User:Zaknips: Difference between revisions
m Removing "Zach2.png", it has been deleted from Commons by Polarlys because: copyright violation, see commons:Commons:Licensing. |
|||
| Line 104: | Line 104: | ||
==Career== |
==Career== |
||
In 1991, with the help of Norman Cohn, a respected American video artist and IBC producers, Paul Apak Angilirq and Pauloosie Qulialik , Kunuk co-founded Igloolik Isuma Productions. During 1994-1995 the company did a television series called Nunavut: Our Land. These were half hour episodes about the Inuit of 1945-1946. They created costumes and acted in the production. Later, wanting to produce a feature length film, Kunuk sought information on the financing system in their county and learned their project would be capped at $100,000.00, an amount too little to work with. Zacharias and his team fought to change the system and after 5 years received enough funding to begin creating their film. |
|||
Best known for his work in directing, producing, writing and editing the 2001 award winning film; The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat, a film set in the Arctic at the dawn of the first millennium based on an ancient Inuit legend he first heard from his mother. Considered a fictional film that borrows elements of the documentary genre, Atanarjuat is a fictional narrative film with a “documentary value”. To revitalize pride in their identity and culture, the production process of The Fast Runner was inclusive and empowering. Together, the crew and cast lived in tents on the ice with no craft services or trailers for support and they re-created the hunting process for food. These uncommon production conditions educated the cast about the lives of their ancestors and assuredly prepared them to reside in their characters. (cite Speaking back with familiar voices) |
|||
Kunuk and his team have continued to create a number of works in the effort of continuing their initial mandate: to create independent media-based projects to preserve and represent Inuit culture and language, generating employment for the local Igloolik community and Nunavut. (cite cfe ) The impact of Christianity on ancient Inuit beliefs has been an ongoing issue for Kunuk and one he continues to address in his productions. While wanting to share the reality of what happened to his people and how they were damaged by Christianity, Kunuk and his production company, Isuma, began by bringing back the storytelling in an attempt to find their culture and offering a true and unique perspective on indigenous life. |
|||
Currently, 2011, Kunuk continues his work on the community TV broadcast which is made accessible via internet at isuma.tv and working on his next project, Inuit Cree Peace Makers |
|||
ORIGINAL WORKS OF SITE OK BEGIN WITH His second film: |
|||
(Best known for his work in directing, writing, producing and editing the 2001 award winning, The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat, he has helped to create several)))) |
|||
****************************************************************************** |
****************************************************************************** |
||
Revision as of 21:14, 16 December 2011
About Zaknips
Zaknips is an Alaska Native student attending Montana State University, Bozeman who shares some common heritage with the Inuits of Canada. Exposure to Native American Studies has sparked an interest in a NAS Minor degree and brought about some intrigue in the work and life of Zacharias Kunuk. Coincidentally, my Minnie Schnauzer is named Zak and I felt it appropriate, and fun, to use his name while working on tidbits of information for a man he has just a little in common with.
 | This user attends or attended Montana State University. |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Zacharius Kunuk article upgrade
Zacharias Kunuk (1957- ) | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kifutikajuk Taqaq Nujatut Attafutaluk Quatuk November 27, 1957 Kapuivik, Canada |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Education | Federal Day School |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Employer(s) | Isuma Productions, Community of Igloolik |
| Known for | First indigenous film with all indigenous cast |
| Notable work | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Partner | Lydia Anguratsiq |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Enuki, Vivian |
| Website | Isuma Productions |
Zacharias Kunuk, OC (born November 27, 1957) is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film Atanarjuat, the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inuktitut.[1] He is the president and co-founder with Paul Qulitalik, the late Paul Apak Angirlirq, and the only non-Inuit, ex-New Yorker team member, Norman Cohn, of Igloolik Isuma Productions, Canada's first independent Inuit production company.[2]
Early Life
Zacharias Kunuk was born in Kapuivik on Baffin Island in Canada in 1957 and was given five names. (cite) In the Inuit culture names have nothing to do with gender. At the time of his birth his parents and siblings lived in the family’s sod house at their winter campsite in Kapuivik in the eastern Arctic. (link to arctic)Travelling from place to place, the family lived the 4000 year old nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors from this region. (Cite: Canadian film encyclopedia internet site/atanarjuat book/link to Inuit-Wiki). Like his predecessors, his father harnessed dog teams to hunt for the family and his mother tended to the children. Women speaking is considered powerful in the Inuit culture (cite Nitrate online interview) and while living on the land as a young boy his mother, in the ancient oral tradition of Inuit storytelling (link to “Inuit mythology ”), often shared legends of their peoples past with Kunuk and his siblings . This tradition of sharing stories taught lessons from his people.
When he became of age he began preparing to be like his father, to learn how to drive dog teams, to go right and left, and stop and go. Kunuks’ job each time they stopped for tea was to untangle the teams’ ropes. At the age of nine Zacharias’ family learned from government workers the children would be sent to school or the family could lose their allowance. The following summer of 1966 Zacharias was on a boat with his brother to a boarding school across the water in Igloolik. It was here he was instructed he did not need to speak his native language in the classroom and learned to speak English, (cite imdb.com/name/nm094348/bio) watched movies that cost a quarter for admission at the Community Hall, and began learning the art of soapstone carving to earn money. Two years after his departure to Igloolik, his parents, Vivian and Enuki, followed him to town to be near the children. Kunuk felt it was a government scheme, one to bring everyone to one place: “Send the children and the parents will follow.”
As a teenager, the community was half Catholic and half Anglican. While he and his family was Anglican, some of his relatives were Catholic and priests divided the families. With the arrival of Christianity his people were not longer allowed to do drum dancing or storytelling.They were told “these acts are the work of the devil” and they died. (cite native networks) (Ref. here? Bring them all down?)
Career
In 1991, with the help of Norman Cohn, a respected American video artist and IBC producers, Paul Apak Angilirq and Pauloosie Qulialik , Kunuk co-founded Igloolik Isuma Productions. During 1994-1995 the company did a television series called Nunavut: Our Land. These were half hour episodes about the Inuit of 1945-1946. They created costumes and acted in the production. Later, wanting to produce a feature length film, Kunuk sought information on the financing system in their county and learned their project would be capped at $100,000.00, an amount too little to work with. Zacharias and his team fought to change the system and after 5 years received enough funding to begin creating their film. Best known for his work in directing, producing, writing and editing the 2001 award winning film; The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat, a film set in the Arctic at the dawn of the first millennium based on an ancient Inuit legend he first heard from his mother. Considered a fictional film that borrows elements of the documentary genre, Atanarjuat is a fictional narrative film with a “documentary value”. To revitalize pride in their identity and culture, the production process of The Fast Runner was inclusive and empowering. Together, the crew and cast lived in tents on the ice with no craft services or trailers for support and they re-created the hunting process for food. These uncommon production conditions educated the cast about the lives of their ancestors and assuredly prepared them to reside in their characters. (cite Speaking back with familiar voices) Kunuk and his team have continued to create a number of works in the effort of continuing their initial mandate: to create independent media-based projects to preserve and represent Inuit culture and language, generating employment for the local Igloolik community and Nunavut. (cite cfe ) The impact of Christianity on ancient Inuit beliefs has been an ongoing issue for Kunuk and one he continues to address in his productions. While wanting to share the reality of what happened to his people and how they were damaged by Christianity, Kunuk and his production company, Isuma, began by bringing back the storytelling in an attempt to find their culture and offering a true and unique perspective on indigenous life. Currently, 2011, Kunuk continues his work on the community TV broadcast which is made accessible via internet at isuma.tv and working on his next project, Inuit Cree Peace Makers ORIGINAL WORKS OF SITE OK BEGIN WITH His second film:
His second film, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, is a co-production with Denmark in which he is a co-writer and co-director with Norman Cohn. It premiered on September 7, 2006, as the opening film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2002, Kunuk was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He is the son of Enoki Kunuk, a hunter who was lost for 27 days during June 2007 in the Arctic tundra.
Kunuk is the co-founder of the Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change Project, along with Ian Mauro of the University of Victoria's School of Environmental Studies. The goal of the project is to collect information from Inuit elders for a film about the Inuit perspective on the impact of climate change on Inuit culture and the environment. The Project submitted a video to the United Nations for the 2009 COP15 Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change which was presented at Denmark's National Gallery.[3]
As of April 2011, Kunuk is developing a project with Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond about the 18th conflict between Cree and Inuit, which lasted almost a century.[4]
Filmography
Feature films and television:[5]
- Nunavut: Our Land (1995) Director and writer of television series
- Atanarjuat (2001) Director, producer, writer and editor
- Kunuk Family Reunion (2004) Director and producer of television documentary
- Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) Appeared in television documentary
- The Journals of Knud Rasmussen (2006) Director, producer and art director
- Le Jour Avant Le Lendemain (2008) Executive Producer
- Tungijuq (2009) Executive Producer of short
- Home(2011) Director and writer of short
- National Parks Project (2011) Director of documentary
Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Cannes Film Festival: Golden Camera | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2001 | Edinburgh International Film Festival: New Directors Award | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat (Tied with L.I.E.) |
| 2001 | Ghent International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize-Special Mention-Grand Prix | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2001 | Hawaii International Film Festival: Special Mention Best Feature Film, Best Feature Film | Nominated | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2001 | Santa Fe Film Festival: Luminaria-Best Feature | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2001 | Toronto International Film Festival: Best Canadian Feature Film | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2001 | Cinemanila International Film Festival: Lino Brocka Award | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat (Tied with What Time Is It Over There?) |
| 2002 | Genie Awards: Claude Jutra Award-Best Achievement in Direction, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Motion Picture | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat (Shared with Norman Cohn, Paul Apak Angilirq, Germain Wong |
| 2002 | Newport International Film Festival: Audience Award-Best Feature | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2002 | San Diego International Film Festival: Festival Award-Best Feature Film | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2002 | Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: TFCA Award-Best First Feature | Win | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2003 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: CFCA Award - Most Promising Director | Nominated | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2003 | Chlotrudis Awards: Best Director | Nominated | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
| 2003 | Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award-Best Foreign Film | Nominated | The Fast Runner: Atanarjuat |
See also
References
- ^ Interview by Michelle Svenson, Film and Video Specialist, NMAI (April 1, 2002). "Zacharias Kunuk Interview - Native Networks". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Angilirq, Paul Apak (2002). Atanarjuat the fast runner. Toronto: Coach House Books and Isuma Publishing. pp. 13–15, 197–227. ISBN 1552451135.
- ^ "I've gone from the stone age to the digital age". Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. November 11, 2002. Retrieved 2010-01-01. [dead link]
- ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (9 April 2011). "Reel Injun continues making waves". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ "Zacharias Kunuk". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
External links
- Canadian Encyclopedia
- Canadian Film Encyclopedia
- Zacharias Kunuk at IMDb
- Nativenetworks
- Zacharias Kunuk profile at ascentmagazine.com.