Isuma facts for kids
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| Industry | Production company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn, Paul Apak Angilirq |
| Headquarters | Igloolik,
Igloolik, Nunavut
,
Canada
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Number of locations
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Montreal, Quebec, Canada New York City, New York, US |
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Key people
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Zacharias Kunuk (president), Paul Apak Angilirq (vice-president), Pauloosie Qulitalik (chairman), Norman Cohn (secretary-treasurer) |
| Products | Films |
Isuma (which means 'to think' in Inuktituk) is a special group of artists and Canada's very first film company owned by Inuit people. It was started in 1990 by Zacharias Kunuk, Paul Apak Angilirq, and Norman Cohn in Igloolik, Nunavut.
Isuma is famous around the world for its amazing film, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. This was the first full-length movie ever made entirely in the Inuktitut language, written, directed, and acted by Inuit people. In 2019, Isuma was chosen to show their film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk at the 2019 Venice Biennale in Italy. This was the first time Inuit art was shown in the Canada Pavilion at this big international art event.
Isuma wants to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together. They use television, the Internet, and films to support and share the stories of Canada's Indigenous communities. Their main goals are to:
- Make independent films and media that help keep Inuit culture and language strong.
- Create jobs and help the economy in Igloolik and Nunavut.
- Share real Inuit stories with people everywhere, both Inuit and non-Inuit.
Isuma also works closely with Arnait Video Productions.
Contents
History of Isuma Films
In 1999, Isuma made the historical thriller Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. This movie was a huge success around the world. It won the Caméra d'Or award for Best First Feature Film at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival in France. It also won six Genie Awards in Canada, including Best Picture, and many other international film awards.
Because Atanarjuat was so successful, Isuma received money from Telefilm Canada. This helped them start making more movies. One of these films was The Journals of Knud Rasmussen. This movie was about how the Inuit in Igloolik changed from practicing shamanism to Christianity in the early 1920s. This film was chosen to open the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006.
In 2011, Isuma faced some financial challenges. However, they have continued their important work.
Why Visual Storytelling Matters
Inuit culture shares stories mostly through talking and showing things, not always through writing. This is why it's so important for Inuit people to tell their own stories. When people from outside the culture try to translate these stories, they can sometimes get them wrong or add stereotypes.
This is where "visual sovereignty" comes in. It means Indigenous filmmakers and artists use modern tools like cameras and editing to tell their stories in their own way. They can show how oral stories are performed and how Inuit people understand time and space. This is something that written words alone cannot always do.
Igloolik Isuma Productions was started by Inuit people to make and share films and media art from an Inuit point of view. They use local actors to show what Inuit life is like in the Igloolik area.
Indigenous writer Michelle H. Raheja noted that Inuit people were involved in every step of making the films. They acted, watched their performances, and gave ideas for new scenes. This way of making movies was very new and creative. Because of this deep involvement, the films have had a lasting positive impact on Inuit communities.
Isuma has used modern media technology to help them tell their own stories. This has allowed them to control their own images and narratives. They can show their lives, histories, and storytelling traditions in a real way. Isuma has also helped share the voices of Indigenous Arctic people about climate change and its effects on their land through their films.
Isuma has helped many Inuit ideas become films, short videos, and documentaries. These projects truly show their own perspectives and viewpoints.
Isuma on Television
In 2008, Isuma launched IsumaTV, an online platform. This website is a free online place for Inuit and Indigenous culture. It is dedicated to Indigenous filmmakers and hosts films that share an Indigenous view. The site helps connect Native communities around the world.
In 2021, Isuma started Uvagut TV. This is a cable television channel available across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Films and Documentaries by Isuma
IsumaTV has over 7,800 videos from Indigenous communities in 70 languages. These videos cover many topics from an Inuit perspective. These include issues in the Arctic, Indigenous languages, and the global community.
- Stories of Our Elders (a web series with 28 episodes, now shown on APTN)
Feature Films
- Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner - 2000
- The Journals of Knud Rasmussen - 2006
- Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) - 2008
- Tia and Piujuq - 2018
- One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk - 2019
- Tautuktavuk (What We See) - 2023
Unikaatuatiit (Story Tellers) series
- Qaggiq (Gathering Place, 1989)
- Nunaqpa (Going Inland, 1991)
- Saputi (Fish Traps, 1993)
Documentaries
- Alert Bay (1989)
- Attagutaaluk (Starvation, 1992)
- Qulliq (Oil Lamp, 1993)
- Nunavut: Our Land (1994–95), a 13-part TV series
- Piujuk & Angutautuk (1994)
- Sanannguarti (Carver, 1995)
- Nipi (Voice, 1999)
- Nanugiurutiga (My First Polar Bear, 2000)
- Ningiura (My Grandmother, 2000)
- Anaana (Mother, 2001)
- Ajainaa! (Almost!, 2001)
- Artcirq (2001)
- Arviq! (Bowhead!, 2002)
- Angakkuiit (Shaman Stories, 2003)
- Kunuk Family Reunion (2004)
- Unakuluk (Dear little one, 2005)
- Qallunajatut (Urban Inuk, 2005)
- Kiviaq vs. Canada (2006)
- Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (2011)
- Kivitoo: What They Thought of Us (2018)
See also
