Filming from Two Sides: Lessons from the Gjoa Haven Film Society

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on film training opportunities for young Nunavummiut and the relationship of film and filmmaking to youth wellness and well-being. A case study of the Gjoa Haven Film Society, founded in 2017, highlights the uses of film to document and share stories and cultural events from the community. The article examines film as a medium for engaging youth in historical and cultural learning, and references a longer history of Inuit film and television to illustrate how these have been used to preserve and promote Inuit culture. The article also compares some of the logistical and conceptual barriers to participation in the film industry at a professional level. Not all Inuit youth with interests in these media are able to pursue film training as a professional career, and there remains a need for supporting their involvement in filmmaking at the sub-professional level.

KEYWORDS:

• Inuit youth
• cultural well-being
• Nunavut
• film
• Gjoa Haven Film Society

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Patricia Johnston and Nadine Fabbi for inviting me to join this special issue, and to Joanne Muzak and two anonymous reviewers for their close readings and insightful comments. I am also grateful to friends in Gjoa Haven – especially Barbara Okpik and Jennifer Ullulaq – and to the Nunavut Film Development Corporation and Parks Canada for their support of the Film Society.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Qablunaat, or Qallunaat in eastern Nunavut, is an Inuktitut word typically used to describe white people. While the term is not derogatory, it is commonly invoked by Inuit to distinguish Inuit or Inuit ways from those of white southerners.

2. Karine Bertrand’s interview with Manon Barbeau, founder of Wapikoni Mobile, is particularly instructive on the value of film for youth in Quebec (Bertrand 2013).

3. In the course of my own work on the Nanivara Project, I was employed as a research assistant. Youths were paid honoraria commensurate with their participation in the project, typically for 10–12 hours per week. All Elders were paid honoraria and offered gifts for their interviews.

4. For more information about the Nanivara Project in Gjoa Haven, visit the project website at https://nanivara.net.

5. Initial funds for the Film Society were provided through Parks Canada and its funding of the Franklin research and the Umiyaqtutt Festival to commemorate the role of Inuit knowledge in locating the Franklin wrecks. Youth participants from Gjoa Haven were paid an hourly wage with funds provided by Parks Canada.

Additional information

Funding

The author has no funding to report.

Notes on contributors

Mark Stoller

Mark Stoller is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. His research interests include historical and political geographies of Arctic and Subarctic Canada. He is a co-founder of the Gjoa Haven Film Society.