Stories from Igloolik: Indigenous Voices in Cinema
Stories from Igloolik: Indigenous Voices in Cinema
- Date
- Feb 17th 2025
- With
- Zacharias Kunuk moderated by Marjorie Bendeck
For the last four decades, Zacharias Kunuk has redefined filmmaking from the snow-capped hamlet of Igloolik, in Nuvanut, northern Canada, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Berlinale with his latest, the Generation 14plus entry "Uiksaringitara" (Wrong Husband). Kunuk’s films — with all-indigenous casts and strong Inuit representation in crew members — aren’t just comprehensive archives of the Inuit way of life. They’re also powerful reminders of the inalienable right to tell one’s own story without pandering to outside forces or sensibilities. His best-known work, 2001’s "Atanarjuat" (The Fast Runner) was the first Canadian feature produced entirely in Inuktitut, and the production house he co-founded, Isuma Productions, is the first independent Inuit-led company of its kind in Canada. In this engaging public talk, the filmmaker opens up about his background and craft, the rise of Indigenous Cinema within and beyond Canada, his work at Isuma, and the importance of language and representation in cinema.
Marjorie Bendeck
Originally from Honduras, she holds degrees in communications, marketing and organizational psychology, as well as film studies in Mexico and the EICTV in Cuba. Based in Germany since 2003, engaged as consultant for co-production markets, festivals and funds, as well as mentor for training initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. She is co-head of studies of the production department at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, currently manages the Locarno Open Doors Projects Hub and is director of Connecting Cottbus East-West Co-production Market. Marjorie worked as selection advisor, catalogue author and moderator throughout the special series Berlinale NATIVe - A Journey Into Indigenous Cinema.
© Karl Tebbe
Zacharias Kunuk
The director is the co-founder of Isuma, Canada’s first independent Inuit production company. His debut feature film, "Atanarjuat the Fast Runner", won the 2001 Camera d’Or and was voted “Best Canadian Film of all-time” by the Critic’s Poll at the Toronto International Film Festival. To date, he has directed over 30 documentaries and feature films including the Oscar-nominated animation "Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice". His work has already screened several times in the Berlinale, with "Maliglutit" (Searchers) and "Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change" presented in the NATIVe section devoted to Indigenous filmmaking from 2013 to 2019.