[Indigenous Film Series] "If the Weather Permits" (Isaac 2003) & "The Annanacks" (Bonnière, 1964)

If the Weather Permits

Elisapie Isaac (Dir.) 2003 NFB (27 min)

This short documentary studies life in the village of Kangirsujuaq, in Nunavik. In this community lying on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, children's laughter fills the streets while the old people ponder the passage of time. They are nomads of the wide-open spaces who are trying to get used to the strange feeling of staying put. Here, teenagers lap up "southern" culture and, to kill time, play golf on the tundra. Here, the elders are slowly dying, while their entire culture seems to be fading away.

The Annanacks

René Bonnière (Dir.) 1964 NFB (29min)

This short documentary depicts the formation in 1964 of the first successful co-operative in an Inuit community in Northern Québec. The film describes how, with other Inuit of the George River community, the Annanacks formed a joint venture that included a sawmill, a fish-freezing plant and a small boat-building industry.