Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

Set in Igloolik, Nunavut, Zacharias Kunuk’s Atanarjuat is the first feature of its kind: adapted from Inuit oral tradition, spoken completely in Inuktitut, laden with exquisite details, and loaded with riveting drama. When Atanarjuat displaces Oki, the Chief’s son, by winning the hand of the beautiful Atuat, his brother Amaqjuaq pays the ultimate price. This cautionary tale showcases the consequences of putting personal desires ahead of community needs. In the words of one critic, “If Homer had been given a video camera, this is what he would have done.”

Intro by DIY curator, Sook-Yin Lee

This is one of my all-time fave films, an astonishing and immersive experience of cinematic world-building. Zacharias Kunuk, Officer of the Order of Canada and Officer of the Order of Nunavut, is an Inuk filmmaker who makes movies in Igloolik, in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut. He collaborates with members of the community, while using available technology to tell mythic, local stories. In a recent Toronto Star interview, Kunuk explained why he chooses to remain an independent filmmaker, operating outside of the system while screening movies at schools and community centres in northern Canada: ’If we follow the system, we’re not supposed to show it here. But we love to do these things. It helps our community.’

Sook-Yin Lee, DIY: Making Movies curator