Ever Deadly is an immersive, visceral music and cinema experience featuring Tanya Tagaq, avant-garde Inuit throat singer, and created in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Chelsea McMullan. This documentary explores Tagaq’s transformation of sound with an eye to colonial fallout, natural freedom and Canadian history.
We witness Tagaq’s intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in all forms of her improvised performances. Ever Deadly weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.
Two Liner
Ever Deadly weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of Tanya Tagaq, one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.
One Liner
Tanya Tagaq, one of the most innovative musical performers of our time, leads the audience through pain and triumph in this visceral music and cinema experience.
Many people have approached me with a proposal to engage in making a documentary. I tend towards being camera shy (offstage), so it wasn’t until I was approached by a friend that a documentary happened. Chelsea was a friend I met through Rae Spoon. They did a documentary called My Prairie Home. I watched it on an airplane. I love Rae; it was so nice to see them onscreen and to see them being portrayed in the right way.
So we jumped into making Ever Deadly. Chelsea pushes. I pull. We got riding the same caribou and off we went! This process has been exhilarating and interesting. Bringing the crew up to Nunavut was the highlight for me. Realizing that’s how I feel in the South, in your culture. I am always cautious, not quite knowing how to behave, not having a handle on the rules. Watching the crew learn how to drive an ATV on the tundra and take in the majesty of the land gave me a sense of peace. Thank you to Chelsea and the crew for taking the time to film.
The concert—now in COVID times I drool and giggle and writhe in joy with the memory of the moments when the music took control and gave me freedom. We will have that again soon, but for now, enjoy the screen. Enjoy this concert footage interspersed with my family history, Canadian history, and our present and presence.
The first time I saw Tanya Tagaq perform, my mind was fully blown. When she walks out onto the stage, she gives you an experience. She fuses with her band to build this electric, seismic, psychedelic improvised trip that blasts through the walls of the auditorium, tearing time and space apart before pulling you deep down into the pit of your soul. I felt awestruck by the power of her art. I was a little bit obsessed; it was such a multi-sensory event, I immediately wanted to know how she thought about cinema.
Recently, I revisited some notes I’d taken in our very first discussions about making a film together, and Tanya already had a crystal-clear idea of what the film was going to be. She told me it needs to have a lot of blood, and we talked about the towering ice flows of her childhood memories. She wanted exploding muskox in it. Literally one of the very first things she told me was that we had to interview her Mom about the government relocation and it had to be in her language. Non-negotiable. It took us five years to really delve into everything we needed to and get all the pieces necessary, but almost everything she saw in the beginning is in there. She had the vision, and I really felt like my job within the context of the film was to try to bring all of her ideas and the imagery she was describing to the screen. Improvisation was the guiding principle throughout, from the way we approached capturing the concert as one single improvised shot, to Shuvinai Ashoona improvising drawings based on Tanya’s words, which we turned into animations, to our process of live editing the film to ensure we were led by intuition.
Having the opportunity to participate in channeling Tanya’s art, voice and life into film has been the greatest creative endeavour of my life. Ever Deadly is meant to be an experience, to flood over you and take you on a journey guided by a live performance for the ages. In the process we touch on many parts of who Tanya is—the unparalleled musical talent, the bold voice speaking truth to power, the poet and philosopher reaching deep into herself, how fiercely she loves her family and how relentlessly she fights. Immerse yourself, let it carry you away, but don’t for a second think the cinematic frame could ever hope to contain Tanya Tagaq. Not a chance.
Featuring
Tanya Tagaq
Written and Directed by
Tanya Tagaq
Chelsea McMullan
Produced by
Lea Marin
Anita Lee
Executive Producer
Anita Lee
Co-Producer
Kate Vollum
Director of Photography
Alejandro Coronado
Editor
Avrïl Jacobson, CCE
Sound Recordist
Alexander Unger
Sound Supervisor
Graham Rogers
Original Illustrations by
Shuvinai Ashoona
Animation by Astroplastique
Glenn Gear Fred Casia Parissa Mohit
Uaajeerneq
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
Original Music Composed by
Jesse Zubot
Featuring
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
Mary Gillis
Inuuja Gillis
Lucas Kalluk
Additional Cinematography
Ann Tipper
Catherine Lutes CSC
Additional Sound
Sara Labadie
Production Supervisor
Marcus Matyas
Senior Production Coordinator
Katie Murray
Production Coordinators
Carla Murphy
Jessica Lozano Castro
Max Wolfond
Technical Coordinators
Kevin Riley Luc Binette
Technology Advisor
Frédéric Sauvé
Technical Advisor/Support
Frank Nadeau
Studio Administrators
Leslie Anne Poyntz
Stephanie Brantner
Patricia Bourgeois
Andrew Martin-Smith
Manager Studio Operations
Mark Wilson
Studio Coordinator
Carly Kastner
Assistant Editors
Varunraj Gandhi Kevin Shak
William Mitchell Cassidy Croft
Production Assistant
Cher Obediah
CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Vocals
Tanya Tagaq
Cello Jeffrey Samuel Zeigler
Synthesizer Ashkan Kooshanejad
Violin Jesse Zubot
Drums Jean Martin
Performance response to Tanya Tagaq by
Santee Smith / Tekaronhiáhkhwa
The Element Choir
Christine Duncan – Choir Leader
Clela Errington
Jennifer Wohrle
Jessica Stuart
Kristin Fung
Rebecca Singh
Sylvester Frank
Cathy Hluchy
Jessie Rivest
Juliet Palmer
Elise Boeur
Adriana Monti
Meiko Ando
John Creson
Jenna Marie Pinard
Erinne White
Sheila Soares
Andrea Kuzmich
Dawne Carleton
Michelangelo Iaffaldano
Doug Temple
Jill Stella Richards
Robin Elliot
Wendelin Lisbeth Bartley
Rod Campbell
Adam Rosen
Richard Keelan
Paula Tseng
Shifra Cooper
Simone Moir
Lieke Van Der Voort
Georgia Webber
Meghan Gilhespy
James Bailey
Tova Kardonne
Elena Kapeleris
Emily Steinwall
Gordon Simmons
David Gonzales
Max McEacher
Laura Swankey
Julia Morson
Galen Sedlak
Director of Photography, Concert
Maya Bankovic CSC
Steadicam Operator
Adam Tupper
Camera Operators
Gabriela Osio Vanden
Alejandro Coronado
1st Assistant Camera
Andrew Stretch
Christopher James Andrew Reilly
2nd Assistant Camera
Jacob White
Technical Advisor
Ryan Czyzewski
Data Wrangler
Douglas Nayler
Key Grip
Carl David Tribe
2nd Sound Recordist
Kai Masaoka
Six Shooter Records
Helen Britton President and CEO, Artist Management
Shauna de Cartier President and CEO, Record Label
Vanessa Kuzina Director, Artist Management
Emily Smart Vice-President, Marketing and Publicity
Concert Event Management – Plan V Productions
President
Vanessa Arscott
Production Manager
Reuben Coward
Production Coordinator
Brayden Lowrey
Production Assistant
Emily Robertson
Stagehands
Paul Newman
Ryan Brown
Al Faubert
Ed Fox
Production Manager
Christina Carvalho
Location Manager
Gordon Peck
Production Assistants
Christina Bresolin
Andres Orbegozo
Siena DeCampo
Lighting Design
Louise Simpson
Production Designer
Daria Savic
Set Dressers
Nicole Zimmer Braden Labonte
Katheryn Marie Harrison
Christian Harrison
Jennifer McGouran
Hair & Make-Up
Tami El Sombati
Wardrobe
Plastik Wrap
Catering
Cinnamon Girls
Craft Service
Blazing Kitchen
Craft Server
William Engel
Title Design
Sebastian Pardo, MEMORY Studio
Archival and Visual Researchers
Kathleen Fisher
Judy Robinson
Jocelyn Piirainen
Elizabeth Klinck
Conor McNally
Location Manager – Cambridge Bay
Corey Dimitruk
Translation
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
Elisabeth Jansen-Hadlari
WinTranslation
Aaju Peter
Sound Facility – FORMOSA
Sound Designer Jane Tattersall
Dialogue Editor Krystin Hunter
Re-Recording Mixer Graham Rogers
Assist. Re-Recording Mixer Will Stephens
Post-Production Services – REDLAB
Account Manager Mark Stevens
Colourist Walt Biljan
Online Editor Cory Johnson
Project Manager Lubin J. Martinez
VFX
Cassidy Croft
Live Concert Music Consultant
Jesse Zubot
Additional Choir Recording
Revolution Recording Inc
Marketing Managers
Jessica Gedge
Melissa Wheeler
Marketing Coordinator
Michelle Rozon
Publicist
Jennifer Mair
Legal Counsel
Peter Kallianiotis
All songs performed by Tanya Tagaq
Courtesy of Six Shooter Records
Excerpts from SPLIT TOOTH by Tanya Tagaq
Copyright © 2018 Tanya Tagaq.
Reprinted by permission of Viking Canada, a division of
Penguin Random House Canada Limited. All rights reserved.
Archival Footage Courtesy of
Pond 5
Mary Gillis
Tess Girard
Andrew Wong
Dorset Fine Arts
Rogers Media Inc.
London Free Press, a division of Postmedia Network Inc
National Film Board of Canada
Shutterstock
Getty Images
Ole Gjerstad
Paula E. Kirman
CBC Archive Sales
APTN National News
Special Thanks
Douglas Nayler
Thank You
Carson Gillis
Chris Gillis
Rick Gillis
Sandi Gillis
Mike Clark
Cher Obediah
Maral Mohammadian
Coty Savard
David Christensen
Jennifer Baichwal
Varun Vachhar
Natalia Bernal
Rae Spoon
David Hannan
Jordan McQuaid
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
Natan Obed
Huw Eirug
Jessica Kotierk
Leena Evik
Miali Dimitruk
Ublu Inn
Stuart Rostant
Amanda Doiron
Pamela Gross
Jeannie Ehaloak
Paul Emingak
Marla Limousin
Trinity St Paul Church
Sean O’Neill
www.nfb.ca
© 2022 National Film Board of Canada