Annabella Piugattuk (born December 19, 1982) is a Canadian

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

actress, notable for her role in the 2003 film ''

The Snow Walker ''The Snow Walker'' is a 2003 Canadian survival drama film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring Barry Pepper and Annabella Piugattuk. Based on the short story ''Walk Well, My Brother'' by Farley Mowat, the film is about a Ca ...

''.

Early life

Annabella Piugattuk was born December 19, 1982, in Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories (what is now

Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the Frobisher Bay, large bay on the c ...

, Nunavut), Canada. She was raised with her four brothers and younger sister in Igloolik, a village with a population of 1,286 in Nunavut. Throughout her childhood, Annabella spent time with her grandfather, listening to his stories of their ancestral past and developing a deep understanding of Inuit tradition. She became adept at hunting and wilderness survival techniques.

Acting career

Annabella became interested in acting after her grade eight teacher involved her in a school play. At the age of 19, she read a story in the ''Nunatsiaq News'' about casting directors in town searching for actors for a new film, ''The Snow Walker''. Encouraged by her mother, Annabella obtained a copy of the script from company representatives, who were distributing them. That Friday night, at a community dance with friends, Annabella was approached by casting director Jared Valentine, who asked her to audition for the role of Kanaalaq. After attending local auditions, the diminutive teenager (she is 4'9") and five other semi-finalists were flown to Vancouver to do screen tests. A few weeks after returning home, she received word that she was offered the part. In the film ''The Snow Walker'', Annabella plays the character of Kanaalaq, a young Inuit woman who helps a Canadian bush pilot to survive the harsh conditions of the Northwest Territories following an airplane crash. Like the character she portrays, Annabella is an Inuit throat singer, and can fish, hunt seal and walrus, and make clothing out of caribou hides. For her role in ''The Snow Walker'', Piugattuk received a

Genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...

nomination as best supporting actress in 2004. In 2005, Annabella appeared in the TV miniseries ''Into the West'' in the role of Dancing Water. Annabella lives in

, Nunavut.

Filmography

* ''

'' (2003) * '' Into the West'' (2005)

Honors and awards

* 2004

Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scul ...

Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (for ''The Snow Walker'') * 2006 DVD Exclusive Awards Nomination for Best Actress (for ''The Snow Walker'')

References

External links