Tag Archives: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril

CBC, Netflix and APTN greenlight new arctic comedy series

From a media release:

  • Netflix, CBC and APTN have announced they are commissioning a new untitled comedy series that will film in Nunavut (UNTITLED ARCTIC COMEDY).
  • The show was created and will be written by Inuit film and television writer and producer Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Inuit filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.
  • Logline: A young Inuk mother wants to build a new future for herself, but it won’t be easy in her small Arctic town where everyone knows your business. 
    • Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril:  “This series is full of stories that come straight from our hearts and our funny bones. We’ve drawn from our experiences as Inuit women living, laughing, crying and living together while Native. We are so excited to work with all our incredible partners at CBC, Netflix and APTN, and we can’t wait to start filming!”
    • Miranda de Pencier: “I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Stacey and Alethea for our third project together and excited for audiences to see this hilarious, unexpected and essential series that Stacey and Alethea have created.”
    • Susan Coyne: “Stacey and Alethea have created a story that is very funny and clearly comes from the heart. I can’t wait to work with Stacey and Alethea to explore the lives, relationships, and emotional journeys of their amazing cast of characters.”
    • Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, CBC: “This vibrant comedy delivers an authentic perspective on personal journeys, friendship and community in the Arctic. We are excited to partner with Netflix and APTN to film in Nunavut and bring Stacey and Alethea’s deeply personal storytelling to audiences across Canada.” 
    • Danielle Woodrow Director, Content – Canada and Tara Woodbury, Director, Content – Canada, Netflix: “As soon as we heard about this show, we knew we wanted to share it with our members around the world. Stacey and Alethea have created a very relatable and funny story that showcases the unique experience of living in Canada’s Arctic regions. We’re thrilled to be partnering with them and working with Miranda and the teams at CBC and APTN.”
    • APTN Spokesperson: “This show is a brilliant and heartfelt gem of a comedy from two of Canada’s most exciting creators. A very short time ago, it would have been impossible to imagine an Indigenous comedy shot in the Arctic, with massive national and international reach,” says Adam Garnet Jones, director of TV content and special events at APTN. “It’s a dream come true for APTN to help bring this story to audiences across Turtle Island and around the world. We know audiences are going to fall in love with the show’s characters, and the production industry in Nunavut is going to receive a huge boost in a way it never has before.”
  • Executive Producers: Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Qanurli, Grizzlies), Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Angry Inuk, Grizzlies), Miranda de Pencier (Anne With an E, Beginners, The Grizzlies), Susan Coyne (Mozart In the Jungle, Daisy Jones & The Six, Slings & Arrows), Garry Campbell (The Kids in the Hall, Less Than Kind)
  • Production Companies: Northwood Entertainment, Red Marrow Media
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Angry Inuk — The Truth about Seal Hunting in Canada

Last month I had the opportunity to see Angry Inuk at the South Western International Film Festival, and during the follow-up Q&A, filmmaker/narrator Alethea Arnaquq-Baril informed the audience that Super Channel would begin airing her film in the next month. I knew at that moment I had to cover this documentary.

Airing Monday, Angry Inuk explores how the the ads promoting International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Greenpeace—the image of a crying harp seal pup (we learn that all seals cry; it is a natural defense against the cold that prevents their eyes from freezing)—is deliberately used to tug at our heart strings and make us open our pocketbooks. But what we don’t realize is that sealing is a way of life for the Inuit, without which the people would starve.

Environmentalists encourage us to reduce our carbon footprint by buying locally produced food items. Without the seal hunt, the Inuit must fly in food from the south. Additionally, anti-fur advocates are marketing a non-sustainable byproduct from the petrochemical industry; an industry that is contributing to air and water pollution globally. Conversely, seal skin is a natural, waterproof byproduct of a sustainable and local food source that does not require drilling, pipelines or industrial manufacturing plants to produce.

Ms. Arnaquq-Baril’s documentary takes the viewer on a journey to her land, the Arctic. We go seal hunting. We see how her community is tied culturally and economically to the seal hunt. We also learn how the anti-sealing ban by the European Economic Community (EEC) has and continues to hurt those who live in Canada’s northern regions.

So, why should anyone tune in and watch? Well, in light of the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s  Calls to Action, the Canadian government’s announcement for an national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the #NoDAPL standoff at Standing Rock, North Dakota, now is clearly the time when the public will no longer tolerate racist fiscal policies. Angry Inuk brings to light how the anti-sealing movement and the seal product ban by the EU fashion industry continue to plague the Inuit residing in Canada and elsewhere around the globe. When the film finished, I turned to my friend and simply said, “I am buying something seal skin,” because I was so motivated by this story. She heartily agreed with me. She too is currently shopping for seal skin.

Angry Inuk premieres Monday at 8 p.m. ET on SC4 and will be available on Super Channel On Demand as well, beginning tomorrow until Dec. 28. You can view a trailer here.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail