Arnait Video Productions (Women's Video Workshop of

Igloolik Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be o ...

) is a women's filmmaking collective that aims to value the voices of

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

women in debates of interest to all Canadians. Arnait is related to Isuma Productions.

History

Arnait was founded in 1991 by

Marie-Hélène Cousineau Marie-Hélène Cousineau is a Canadian film director and producer.Madeline Ivalu Madeline Piujuq Ivalu is a Canadian Inuit, Inuk filmmaker and actor from Igloolik, Nunavut. One of the cofounders of Arnait Video Productions, a women's video and filmmaking collective in Nunavut, she co-directed, co-wrote and starred in Arnait's ...

, Susan Avingaq, Mary Kunuk Iyyiraq and Atuat Akkitirq. It was originally named ''Arnait Ikajurtigiit'' (

Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...

: Women helping each other), and focuses on documenting women's experience and community in

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

. Susan Avingaq describes Arnait as: "a women's video workshop

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

can help people communicate with each other. That can be useful. It can make them understand. A long time ago, just with words and language, people believed stories and legends, they saw pictures in their imagination. Our stories are useful and unforgettable".

Productions

As with Isuma, Arnait's work spans interviews, short ethnographic videos on traditional activities, television series, feature documentaries and narrative feature films. Their first narrative feature ''

Before Tomorrow ''Before Tomorrow'' () is a 2008 Canadian drama film, directed by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu. The film is an adaptation of the novel ''Før Morgendagen'' by Danish writer Jørn Riel. It was the third film released by Igloolik ...

(Le Jour avant le lendemain)'' was adapted by Danish writer

Jørn Riel Jørn Riel (23 July 1931 – 18 August 2023) was a Danish writer. Riel was born in Odense on 23 July 1931. He was partly known for works on Greenland as he lived there for sixteen years. One of his works was adapted to film as '' Before Tomorro ...

from the novel ''For morgendagen''. It premiered in Igloolik in 2008 in front of the community involved in its making. It received nine Canadian Genie Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Costumes, Sound, Original Song, and four

Jutra Awards Jutras may have several meanings : * Claude Jutra: an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker **Jutra Award: Film awards formerly given in the Canadian province of Quebec, named after the filmmaker and now known as Prix Iris **The Claude Jutra Awa ...

: Best Picture, Director, Costumes, Music. '' Uvanga'' premiered at the

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma The Festival du nouveau cinéma or FNC (English: ''Festival of New Cinema'') is an annual independent film festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring independent films from around the world. Over 160,000 people attend each year. One of ...

in September 2013, toured internationally to film festivals including the

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

, and had a theatrical release in Canada in summer 2014. In 2014, Arnait started production on '' Sol'', a documentary prompted by the supposed suicide of 26-year-old musician Solomon Uyarasuk in a

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

jail cell. The film subsequently won the Grand Prize for Best Canadian Feature at the RIDM Montreal International Documentary Festival and was included in the list of

Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema". ''Welland Tribune'', November 23, ...

feature films of 2014, selected by a panel of filmmakers and industry professionals organized by TIFF.

Short works

*Ningiura (Grandmother) *Qulliq *Attagutaaluk Starvation *Piujuq *Angutautaq

Features

*''Anaana (Mother)'' *''Unakuluk (Dear Little One)'' *''

(Le Jour avant le lendemain)'', 2008 *'' Uvanga'', 2013 *'' Sol'', 2014 *''

Tia and Piujuq ''Tia and Piujuq'' () is a Canadian family drama film, directed by Lucy Tulugarjuk and released in 2018. The film stars Tia Bshara as Tia, a young girl who has moved with her family to Montreal as refugees from the Syrian civil war; struggling ...

'', 2018 *''

Restless River ''Restless River'' () is a Canadian drama film, directed by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu and released in 2019. An adaptation of Gabrielle Roy's 1970 novel ''Windflower (La rivière sans repos)'', the film stars Malaya Qaunirq Chapman ...

'', 2019

References

{{Authority control Feminist filmmakers Inuit organizations Film production companies of Canada Inuit film Indigenous film and television production companies in Canada Indigenous broadcasting in Canada Organizations based in Nunavut Women's film organizations Film collectives Women's collectives Canadian companies established in 1991 Women in Nunavut 1991 establishments in the Northwest Territories