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red lighting over a forest

TAKKUUK

With Tarrak

VIFF Live

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Breathtaking infrared cinematography and a hypnotic Bicep score pull audiences into the Arctic, where Indigenous artists reckon with culture, colonialism and a rapidly changing world.

TAKKUUK, meaning ’look closely’ in Inuktitut, was co-created with seven Indigenous collaborators across Greenland and Sápmi as part of the EarthSonic initiative. Specially built infrared cameras transform familiar Arctic landscapes into something strange and otherworldly, while the featured artists open up about what it means to hold onto language, land and identity when so much conspires against continuity. Through sound, storytelling and performance, they show how culture endures under external pressure, including accelerating climate change. The result is a genuinely collaborative work that sits somewhere between documentary realism and artistic abstraction, giving Indigenous voices and knowledge systems the space to speak on their own terms.

The Canadian premiere of this visually explosive film will be preceded by a live AV performance from Greenlandic rapper Tarrak in his first-ever Vancouver performance.

This film contains strobing sequences

Before the show, explore an immersive experience in the lobby, featuring work from two Canadian artists. Learn more about the art installation here.

Please note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, Silla will no longer be performing.

 

Supported by

      Indigenous Screen Office logo

Community Partner

Artists
Date

Oct 3

Doors Open

8:00 pm

Show Starts

8:30 pm

Venue
Classification Advisory

Coarse language

PG

Open to youth

120 min
Art, Music & Photography Indigenous Cinema

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Artists

Tarrak headshot

Tarrak

Josef Tarrak-Petrussen, also known as Tarrak (“shadow” in Kalaallisut) was born in Nanortalik, Greenland, to a Greenlandic mother and Moroccan father. Rapping exclusively in Kalaallisut (his mother tongue), Tarrak released his first album in 2016 to some controversy when its track “Tupilak” drew attention for criticizing language conformity in Greenland. The ensuing debate put Tarrak on the map in Greenland and Denmark, and he was later awarded by the Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland) for his art.

Zak Norman headshot

Zak Norman

Zak Norman is a visual artist and stage designer based in London, UK. He has performed and presented exhibitions at venues worldwide including the Barbican (London), Sydney Opera House, and Madison Square Garden (New York). His collaboration with the British act BICEP over the last decade has encompassed live performances, music videos, and an award-winning concert film recorded at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2021.

Charlie Miller headshot

Charlie Miller

Charlie Miller is a Bristol-based filmmaker and founder of The Mono Grande, a film production company specializing in live music and documentary. He has directed and shot live coverage for some of the world’s biggest artists, and his documentary work with In Place of War has taken him to some of the world’s most remote communities.

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