Sámi Film Project ÁRRAN 360° 2.0 to Premiere at Bodø2024 in Norway

The Sámi film series ÁRRAN 360° 2.0 will premiere at Bodø2024 in Norway in February. The project features 360-degree films that are presented in a purpose-built lávvu and are equipped with 270-degree screen designed to present the films. The original ÁRRAN 360° began as part of an extended program of the Sámi Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale 2022. ÁRRAN 360° 2.0 features five new films: Duoiddo by Siljá Somby, In My Hand by Marja Helander and Liselotte Wajstedt, Máilmmittkus by Hans Pieski and Arttu Nieminen, OVIAS 2 by Ann Holmgren Aurebekk and PCA-TV 270 by Ken Are Bongo and Joar Nango. Bodø2024 is the largest cultural project in Norway where over 1,000 events related to arts and culture take place over the course of a year.

Taqralik Partridge and Tim Pitsiulak Exhibitions Open

Taqralik Partridge is linked to two exhibitions which opened this month in Ontario. On January 18, ᑕᐅᑐᑉᐹ Tautuppaa | Long Looking opened at the Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG). Curated by Partridge, the show features work by Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU, graphic artist Tim Pitsiulak (1967–2016), highlighting his career through works from two private collections and that of the AGG. Pitsiulak was known for his distinctive artistic style and imagination rooted in his intimate knowledge of his homeland. The show runs until May 12. Partridge’s own artwork is featured in the exhibition Taqralik Partridge: ᐳᓛᖃᑎᒌᑦ (Pulaaqatigiit) at Onsite Gallery in Toronto, ON, on view from January 24 to May 18, which considers a space to honour and visit with loved ones who have moved on from the physical world. The show is part of the two-part exhibition series Mawadishiwewin (visits) curated by Linda Grussani which explores the connections we form through visiting, creating and sharing.

Twice Colonized (2023) Nominated for Documentary of the Year by the Danish Film Awards

Twice Colonized, a documentary directed by Lin Alluna and co-produced by Emile Hertling Péronard (Ánorâk Film), Alethea Aggiuq Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Red Marrow Media) and Bob Moore (EyeSteelFilm), has been nominated for Documentary of the Year by the Danish Film Awards’ Robert Prize, Denmark’s most important film award. The feature-length documentary follows renowned Inuk lawyer and activist Aaju Peter, based in Iqaluit, NU, who spends her life advocating for Inuit rights in Canada and Greenland. After the unexpected death of her youngest son, Peter embarks on a journey to bring her colonizers in Canada and Denmark to justice. Other documentaries up for this prize are Music for Black Pigeons (2022); Apolonia, Apolonia (2022); The Monk (2023); and The Mountains (2023). The awards ceremony will take place on February 3 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Winifred Nungak named Nord-du-Québec Artist of the Year 

Winifred Nungak, a textile artist from Kangirsuk, Nunavik, QC was named Nord-du-Québec Artist of the Year by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) . The award, created in 2020, includes a $10,000 cash prize and is awarded to artists and writers from northern Quebec recognized for their artistic excellence. Nungak learned to sew at a young age and honed her skills through studying fashion at Lasalle College in Montreal, QC, eventually starting her own brand, Winifred Designs. Her work was featured in the exhibition Native Fashion Now, which toured the U.S., and in 2019 she was involved in Canada Goose’s Project Atigi. CALQ jury members described Nungak as “a leader in the field of textile arts and a key figure in Indigenous fashion,” and praised her for combining traditional and contemporary techniques to create exceptional pieces. 

Inuit Actors and Music Featured in Season 4 of True Detective 

Season 4 of HBO’s crime drama series True Detective: Night Country premiered on January 14 and features a number of Indigenous cast members including three Inuit: Anna Lambe from Iqaluit, NU; Aka Niviâna, Inuk writer and climate activist from Kalaalit Nunaat (Greenland); and Angunnguaq Larsen, actor, sound technician and musician born in Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat. Inuk singer Tanya Tagaq, CM worked on the soundtrack for the show and will make a few acting appearances. The season is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, and follows the investigation of six men who vanish from a local arctic research centre. Lambe plays Kayla Prior, the wife of a young police officer who assists with the investigation while Niviâna plays Julie Navarro, sister of one of the main detectives, Evangeline Navarro. In addition to featuring Inuit actors, the series engages with Iñupiat themes.