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Arctic Song

Chanson de l'Arctique
Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok), Neil Christopher and Louise Flaherty
2021 | 6 min 25 s
Hand-drawn images with digital painting and animation
Inuktitut with English subtitles

Awards and Festivals

  • Official SelectionAsinabka Festival *Snowscreen*, Ottawa, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionAvailable Light Film Festival, Whitehorse, Canada (2022)

  • Winner - Best Animated FilmNunavut International Film Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionSkoden Indigenous Film Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionReel to Real International Film Festival for Youth, Canada (2022)

  • Winner - Best Canadian Short Film International Montreal First Peoples Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionEdmonton International Film Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionAmerican Indian Film Festival, San Francisco (2022)

  • Official SelectionimagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionMontreal International Children’s Film Festival, Canada (2022)

  • Official SelectionCurtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival, Portugal (2022)

  • Official SelectionNuuk International Film Festival, Greenland (2022)

  • Official SelectionChicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), U.S.A. (2022)

A Taqqut Productions Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada co-production

Arctic Song, by Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok), is an animated short about Inuit creation stories from the Iglulik region in Nunavut: the raven who brings daylight to the world, the giants who turn into mountains, and the animals that create shimmering constellations and northern lights.

The film makes traditional knowledge accessible to younger generations by combining some of Arnattaujuq’s existing graphic art with animation and Inuktitut narration. The stories are sung in haunting tones, lending a sense of meditative beauty to the film.

Arctic Song not only shares Inuit knowledge in Inuktitut, but highlights the rich world of Inuit art that has always flourished in the Canadian Arctic and continues to delight international audiences.

Excerpts

Day and Night (48 sec)


Day (20 sec)


Night (30 sec)



Poster

Download

Long Synopsis

The snow-covered tundra is swathed in darkness. A voice solemnly sings as a stooped Inuk finds his way across the ice with only a solitary flame to guide him. It’s the opening to Arctic Song, an animated short that shares Inuit creation stories from the Iglulik region in Nunavut, home of world-renowned artist, storyteller and Arctic Song co-director, Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok).

The stories flow seamlessly. There’s the raven who brings daylight to the world, the giants who turn into mountains, and the animals that create shimmering constellations and northern lights. Arctic Song combines some of Arnattaujuq’s existing art with animation to share traditional knowledge with future generations. These legends are sung to the audience, lending a sense of meditative beauty to the film.

By incorporating Arnattaujuq’s world-famous prints, such as  Night and Day (2006) and Northern Lights (2006), Arctic Song not only shares Inuit knowledge but highlights the rich world of Inuit art that has flourished in the Canadian Arctic.

Arctic Song is a co-production between Taqqut Productions Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada.




Short Synopses

Two-liner

In this six-minute short, Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok) depicts Inuit creation stories in all their glory. Arctic Song tells stories of how the land, sea and sky came to be in beautifully rendered animation. Telling traditional Inuit tales from the Iglulik region of Nunavut through song, the film revitalizes ancient knowledge and shares it with future generations.

 

One-liner

Arctic Song is a short film of Inuit creation stories expressed through song and animation, based on the original artwork of Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok).




Animation Technique

Arctic Song represented a creative challenge for Germaine. Her artwork has always captured the essential aspects of Inuit traditional stories in one frozen image. For Arctic Song, Germaine worked with animators to draw layered backgrounds and hand-drawn characters in motion, frame by frame. With these art assets, digital painting, camera moves and Germaine’s constant directions and review, the world of Inuit traditional stories came to life.




Pronouncer (Inuktitut)

Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok)

[AN-nat-TAU-yook]



For Broadcast quality Excerpts, please contact NFB Publicist.

Images


Title: ArcticSong_10005420_0
Photo:
Caption: In the beginning, there was only darkness, and Inuit hunters had to carry small flames to light their way.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10005420_0.jpg
Description: Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
Download
info_outline Description
In the beginning, there was only darkness, and Inuit hunters had to carry small flames to light their way.

Title: ArcticSong_10032813_0
Photo:
Caption: In ancient times, great giants moved across the land.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10032813_0.jpg
Description: Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
Download
info_outline Description
In ancient times, great giants moved across the land.

Title: ArcticSong_10014120_0
Photo:
Caption: Light spilled into the world and revealed the land’s beauty because of an argument between a rabbit and a raven.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10014120_0.jpg
Description: Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
Download
info_outline Description
Light spilled into the world and revealed the land’s beauty because of an argument between a rabbit and a raven.

Title: ArcticSong_10021514_0
Photo:
Caption: Long ago, simple words held great power. We now have night and day because of two words spoken by a raven and a rabbit.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10021514_0.jpg
Description: Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
Download
info_outline Description
Long ago, simple words held great power. We now have night and day because of two words spoken by a raven and a rabbit.

Title: ArcticSong_10045120_0
Photo:
Caption: A polar bear tried to elude pursuing dogs by escaping into the night sky.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10045120_0.jpg
Description: Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada
Download
info_outline Description
A polar bear tried to elude pursuing dogs by escaping into the night sky.

Title: ArcticSong_10051111_0
Photo:
Caption: The beauty of the northern lights reminds us that our ancestors are still with us.
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/ArcticSong_10051111_0.jpg
Description:
Download
info_outline Description
The beauty of the northern lights reminds us that our ancestors are still with us.

For High Resolution Images, please contact NFB Publicist.

Team


Germaine Arnattaujuq
Writer/Director

Photo
Photo : Sarah Pruys



Neil Christopher
Writer/Director/Producer

Photo




Louise Flaherty
Director/Executive Producer

Photo




Nadia Mike
Producer

Photo




David Christensen
Producer/Executive Producer (NFB)

Photo
Photo : NFB



Alicia Smith
Producer

Photo



Credits

Written by
Germaine Arnattaujuq
Celina Kalluk
Neil Christopher

Directed by
Germaine Arnattaujuq
Neil Christopher
Louise Flaherty

Producers
Neil Christopher
Nadia Mike
David Christensen
Alicia Smith

Executive Producers
Monica Ittusardjuat
Louise Flaherty
Danny Christopher
David Christensen

Translators
Monica Ittusardjuat
Louise Flaherty
Jaypeetee Arnakak

Line Producer
Rebeka Herron

Production Managers
Rebeka Herron
Leslie Pulsifer
Halley Roback

Art Director
Germaine Arnattaujuq

Animation Director
Leslie Pulsifer

Design Coordinator
Matthew K Hoddy

Concept Artist
Germaine Arnattaujuq

Storyboard Artists
Tindur Peturs
Justin Heymans
Jonathan Wright

Background Artist
Germaine Arnattaujuq

Background Painter
Amanda Sandland

Art Assets
Germaine Arnattaujuq

Animators
Tindur Peturs
Anne-Marie Latanville
Vivian Zhou
Justin Leal

Compositor & After Effects Animator
Matthew K Hoddy

Digital Colourist
Amanda Sandland

End Credit Animator
Matthew K Hoddy

Music By
Celina Kalluk

Audio Recording by
Aakuluk Music

Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer
Michael Carlucci – Provan Sound

Online Editor
Matthew K Hoddy

Northern Reviewers
Roselynn Akulukjuk
Nadia Mike
Andrea Flaherty
Nancy Goupil

Inuktitut Language Specialist
Monica Ittusardjuat

Studio Coordinator
Samantha Cumerlato

NFB Studio Administrators
Devon Supeene
Bree Beach

NFB Studio Operations Manager
Darin Clausen

NFB Production Coordinators
Jessica Smith
Faye Yoneda

NFB Marketing Manager
Kelly Fox

NFB Production Supervisor
Esther Viragh

Translation Coordinator
Dana Hopkins

Office Production Assistant
Melody McMullan

Production Accountants
John Logan
Kenneth Papa

Bookkeeper
Liz Tomkins

Post Production Accountant
Mike Skolnik – Behind the Scenes

Legal Counsel
Eric Birnberg
Karla Bobadilla
Peter Kallianiotis

Insurance provided by
HUB International HKMB Limited

Special Thanks
Cory Generoux

A Taqqut Productions Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada co-production
© 2021 Artic Song Productions Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada


Media Relations

  • About Taqqut Productions Inc.

    Taqqut Productions Inc. is an Inuit-owned film production company located in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Taqqut is committed to bringing the stories of the North to the world and aims to establish itself as an innovative leader of youth and children’s programming.

    The company’s eleven short films have screened at festivals in eighteen countries and have won over twenty-five international awards. Recently, Taqqut Productions completed production on season two of the television series, Anaana’s Tent, which premiered on APTN in early 2020. Season three is in production and will air on APTN on completion. In addition to the series Tundra Friends, Taqqut has also begun development on the feature film Beyond the Inuksuk. Taqqut has production experience with live action, stop-motion animation, 2D animation, and puppets. Working with the Inhabit Media educational team (an award-winning Inuit publishing company), Taqqut has a wealth of stories of Northern folklore to share with the world.

  • 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.