Online as of May 9 at iqqaumavara.com
May 7, 2014 - Montreal - National Film Board of Canada
Launching May 9 at iqqaumavara.com, Iqqaumavara (I Remember), an original idea by Marquise Lepage and Martha Flaherty, explores one of the darkest and least-known pages of Canadian history: the Canadian government's relocation of 19 Inuit families, including Martha Flaherty's, from Quebec's Far North to the High Arctic in the mid-1950s. Left to fend for themselves in the planet's most inhospitable climate, they were forced to endure intense cold and hunger for years.
The trilingual (Inuktitut, French and English) website was produced by the Makivik Corporation in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and features short films, interviews, photos and archival documents. The goal of the site is to ensure that this human tragedy and its repercussions, which are still felt today, will not be forgotten.
The official online launch of Iqqaumavara will be marked on May 9 at 2:30 p.m. by a special screening in Inukjuak, Nunavik, followed by testimonials from people who experienced the relocation, and speeches by dignitaries. The project's design team will also be present.
Quick Facts
• The Iqqaumavara site required three years' work and includes:
o 17 hours of never-before-seen material on the relocation of Quebec Inuit to the High Arctic
o 12 short films recounting the history of this human tragedy
o 40 full interviews with Inuit who tell their story
o 3 short films by talented young Inuit
o over 300 photos and many archival documents
• Production and creative team
o Original idea: Marquise Lepage and Martha Flaherty
o Producers: Marquise Lepage, Jean-François Arteau, François Dorval and Johanne Bergeron (NFB)
o Associate producers: for Les Productions du Cerf-Volant, Évangéline De Pas and Geneviève Thibert
o Creative team: Marquise Lepage, Évangéline De Pas and Geneviève Thibert
o Web designer: Martin Comeau
• Produced and directed through the financial support of:
o Makivik Corporation and the Ungaluk program
o National Film Board of Canada
o Productions du Cerf-Volant
o Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada – Government of Canada
o Secretariat of Aboriginal Affairs – Government of Quebec
o Raglan Mine
o Government of Nunavut
o Community of Grise Fiord
o Air Inuit
o First Air
• The impetus for Iqqaumavara: the documentary Martha of the North
o In 2008, Marquise Lepage directed the documentary Martha of the North (Les Productions Virage/NFB), in which Martha Flaherty tells how, at age five, she had to follow her parents and leave her Inuit village for the High Arctic. Her account prompted those close to her to talk about their own experiences.
o Through this landmark film, the Canadian public discovered that the forced displacement had occurred.
• At the NFB, there's an ongoing commitment to increasing awareness of the culture and history of the Inuit
o Iqqaumavara offers a remarkably rich legacy. The NFB is seeking to increase awareness of the history and culture of the peoples of the North through audiovisual works, as also demonstrated by Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories, launched in 2010 in close collaboration with Canada's Inuit organizations. This is an ongoing initiative to enhance the NFB's Inuit audiovisual heritage, the world's largest collection of its kind, with films available in Inuktitut, French and English.
Related Links
Trailer in French and English: http://player.vimeo.com/video/88794986
Trailer in Inuktitut: http://player.vimeo.com/video/88796971
Makivik Corporation: http://www.makivik.org/
Productions du Cerf-Volant: http://www.productionsducerf-volant.ca/
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada – Government of Canada:
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/
Secretariat of Aboriginal Affairs – Government of Quebec:
http://www.autochtones.gouv.qc.ca/index_en.asp
Raglan Mine: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mining-materials/publications/aboriginal/bulletin/8814
Government of Nunavut: http://www.gov.nu.ca/
Community of Grise Fiord: http://www.grisefiord.ca/eng/community.html
Air Inuit: http://www.airinuit.com/
First Air: https://firstair.ca/
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Media Relations
Pat Dillon
NFB Publicist
Cell: 514-206-1750
E-mail: p.a.dillon@nfb.ca
Twitter: @PatDoftheNFB
Lily Robert
Director, Corporate Communications, NFB
Tel: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
l.robert@nfb.ca
About the NFB
Beginning May 2, 2014, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) marks 75 years of innovation and leadership in social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, and most recently, groundbreaking interactive works. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 8 Webbys, 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
