FNC 2013: Uvanga

UVANGA

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Directors: Madeline Ivalu, Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Producer(s): Stéphane Rituit, Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Screenplay: Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Cast: Lukasi Forrest, Marianne Farley, Travis Kunnuk, Madeline Ivalu
Studio: Mongrel Media
Quebec / Canada, 86 min.

FNC OFFICIAL FILM SYNOPSIS:

"Anna (Marianne Farley) returns to Igloolik for the first time with her teenage son Tomas (Lukasi Forrest), whose father, now deceased, was a man she met while working there. As his mother tries to find her bearings in a place that inspires conflicting emotions, Tomas, introduced to his father’s family and his half-brother (Travis Kunnuk), tries to build roots. Both will grow in ways they didn’t expect. Shot on a small island in Nunavut, Uvanga (“myself” in Inuktitut) takes an unvarnished look at a people and a territory often idealized, vilified or reduced to local colour, but mostly just ignored. Avoiding both false hope and despair, the two filmmakers tell a heartwarming story from the inside out, beautifully conveyed by mostly non-professional actors. Visually arresting yet human-scaled, and never skipping over the dark side of the North (addiction, suicide), the film is as luminous as the midnight sun that gleams throughout."

This film is in competition in FOCUS category. It is a beautifully shot film, with stunning vistas of the Canadian High Arctic landscapes. Just the nature shots by themselves make it compelling to see the film and to discover the far north of our country which we, the city dwellers, do not know. 

What is even more important in this film are the human relationships set against the beautiful and yet somehow forbidding scenery. One soon discovers that the people who inhabit this land are not unlike the scenery, with ruff, uncut edges and even self-destructive traits, yet possessing mellow aspects to their personalities which could be as gentle as the subtle colourings of the vast natural vistas.

The acting in the film is surprisingly good, considering the characters were portrayed mostly by non-professional actors. At times the film has a documentary feel to it, especially in the scenes of the traditional hunting a seal skinning. This reinforces the aspect of reality and authenticity of the storyline and of people and situations portrayed in the film.

UVANGA Trailer:

The film was shot in a remote community on Baffin Island. The script is anchored in the culture, lifestyle, people, and place of Igloolik, Nunavut.