Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s powerful challenge to the anti-sealing movement, Angry Inuk, opens in Iqaluit on November 24 at the Astro Theatre, with Arnaquq-Baril in attendance
PRESS RELEASE
22/11/2016
November 22, 2016 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The multi-award winning documentary Angry Inuk (Unikkaat Studios/EyeSteelFilm), by Iqaluit’s own Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, will open in that city on November 24 with a FREE screening at 6 p.m. and the filmmaker in attendance to take questions. The film will also have two Sunday screenings in December, on the 11th and 18th, both at 4:30 p.m.
In Angry Inuk, a new generation of Inuit are challenging anti-sealing groups and bringing their voices into the conversation. Arnaquq-Baril and her cameras travel through the Canadian Arctic to hear from the people the animal activists rarely bother to meet—the hunters, the craftspeople, the families for whom the seal hunt is a critical part of their livelihood and survival―and follow a group of students to Europe where they plead the Inuit case before a European Union panel.
Seal meat is a staple food for Inuit, with many of the pelts sold to offset the extraordinary cost of hunting. Inuit are spread across extensive lands and waters, faced with a disproportionate responsibility for protecting the environment. They’re pushing for a sustainable way to take part in the global economy―but in opposition stands an army of well-funded activists and well-meaning celebrities. Angry Inuk interweaves the reality of Inuit life with their challenge to the anti-sealing industry and to nations that mine resources on Inuit lands while simultaneously destroying the main sustainable economy available there.
An Unikkaat Studios Inc. production in co-production with the NFB, in association with EyeSteelFilm, Angry Inuk received the Vimeo On Demand Audience Award at Hot Docs, accompanied by the Canadian Documentary Promotion Award, given to the independently produced feature-length Canadian documentary with a Canadian director that receives the highest rating in the audience poll. The film is produced by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Bonnie Thompson (NFB), and executive produced by Bob Moore, Daniel Cross, and David Christensen (NFB).
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Associated Links
Unikkaat Studios
EyeSteelFilm
Media Relations
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About the NFB
Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.