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Reviews
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Leisure Lines
A year in review
In a territory known world-wide for its art, some significant achievements were made this year. Though it's been business as usual for many people, things have been constantly evolving for some artists and arts organizations. The evolving world of film in Nunavut Film has become an important medium for artists in the North who wish to tell their stories to the world. Films by Igloolik Isuma Productions such as Atarnajuat: The Fast Runner and The Journals of Knud Rassmussen have won awards and have been screened internationally since their debuts, but the work doesn't stop there. One of the films made in Nunavut released this year was Issaittuq by Bruce Haulli of Iglulik, who screened the film at the imagiNATIVE Film and New Media Festival in Toronto this fall. In April, Ralph Fiennes' crew for an upcoming film was in Nunavut searching for an Inuk woman to play the lead role. Though many women tried out, whether or not someone has been picked yet has not been revealed. Film Nunavut also has a new chief executive officer, George Ritter. The experienced filmmaker took to the job with great enthusiasm this fall and plans to make filmmaking more accessible for interested Nunavummiut. To broadcast or not to broadcast: NITV One of Isuma's partner companies, Nunavut Independent TV, had another go at starting up this year from Iglulik, but the broadcasting never took off as planned. As has happened in the past, the company struggled with funding this year and eventually decided to put plans on hold for now in favour of another idea: using the Internet to broadcast Inuktitut programming. A website was in the works at the end of the year which, much like YouTube, would have Inuktitut content uploaded onto the site, available for people worldwide to view. Nunavut performers at Canada Winter Games The Canada Winter Games in February in Whitehorse showcased (in addition to the many athletes) a number of artists from around the North. Nunavut was represented by throatsinger Tanya Tagaq Gillis, who performed several times, as well as the Kugluktuk Traditional Drummers, the Nunavut Floor Masters and the Arctic Bay Throat Singers among others. Annie Pootoogook and Shuvinai Ashoona and others also went along to present their visual art, and Ruben Komangapik of Iqaluit carved a snow sculpture outside the main venue for the cultural section of the games. Festivals and celebrations Iqaluit celebrated the arrival of springtime in its usual method: by enjoying Toonik Tyme festivities. The annual festival turned 42 this year. To celebrate, five days of events were planned which included several performances by groups such as the breakdancers of Kaiva (formerly the Nunavut Floor Masters). Taloyoak's hosted a drum dancing festival in May. There were about 50 drum dancers in attendance from Rankin Inlet, Kugaaruk, Gjoa Haven and Repulse Bay. Two of the territory's largest festivals, Alianait! and the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Festival, happened simultaneously during late June and early July. Iqaluit was crawling with artistic talent ranging from the performers of ArtCirq to drum dancers to actors to carvers. Later in July, eight artists from the territory travelled to Inuvik, NWT, for the Great Northern Arts Festival. Because of issues such as transportation costs, not many made the trip this year. But Simon Tookoome, Obed Anoee and the others spent time there showing off some of the talent of the territory. Kivalliq artists got a chance to take part in their very own festivals this September, including the co-inciding Kivalliq Arts and Crafts Festival and Kivalliq Inuit Doll Festival and Exhibition. Other communities such as Kugaaruk held their own arts festivals at various points throughout the year, celebrating the work their artists do year-round and encouraging others to pick up the trade. Music The White Stripes blew the nation away with their plan to visit every single province and territory in Canada, and they followed through. Their stop in Iqaluit was a major success, with tickets selling out in just minutes. While in Iqaluit, they also did a quick video shoot for their song You Don't Know What Love Is. A hit on YouTube this year was a rap video called Don't Call Me Eskimo. It was created by a group of students in Arctic Bay who were learning about film at the time. The video was both light-hearted and pointed, dealing with life in the North and the stereotypes and struggles people face. The Northern Ramblers of Iqaluit released their fourth CD, Jump the Gate, in March. To launch their new 13-song CD, which included a DVD featuring interviews, videos and more, they celebrated with a CD release/St. Patrick's Day party at the Black Knight Pub in Yellowknife. Other acts from Nunavut to record albums this year included The Road to Nowhere Band. In September, Lois Suluk-Locke and Maria Illungiayok of Arviat travelled to Dublin to take part in a Dublin festival on international cultures. Their throat singing and Inuit games were a hit with audiences. New award for Nunavut artists Commissioner Ann Mekkijtuk Hanson introduced a new award this year which is expected to be awarded annually to those who have made a significant contribution to the arts in the territory. This year the Nunavut Commissioner's Arts Award was split between two artists, Thomas Iksiraq and John Towtongie. Each recipient received half of the $10,000 prize. Whale bone controversy Bob Kussy, a Yellowknife-based artist, harvested whale bone from Pond Inlet with his son Joe Ashoona in 2006 for his family's carving shop. This past year, the Government of Nunavut along with the RCMP had him under investigation for violating Section 5(1) of the Nunavut Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites Regulations, which restricts the collection of artifacts. Though he was found to be in violation of the act, the charges were dropped as he said he did not know about the regulations. Kussy said he felt he was being discriminated against because of his race, and Ashoona said he felt left out of the equation. . . . Along with all these events, many groups have formed in the past year including Pond Inlet's new theatre group and guitar clubs at schools around Nunavut. Creativity flows in every corner of the territory, promising another artful year in 2008.
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