding all is the Arctic scenery--strange ice formations, the eerie blue whiteness of Arctic winter and, during the time of continuous daylight, the green and brown of Arctic tundra.
Angotee: Story of an Eskimo Boy

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Douglas Wilkinson 1953 31 min
A short film featuring an Inuk man from the Eastern Arctic. Made in 1953, it recounts his life from birth to maturity and marriage. Screened widely in Canadian schools, the film is now dated but accurately depicts aspects of Inuit culture of the time.
At the Autumn River Camp: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 26 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series was an attempt to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, it is now late autumn and the family moves to the river valley.
At the Autumn River Camp: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 33 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the family moves into an igloo and build a qamutik. When it is ready, the family heads down the river to the coast.
At the Spring Sea Ice Camp: Part 3
Quentin Brown 1967 26 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series aimed to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, a hunter, travelling alone by dogsled snares a squirrel. At the camp, a qamutiq is made from a polar bear skin. The family breaks camp, and moves ashore for the summer.
At the Winter Sea Ice Camp: Part 3
Quentin Brown 1967 30 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series aimed to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, work begins on a spacious community igloo. While the men return to their hunt, the women continue with their work and play games with the children. The men return with a seal which is shared by everyone.
Atanarjuat the Fast Runner

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Zacharias Kunuk 2000 2 h 41 min
This adaptation of an ancient Inuit legend was filmed in Inuktitut and directed by Inuit filmmakers - making Atanarjuat the first feature film of its kind!

Set in Igloolik, in Nunavut, this is "a powerful drama, not a documentary," reminds the director Kunuk. "It demystifies the exotic, otherwordly aboriginal stereotype by telling a universal story." The clothes, spears, kayaks, sunglasses and dwellings were all painstakingly researched. "We show how our ancestors dressed, how they handled their dog teams, how they argued and laughed.. confronted evil and fought back."

Many enthusiastic viewers have compared this epic story to The Iliad. In the words of one movie critic, "If Homer had been given a video camera, this is what he would have done!"

In Inuktitut, with English subtitles.
Amarok's Song - The Journey to Nunavut

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Martin Kreelak & Ole Gjerstad 1998 1 h 15 min
In this feature-length documentary, three generations of the Caribou Inuit family come together to tell the story of their journey as Canada's last nomads. From the independent life of hunting on the Keewatin tundra to taking the reins of the new territory of Nunavut on April 1, 1999, we see it all.
The film is the result of a close collaboration between Ole Gjerstad, a southern Canadian, and Martin Kreelak, an Inuk. It's Martin's family that we follow, as the story is told through his own voice, through those of the Elders, and through those of the teens and young adults who were born in the settlements and form the first generation of those growing up with satellite TV and a permanent home.
At the Caribou Crossing Place: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 29 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, two men join the camp. The men build a row of inuksuit to deflect the oncoming caribou into the water, where they are harvested and floated ashore. A great feast follows.
At the Spring Sea Ice Camp: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 26 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

Families travel across the sea ice. Before night falls, they build igloos. A boy practices throwing his spear at a figure he has made in the snow. A woman crimps the sole of a sealskin boot she is making.

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.
At the Winter Sea Ice Camp: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 35 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, it is now late winter and the families stop their trek and make camp. The men cut blocks for an igloo while the women shovel the site. During the day, the men sit patiently on the ice, waiting for seals.
At the Winter Sea Ice Camp: Part 4
Robert Young 1967 34 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, familes at the winter sea ice camp play games and drum dance inside the igloo. The next day, they set out again over the broad expanse of sea ice.
At the Caribou Crossing Place: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 30 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, it is now early autumn. A woman works on caribou skins; men return from their hunt with another caribou; and a boy picks berries and then plays at being a hunter.
At the Spring Sea Ice Camp: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 26 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the men hunt for seal, while back at the camp a polar bear skin is pegged out to dry, and people nibble on fish from the cache.
At the Winter Sea Ice Camp: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 36 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, women watch over the children as they play, make clothes, and repair the igloos. When the men return with their catch, everyone goes inside where work, story-telling and games keep everyone busy.
Broken Promises - The High Arctic Relocation
Patricia Tassinari 1995 52 min
In the summer of 1953, the Canadian government relocated seven Inuit families from Northern Quebec to the High Arctic. They were promised an abundance of game and fish, with the assurance that if things didn't work out, they could return home after two years. Two years later, another 35 people joined them. There they suffered from hunger, extreme cold, sickness, alcoholism and poverty. It would be thirty years before any of them saw their ancestral lands again. Interviews with survivors are combined with archival footage and documents to tell the poignant story of a people whose lives were nearly destroyed by their own government's broken promises.
Being Prepared
Carol Kunnuk 2021 9 min
As the global pandemic reaches into the Arctic Archipelago, Inuk filmmaker Carol Kunnuk documents how unfamiliar new protocols affect her family and community. Her vividly specific soundtrack juxtaposes snippets from local radio broadcasts, issuing health advisories in both Inuktitut and English, with the sweet sounds of children at play. A richly detailed and tender account of disruption and adjustment.
Building a Kayak: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 32 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the run-off is in full flow and the entire family lends a had in building a new kayak.
Building a Kayak: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 32 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, work on the kayak continues. More skins are soaked; ribs are split and shaped. Finally, the kayak is ready and the men take it out on the water for a test.
Coppermine
Ray Harper 1992 55 min
This 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.
Down North
Hector Lemieux 1958 29 min
This short film serves as a report on sub-Arctic developments in the 1.3 million square km District of Mackenzie. In communities such as Hay River, Yellowknife and Port Radium, modern technology and methods of winter transport opened up new possibilities in mining, lumber, and other industries, and new opportunities for the local populations.

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.
Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak
John Feeney 1963 19 min
This documentary shows how an Inuit artist's drawings are transferred to stone, printed and sold. Kenojuak Ashevak became the first woman involved with the printmaking co-operative in Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset). This film was nominated for the 1963 Documentary Short Subject Oscar®.
Eskimo Arts and Crafts
Laura Boulton 1943 18 min
A doc about the Inuit art of Baffin Island. The film illustrates traditional leatherwork and carving, and the construction of a kayak.
Eye Witness No. 68
Walford Hewitson , Douglas Wilkinson , … 1954 10 min
Birth of a Book: A look at the Canadian literary field showing authors who have made the grade, such as Morley Callaghan, Hugh MacLennan, Gabrielle Roy and Roger Lemelin. Eskimo Work Arctic Coal Mine: Baffin Island Inuit of Pond Inlet find easy cash and a ready market for the product of their surface coal mine. Dispatch Riders Perform Cycle Capers In Kingston, Ontario: the display team of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals stages a dare-devil motorcycling exhibition.
Eye Witness No. 30
1951 10 min
These vignettes from 1951 covered various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Subjects included here are British Columbia's Cariboo Trail, once the scene of a great gold rush and which still pays off for the placer miner and occasional prospector; Canada's new state residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, a redesigned old stone mansion destined to become Canada's No. 10 Downing Street; a unique ceremony in remote Chesterfield Inlet as the first Inuit girl in history receives the veil of the Grey Nuns; Great Lakes conservationists outsmart the eel-like bloodsucker that preys on fish; and the new blue model uniforms designed for the Women's Division of the Air Force.

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.
Fragments of Lost History
2000 50 min
The yellowed pages of a travel journal, a letter unearthed by chance, photographs recovered from a company's dusty archives: These are but a few of the scattered materials used to reconstruct the fascinating and little known adventure of Revillon Brothers, a Parisian merchant of elegant furs, who came to Canada at the turn of the century to enter into the fur trade. But the adventure comes to an end in 1936 when Revillon's great rival, the Hudson's Bay Company, buys out the French company. Victorious, the Hudson's Bay Company, is the only of the two to be remembered in the history books. In between the words of the few remaining witnesses to a lost history, in the memories of descendants of employees and in specialists' passion for the fragments recovered, a world long thought vanished is recreated in front of our eyes. In French with English subtitles.
First Arctic Winter Games
Dennis Sawyer & R.C. Gibson 1970 25 min
A short documentary film about the first Arctic Winter Games, held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, in 1970. The inaugural edition of this international event was attended by more than 8,000 participants and spectators, including 750 Canadian athletes and 250 athletes from the US. The Games included many sports typically included in Olympic competitions, with a specific focus on Indigenous sports as well.
Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 30 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, it is full summer. The skin tents are up, and it is time to fish.
Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 26 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the fishing continues. The plentiful catch is stored in stone caches after the women have cleaned it. Some of the fish is cooked in a stone pot.
Group Hunting on the Spring Ice: Part 3
Quentin Brown 1967 33 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the men return from hunting and families eat seal from the catch.
Group Hunting on the Spring Ice: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 34 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the men are out hunting on the sea ice.
Group Hunting on the Spring Ice: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 27 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the men are out hunting on the sea ice while the women work at drying sealskins, cooking and gathering moss.
How to Build an Igloo (Inuktitut version)
2011 10 min
This classic short film shows how to make an igloo using only snow and a knife. Two Inuit men in Canada’s Far North choose the site, cut and place snow blocks and create an entrance--a shelter completed in one-and-a-half hours. The commentary explains that the interior warmth and the wind outside cement the snow blocks firmly together. As the short winter day darkens, the two builders move their caribou sleeping robes and extra skins indoors, confident of spending a snug night in the midst of the Arctic cold!
The Hunters (Asivaqtiin)
Mosha Michael 1977 13 min
Released in 1977, this beautifully paced short was photographed, directed, edited and narrated by Mosha Michael — one of Canada’s first Inuk filmmakers. Michael offers a first-hand account of a three-week Arctic hunting excursion, a rehabilitative trip undertaken by young offenders and their families. Dropping anchor at various points throughout Frobisher Bay, they fish for cod, hunt for seal and caribou, and renew family and community ties. Shooting on a Super 8 camera and providing his own narration, Michael crafts an engaging document of Inuk life in the 1970s. An original score features performances by Kowmageak Arngnakolak and Michael himself.

Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.
How to Build an Igloo
Douglas Wilkinson 1949 10 min
This classic short film shows how to make an igloo using only snow and a knife. Two Inuit men in Canada’s Far North choose the site, cut and place snow blocks and create an entrance--a shelter completed in one-and-a-half hours. The commentary explains that the interior warmth and the wind outside cement the snow blocks firmly together. As the short winter day darkens, the two builders move their caribou sleeping robes and extra skins indoors, confident of spending a snug night in the midst of the Arctic cold!
In Search of the Bowhead Whale
Bill Mason 1974 49 min
This 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.
Jigging for Lake Trout
Quentin Brown 1967 31 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series was an attempt to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the man and woman are ice fishing.

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.
Kamik
Elise Swerhone 1989 14 min
This short documentary is a portrait of Ulayok Kaviok, one of the last of a generation of Inuit, born and bred on the land. Ulayok and her family, like many Inuit today, strive to balance 2 very different worlds. Her skills in making the sealskin boots called kamik may soon be lost in the cultural transformation overtaking her community. Kamik offers a glimpse of those universes and the thread one woman weaves between them.
The Living Stone (Inuktitut Version)
2011 32 min
This documentary shows the inspiration behind Inuit sculpture. The Inuit approach to the work is to release the image the artist sees imprisoned in the rough stone. The film centers on an old legend about the carving of the image of a sea spirit to bring food to a hungry camp.

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.
Lypa
Shelagh Mackenzie & Sharon Van Raalte 1988 29 min
This short documentary is a portrait of Inuit hunter and artist Lypa Pitsiulak, who decided to return to the land several years ago. His goal was to rediscover his culture, teach his family survival skills in the harsh Arctic environment, and pull himself and his family away from the negative influences of white culture. The film portrays his lifestyle, his love for his family, and some of the sources of his artistic inspiration. It also highlights his beautiful prints and sculptures, with their fantastic interweaving of figures from the animal, spirit and human worlds.
Land of the Long Day
Douglas Wilkinson 1952 37 min
During 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.
The Living Stone
John Feeney 1958 32 min
This documentary shows the inspiration behind Inuit sculpture. The Inuit approach to the work is to release the image the artist sees imprisoned in the rough stone. The film centres on an old legend about the carving of the image of a sea spirit to bring food to a hungry camp.

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.
Nunavut Animation Lab Lumaajuuq (Inuktitut Version)
2010 7 min
This animated short tells the story of Qalupalik, a part-human sea monster that lives deep in the Arctic Ocean and preys on children who do not listen to their parents or elders. That is the fate of Angutii, a young boy who refuses to help out in his family’s camp and who plays by the shoreline... until one day Qalupalik seizes him and drags him away. Angutii's father, a great hunter, must then embark on a lengthy kayak journey to try and bring his son home.
Nunavut Animation Lab: Lumaajuuq
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril 2010 7 min
This animated short by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril tells a tragic and twisted story about the dangers of revenge. A cruel mother mistreats her son, feeding him dog meat and forcing him to sleep in the cold. A loon, who tells the boy that his mother blinded him, helps the child regain his eyesight. Then the boy seeks revenge, releasing his mother's lifeline as she harpoons a whale and watching her drown. Based on a portion of the epic Inuit legend "The Blind Boy and the Loon."
Never Lose Sight
Sarah McNair-Landry 2009 21 min
This short documentary presents the environmental challenges in Nunavut. Beneath the immaculate layer of snow, there are mountains of trash. Iqaluit's 2 dumps are filled beyond capacity and the municipality has no plan to solve the problem. Throughout the film, we discover the problems faced by this isolated region and learn just how serious they are. But above all, we hear a call to action from the residents, who don't want to see the North they love disappear. In French with English subtitles.
Nunavut Animation Lab: The Bear Facts (Version Inuktitut)
2010 3 min
In 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.
Northwest Frontier
1942 29 min
This short documentary depicts the vast expanses of the great Northwest. It illustrates the old fur trade, new mining developments, the importance of church missions, the welfare of First Nations and Inuit peoples and the role of air transportation in drawing this huge territory into the mainstream of Canadian life.

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.
Nunavut Animation Lab: I Am But a Little Woman
Gyu Oh 2010 4 min
Inspired by an Inuit poem first assigned to paper in 1927, this animated short evokes the beauty and power of nature, as well as the bond between mother and daughter. As her daughter looks on, an Inuit woman creates a wall hanging filled with images of the spectacular Arctic landscape and traditional Inuit objects and iconography. Soon the boundaries between art and reality begin to dissolve.
Nunavut Animation Lab: The Bear Facts
Jonathan Wright 2010 3 min
In 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.
Natsik Hunting
Mosha Michael 1975 7 min
25-year-old Mosha Michael made an assured directorial debut with this seven-minute short, a relaxed narration-free depiction of an Inuk seal hunt. Having participated in a 1974 Super 8 workshop in Frobisher Bay, Michael shot and edited the film himself. His voice can be heard on the appealing guitar-based soundtrack. Released in 1975, Natsik Hunting is believed to be Canada’s first Inuk-directed film.

Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.
Nunavut Animation Lab: I Am But a Little Woman (Inuktitut Version)
2010 4 min
Inspired by an Inuit poem first assigned to paper in 1927, this animated short evokes the beauty and power of nature, as well as the bond between mother and daughter. As her daughter looks on, an Inuit woman creates a wall hanging filled with images of the spectacular Arctic landscape and traditional Inuit objects and iconography. Soon the boundaries between art and reality begin to dissolve.
Our Northern Citizen
John Howe 1956 30 min
This short documentary illustrates the impact of new developments on the Inuit of Baffin Island, as well as the local reaction to the decision to move the settlement of Aklavik across the Mackenzie River.

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.
People of the Seal, Part 1: Eskimo Summer

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1971 51 min
The first of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada, People of the Seal, Part 1: Eskimo Summer is compiled from some of the most vivid footage ever filmed of the life of the Netsilik Inuit in the Kugaaruk region (formerly Pelly Bay) of the Canadian Arctic. The original films of the Netsilik series attempted to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living there. They show the incredible resourcefulness of the Netsilik (People of the Seal) who have adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Part 1: Eskimo Summer shows how Inuit families prepare for winter by hunting seal, birds and caribou and by fishing for Arctic Char during the extended hours of daylight.
Pangnirtung
John Feeney 1959 29 min
Visit the outpost community of Pangnirtung, located on the rim of the Arctic Circle, in this short documentary from 1959. Here, a handful of people provide for the health and welfare of a scattered Inuit population. The outpost, made up of nothing more than a cluster of buildings on a windswept fjord, has an influence that reaches far beyond its physical borders.

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.
People of the Ice

Carlos Ferrand & Jean Lemire 2003 52 min
This 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?
People of the Rock
Clarke Daprato 1961 13 min
This film follows an Inuit family's journey to the North Rankin nickel mine. How the hunters became bulldozer and machine operators is explained.
Pandemic - At the End of the World
Allan Code 2020 13 min
The Covid pandemic strikes a tragically familiar chord for the Inuvialuit of the Mackenzie River Delta. In the early 19th century John Franklin and his crew infected their ancestors with deadly smallpox. Other devastating epidemics would follow. Historian Randal Pokiak returns to the ancient site of Kitigaaruk, a community abandoned after the great flu epidemic of 1918, to deliver a vivid cautionary tale.
People of the Seal, Part 2: Eskimo Winter

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1971 51 min
The second of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada, People of the Seal, Part 2: Eskimo Winter is compiled from some of the most vivid footage ever filmed of the life of the Netsilik Inuit in the Kugaaruk region (formerly Pelly Bay) of the Canadian Arctic. The original films of the Netsilik series attempted to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living there. They show the incredible resourcefulness of the Netsilik (People of the Seal) who have adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Part 2: Eskimo Winter shows how Inuit families gather in communities on the sea ice to harpoon seal as they come up through breating holes in the ice. Also seen is the mid-winter season, a time of intense socializing in the communal igloo, with games, contests and ceremonial activities.
The Second Arctic Winter Games
Dennis Sawyer 1972 28 min
The Games included many sports seen in Olympic competition, plus others--for example, pirautaqturniq, the Inuit skill of hitting an object with a ten meter-long sled dog whip. This film captures the all-out participation in the week-long events hosted by Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon, with competitors from all over the Arctic including Alaska, and with observers from the Soviet Union.
Stalking Seal on the Spring Ice: Part 1
Quentin Brown 1967 24 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, it is spring and a seal is caught and brought back to camp.
Sikusilarmiut
Peter Raymont 1975 28 min
Sikusilarmiut is made up of excerpts from animation films made at the Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset) Film Animation Workshop, interspersed with live-action footage of modern-day Kinngait. The contrast is uncomfortably evident.
Stories From Our Land 1.5: Going Home
Bjorn Simonsen 2011 5 min
There’s a lot happening in the Arctic. Canadians are talking about environmental, geopolitical, military and cultural issues, and Stories from Our Land: 1.5 adds engaging voices to the discussion. The Stories program gave 6 Nunavut filmmakers the opportunity to create a 5-minute short that followed a couple of key guidelines: Each film had to be made without the use of interviews or narration, and it had to tell a northern story from a northern perspective.

Going Home
Abdoul Aziz Sakho fastens his rooftop sign - number 148 - to his cab and embarks on an evening of driving mostly familiar passengers to their destinations in and around Iqaluit. It's a routine night ... until Sakho picks up an unsettling fare.

Filmmaker Bjorn Simonsen lives in Iqaluit.
Stalking Seal on the Spring Ice: Part 2
Quentin Brown 1967 33 min
Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kuugaruk.

In this episode, it is spring and the man is hunting seal.
Strange Doings
1964 9 min
Shark Hunt: Canadian Fisheries Patrol in the Pacific brings in a huge basking shark. Stringing a Line: A power line is strung by helicopter over mountains in Banff National Park. Arctic Town: Inuvik, a new town built on stilts inside the Arctic Circle.
Through These Eyes
Charles Laird 2004 55 min
An American elementary school program from the 1970s, Man: A Course of Study (MACOS), looked to the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic to help students see their own society in a new way. At its core was The Netsilik Film Series, an acclaimed benchmark of visual anthropology from the National Film Board that captured a year in the life of an Inuit family, reconstructing an ancient culture on the cusp of contact with the outside world. But the graphic images of the Netsilik people created a clash of values that tore rifts in communities across the U.S. and revealed a fragile relationship between politics and education. A fiery national debate ensued between academic and conservative forces. Through These Eyes looks back at the high stakes of this controversial curriculum. Decades later, as American influence continues to affect cultures worldwide, the story of MACOS resonates strongly.
This Land
Dianne Whelan 2009 35 min
This short documentary recounts a 2000-km expedition undertaken by 7 rangers (both Inuit and non-Native) and a female filmmaker to raise a flag on the northernmost tip of Canadian soil, 412 km from the North Pole. With a mesmerizing soundtrack by Nunavut-born singer Tanya Tagaq and spectacular footage of the Arctic landscape, This Land captures the epic adventure with raw immediacy.
Tuktu and the Ten Thousand Fishes
Laurence Hyde 1967 14 min
This short docu-fiction film tells the story of Tuktu, who is taken on a fishing trip to the ancient stone weir. There, he sees his father and other hunters spear fish in great numbers, and watches his father and his uncle make fire with an Inuit fire drill.
Whale Hunting (Qilaluganiatut)
Mosha Michael 1977 9 min
An interesting and informative journey with six Inuit hunting for beluga whale near Iqaluit (formerly known as Frobisher / Frobisher Bay). We learn about the methods used in pursuing the whale and dividing the carcass. An original score features music and songs in Inuktitut by the filmmaker Mosha Michaell himself.

Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.

Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon (69)

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