Alethea Arnaquq-Baril facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
MSC
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Arnaquq-Baril in 2018
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| Born | May 9, 1978 Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada (now Iqaluit, Nunavut) |
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| Alma mater | Sheridan College |
| Genre | Documentary, Feature Films, Short Films |
| Subject | Inuit culture |
| Notable works | Tunnit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos (2010) Angry Inuk (2016) |
| Notable awards | Canada's Meritorious Service Cross (MSC) in 2017 |
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril MSC (born May 9, 1978) is an Inuk filmmaker. She is known for her films about Inuit life and traditions. Alethea owns Unikkaat Studios, a film company in Iqaluit. This company makes films in Inuktitut, the Inuit language.
In 2017, she received the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross. This award recognized her important work as a filmmaker and activist. She also helps with the Qanak Collective. This group supports projects that help Inuit people.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril was born and grew up in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Her mother was an Inuk teacher. Her father worked in radio and later in technology.
Alethea first studied math at the University of Waterloo. She wanted to design video games. But she became more interested in telling stories. So, she moved to Sheridan College in Ontario. There, she studied illustration. She also learned animation at the Banff Centre. This program was offered by the National Film Board of Canada.
In 2011, Alethea talked about why she makes films. She said that Inuit culture is mostly shared through stories, not writing. She felt it was important to record these stories. She wanted to do this while the last elders who lived traditionally were still alive.
Filmmaking Career
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril started her film career as a producer. She worked on James Houston: The Most Interesting Group of People You'll Ever Meet (2008). She also co-produced The Experimental Eskimos (2009).
Her first film as a director and writer was Lumaajuuq: The Blind Boy and the Loon (2009). This was an animated short film. She later wrote a children's book based on this film. The book, The Blind Boy and the Loon, came out in 2014. It is available in English and Inuktitut.
Alethea directed her first full-length film, Tunnit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos (2010). This film was a personal journey. She explored the old tradition of Inuit facial tattoos, called kakiniit.
She makes Inuit cultural documentaries and Inuktitut films. She does this through her company, Unikkaat Studios. She also co-owned Tajarniit Productions. This was a group with other Inuit women filmmakers. In 2017, the Toronto International Film Festival named her one of Canada's most important women filmmakers.
Alethea and Stacey Aglok MacDonald are creating a TV comedy series. It is called North of North and will start in 2025.
Lumaajuuq: The Blind Boy and the Loon (2009)
This animated short film tells a traditional Inuit story. It is about a blind young man. He learns that his mother caused his blindness. With help from a loon, he gets his sight back. The film shows the dangers of seeking revenge.
Lumaajuuq won awards. It was named best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE festival in 2010. It also won the Golden Sheaf Award for Best Aboriginal category.
Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos (2010)
This documentary looks at the tradition of face tattooing for Inuit women. This practice was almost forgotten and once forbidden. Alethea goes on a personal journey to learn about it. She interviews Inuit elders. She learns about the big cultural changes that made these tattoos disappear.
Inuit High Kick (2010)
Alethea also directed Inuit High Kick. This short documentary shows Inuk athlete Johnny Issaluk. He performs a one-foot high kick in slow motion. This film was part of the cultural events for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Aviliaq: Entwined (2014)
In 2014, Alethea released the short film Aviliaq: Entwined. This drama is set in the Arctic in the 1950s. It tells the story of two Inuit people facing challenges in their relationship.
Angry Inuk (2016)
Angry Inuk is a full-length film. It explores the important role of seal hunting in Inuit culture. The film shows how groups trying to stop the seal hunt have negatively impacted the lives of Inuit people.
The film premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. It won the Vimeo On Demand Audience Award there. It also won the Canadian Documentary Promotion Award. Angry Inuk was chosen as one of "Canada's Top Ten" films of 2016. It also won the Audience Choice Award at the TIFF.
Activism
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril strongly supports the continuation of the Arctic seal hunt. She believes it is vital for Inuit culture and survival.
Selected Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
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| 2018 | The Grizzlies | Producer | Based on a true story about a youth lacrosse team. It was created to help young people in Kugluktuk, Nunavut. |
| 2016 | Angry Inuk | Producer, director, screenwriter | A documentary film. It looks at seal hunting in Inuit culture. It also shows the negative effects of campaigns against the hunt. |
| 2015 | The Embargo Project | Producer, director, screenwriter | A collection of five short films. They were written and directed by five Indigenous women filmmakers. |
| 2014 | Aviliaq: Entwined | Producer, screenwriter, director | A short drama set in the 1950s Arctic. It tells a story about two Inuit people facing challenges in their relationship. |
| 2011 | Throat Song | Executive producer | Set in the Canadian Arctic. It is the story of an Inuk woman in a difficult situation. She finds healing and her voice by connecting with others. The title refers to Inuit throat singing. |
| 2010 | Seven Sins: Sloth | Director, screenwriter | A short animated satire about the Inuit. |
| 2010 | Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos | Producer, director, screenwriter | A documentary film. It explores the lost tradition of face tattooing among Inuit women. It also encourages bringing back this art. |
| 2009 | Lumaajuuq: The Blind Boy and the Loon | Director, screenwriter | A short film based on a traditional Inuit story. It explains the origin of the narwhal. It also shows the dangers of seeking revenge. |
| 2009 | The Experimental Eskimos | Producer | The story of three 12-year-old Inuit boys. They were taken from their families in the 1960s. They were raised by white families in Ottawa as part of a social experiment. |
| 2008 | James Houston: The Most Interesting Group of People You'll Ever Meet | Producer | A documentary about artist James Houston. He introduced Inuit art to the world. He also worked with Inuit artists to create Kinngait Studios. |
Awards and Recognition
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and her films have won many awards:
- 2008: James Houston: The Most Interesting Group of People You'll Ever Meet won the Allan King Award For Excellence in Documentary.
- 2010: Lumaajuuq: The Blind Boy and the Loon won best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE festival.
- 2011: Throat Song won Best Live Action Short Drama. It was also shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2014.
- 2016: Angry Inuk received the Vimeo On Demand Audience Award. It also won the Canadian Documentary Promotion Award.
- 2016: Angry Inuk won the Audience Choice award at HotDocs.
- 2016: Angry Inuk won the Alanis Obomsawin Best Documentary Award.
- 2017: Angry Inuk won the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
- 2017: The Toronto International Film Festival named Arnaquq-Baril one of Canada's most important women filmmakers.
Images for kids
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Alethea Arnaquq-Baril in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril para niños
