The Forgotten Reels of Nunavut’s Animation Workshop

The newly uncovered reels in this program mark a pivotal moment in Nunavut’s film history, revealing the first wave of local filmmakers to move beyond conventional storytelling toward experimental, abstract, and satirical forms. Nearly tripling the size of the known archive of early Inuit animation, the program features curated selections of films produced at the Sikusilarmiut Animation Studio between 1972 and 1975. The avant-garde approaches of Mathew Joanasie, Salomonie Pootoogook, and Timmun Alariaq—including innovative animation and abstract techniques—establish the foundations of a cinematic language that’s unique to Nunavut. The reels also highlight contributions from the broader artistic community: carvers such as Okpik Pitseolak and Etulu Etidloie, painters and lithographers including Pitaloosie Saila and Aoudla Pudlat, as well as sculptors like Itee Pootoogook and photographers like Peter Pitseolak. Some of the films’ soundtracks—blending traditional singing, sound collage, and instrumental improvisation—are so formally complex they could be studied independently. Collectively, these reels document the vibrant, experimental, and foundational spirit of Nunavut’s avant-garde cinema, offering a rare window into a transformative moment in Northern artistic production. —Camilo Martín-Flórez