Zacharias Kunuk spent his childhood summers traveling and hunting with his family When he was nine the family relocated to the permanent settlement of Igoolik so that he could attend school In 1983 he started working at the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation which is a regional public broadcasting organization that produces original programming often in Inuktitut In 1985 Kunuk began collaborating with Norman Cohn a video artist from New York They founded Igoolik Isuma Productions with Paulossie Qulitalik and Paul Apak Isuma meaning think was Canadas first independent Inuit production company Their first feature film which was directed by Zacharias was iAtanarjuat The Fast Runneri The film retold a traditional Inuit epic myth in the Inuktitut language and went on to win the Camera dOr for Best First Feature at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and six a hrefcanadianfilmawardsgeniesGenie awardsa in Canada including Best Picture and Best Director for Kunuk In 2004 Kunuk won the first Sun Hill Award for Excellence in Native American Filmmaking a new annual honour from the Harvard Film Archive The short films emAuriaqem and emQulangisiem are episodes shown within the 13part television series emNunavutem br brAlso see a hrefhttpwwwnorthernstarscazachariaskunukinveniceZacharias Kunuk in VeniceabrAlso see a hrefhttpwwwnorthernstarscaviff2016invigoratingeclecticVIFF 2016 Invigorating and Eclectica brAlso see a hrefhttpswwwnorthernstarscawemissedananniversaryWe Missed an Anniversaryabrbr
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
Qaggiq (aka Gathering Place, 1989)
Alert Bay (1989)
Nunaqpa (aka Going Inland, 1991)
Saputi (aka Fish Traps, 1993, short)
Avamuktalik (aka Fish Swimming Back and Forth, 1995, short)
Qulangisi (aka Seal Pups, 1995, short)
Auriaq (aka Stalking, 1995, short)
Nipi (aka Voice, 1999)
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen (2006)
Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (2010)
Inuit Cree Reconciliation (2013, documentary short, co-director Neil Diamond)
Maliglutit (Searchers) (2016)
Kivitoo: What they Thought of Us (2018, documentary)
One Day in the Life of Noah Puigattuk (2019)
TV Series – at least 1 episode of:<
Nunavut (Our Land, 1994-1995)
Credits as a Screenwriter:
Qaggiq (aka Gathering Place, 1989)
Saputi (aka Fish Traps, 1993, short)
Qulangisi (aka Seal Pups, 1995, short)
Auriaq (aka Stalking, 1995, short)
Nipi (aka Voice, 1999)
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)
Kivitoo: What they Thought of Us (2018, documentary)
One Day in the Life of Noah Puigattuk (2019)
Credits as a Producer:
Qaggiq (aka Gathering Place, 1989)
Saputi (aka Fish Traps, 1993, short)
Nipi (aka Voice, 1999)
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen (2006)
Before Tomorrow (Executive producer, 2009)
Kivitoo: What they Thought of Us (2018, documentary)
One Day in the Life of Noah Puigattuk (2019)
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First published as Northernstars.net February 1, 1998
ISSN 2563 4895