Inuit Filmmakers’ Animations Rediscovered, Restored and Released after 50 Years
Fifty-eight animated short films created by thirteen Inuit filmmakers were recently rediscovered by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The shorts were created between 1972 and 1975 during a six-week workshop in Kinngait, NU, that provided training and equipment to Inuit artists and musicians—leading to the creation of the Sikusilarmiut Animation Studio. While 17 of the short films were screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, the remaining shorts were never released. The filmmakers include Aoudla Pudlat, Arniak Pingwartuk, Ituli Etidloie, Ishohagitok E. Tugat, Itee Pootoogook, Kanayuk Pootoogook, Mathew Joanasie, Okpik Pitseolak, Papirak Pudlalik, Peter Pitseolak, Pitaloosie Saila, Salomonie J. Pootoogook and Timmun Alariaq. The films have been digitized and are available to stream for free on the NFB website.
ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᒋᐊᓯᕗᒍᑦ/ Vulge oaggut / Aller à la pêche / Going fishing Opens at the McClure Gallery
The exhibition ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᒋᐊᓯᕗᒍᑦ / Vulge oaggut / Aller à la pêche / Going fishing opened July 11 at the McClure Gallery in Montreal, QC. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Avataq Cultural Institute and the Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš (Sámi Center for Contemporary Art), and is the result of a circumpolar artist residency exchange between Inuk artist ulivia uviluk and Sámi artist Laila Labba that began in spring 2024. The artists completed the residency together first in Nunavik and then in Sápmi. uviluk’s beading, writing and film celebrate Inuit culture, while Labba’s digital drawing, painting and printmaking celebrate Sámi culture; together, their exhibition offers a view of contemporary circumpolar Indigenous life. The exhibition is on view until August 8, 2025.
Glenn Gear’s Solo Show Opens at Grenfell Art Gallery
Glenn Gear’s exhibition tillitâk | pulse opened at Grenfell Art Gallery in Corner Brook, NL, on July 17, 2025. tillitâk | pulse is a ten-year retrospective of Gear’s multidisciplinary art practice. The exhibition takes place in his hometown at his alma mater, showcasing his experience as an Indigiqueer Inuk Newfoundlander who currently lives in Montreal, QC, examining how our homeland can be both a physical place we remember and the embodied knowledge we carry with us. The exhibition is on view until September 26, 2025.
Songwriter From Iqaluit Wins 2025 Qilaut Song Contest
Songwriter and performer Tooma Laisa from Iqaluit, NU, has won the 2025 Qilaut Inuktut songwriting contest with her song Attananngittumi, winning the top prize of $5,000. Kristy Kanayuk, also from Iqaluit, won second place and received $2,500 with the song Iqqaumavit Ivvi Inuusinganit and Leetia Kalluk, from Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay), NU, won third place and received $1,500 with the song Nattirasugiaq. Now in its tenth year, the annual contest celebrates Nunavut’s Inuktut music scene and promotes the use of Inuktut. Ten songs were selected this year from the 31 submissions. The themes for this year’s contest were Piruqsatillunga (when I was growing up) and Inuit Sanasimajangit (Inuit creations). The winners will perform at concerts held across Nunavut, and all ten songs will be included on a CD to be released this fall.
Riddu Riđđu Festival Returns in Manndalen
The Riddu Riđđu Festival returned to the coastal Sámi village of Manndalen in Kåfjord this July, featuring concerts, art, seminars and cultural events for all ages. This year’s festival also spotlighted artists from Kalaallit Nunaat, featuring more performances, author talks and seminars. A major highlight of the festival was a collaboration between Greenland’s National Theatre, Nunatta Isiginnaartitsisarfia, and the Norwegian protest movement Nordting. Together, they presented a large-scale protest work titled The Arctic is not for sale! expressing resistance to the exploitation of Indigenous lands in the Arctic.
Iqaluit to Host the Pan-ArcticVision Contest This Fall
This fall, Iqaluit will host the Pan-ArcticVision contest, welcoming musical artists from across the circumpolar world. Pan-ArcticVision is an initiative focused on connecting people across the Arctic to sing and build community together. This will be the first time the contest comes to Nunavut; last year’s Pan-ArcticVision was held in Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and throat singing duo Iva & Angu, composed of Ivaluarjuk Kathleen Merritt and Charlotte Qamaniq, won the Most Arctic Song prize. The 2023 inaugural contest took place in Vadsø, Norway. This year’s contest is set for October 18, 2025, with the specific location to be determined. One musical act will represent each of the circumpolar regions that attend. Auditions were held during the Alianait Arts Festival in Iqaluit, where rapper Shauna Seeteenak from Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), NU, was announced as Nunavut’s representative.