Marie-Hélène Cousineau facts for kids

Marie-Hélène Cousineau is a talented Canadian film director and producer. She was born in Quebec, Canada. In 1990, she moved to Igloolik, which is now in Nunavut. There, she helped create a filmmaking group called Arnait Video Productions. This group focuses on telling stories through film.

One of her most famous films is Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain). She directed it with Madeline Ivalu, and it came out in 2008. This film was nominated for important awards in Canada. Marie-Hélène Cousineau also worked with Madeline Ivalu on the film Uvanga. She also teamed up with Susan Avingaq for the documentary film Sol. Sol looks into the mysterious passing of a young Inuk man, Solomon Uyurasuk. The film explores social challenges in Canada's North. More recently, Cousineau worked with Ivalu again on Restless River. This film is based on a book by Gabrielle Roy.

Early Life and Education

Marie-Hélène Cousineau was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She studied art history at Université Laval. She also earned a master's degree in art history from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Later, she received another master's degree in communication studies and production from the University of Iowa. She has also taught at different colleges and at Concordia University in Montreal.

In 1990, Marie-Hélène moved to Igloolik. She worked with Zacharias Kunuk to start the Tarriaksuk Video Centre. While there, she taught a class on how to make videos. This class inspired her to create a workshop for women who wanted to learn filmmaking. In 1991, this led to the founding of Arnait Ikajurtigiit. This name means "women helping each other."

Filmmaking Career

Arnait Ikajurtigiit started as a non-profit group. Susan Avingaq, Madeline Ivalu, and Mathilda Hanniliaq, all from Igloolik, joined Marie-Hélène Cousineau as founders. Later, the group became a for-profit company called Arnait Video Productions Inc. This change helped them get funding for their projects. Marie-Hélène Cousineau worked as a writer, director, and producer for Arnait.

Early Film Projects

In their early work, Arnait made short videos to share women's stories. For example, in Qulliq (1993), the women showed how to light a traditional seal oil lamp. In Attagutalak Starvation (1992), an elder named Rose Ukkumaluk told a story about survival during a harsh winter. With Inuit Midwives (1991), the group recorded many interviews. This helped to preserve important Inuit oral stories.

Arnait was also one of the first groups to use online streaming. They produced Live from the Tundra over five days in August 2001. Around this time, the members of Arnait also helped create the famous film Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner). Working on Atanarjuat encouraged them to make their own feature films. These included Before Tomorrow (2008) and Restless River (2019).

Recent Work and Collaborations

Marie-Hélène Cousineau also produced two television series set in the North. These were The Uluit: Champions of the North (2011) and Sivummut: Going Forward (2014). Arnait has also worked on cultural exchange projects in other places. They have collaborated with Indigenous people in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Nuuk, Greenland. This expands their goal of sharing Indigenous voices. Arnait also has an online channel on Isuma.tv. This platform helps Indigenous filmmakers share their work.

Notable Films

Here are some of the films Marie-Hélène Cousineau has been involved with:

• Inuit Midwives (1991)
• Attagutalak Starvation (1992)
• Quilliq (1993)
• Anaana (2001)
• Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) (2008) (She was a writer and co-director with Madeline Ivalu)
• The Uluit: Champions of the North (2011) (She was a producer)
• Uvanga (2013) (She was a writer and director)
• Sol (2014) (She was a co-director with Susan Avingaq and co-writer with Dana Schoel)
• Tia and Piujuq (She was a producer and screenwriter)
• Angelique's Isle (2018) (She was a director)
• Restless River (La rivière sans repos) (2019) (She co-directed with Madeline Ivalu)