One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk

Director Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)
Year 2019
Run Time 111min
Genre Drama

It is 1961 in Kapuivik, north Baffin Island, and Noah Piugattuk’s nomadic Inuit band live and hunt by dog team as his ancestors did when he was born in 1900. When the white man known as Boss arrives at Piugattuk’s hunting camp, what appears as a chance meeting soon opens up the prospect of momentous change. 

Boss is an agent of the government, assigned to get Piugattuk to move his band to permanent housing, assimilate his children into settler society and give up their traditional way of life. 

Told through the extended showdown between Inuit camp leader Noah Piugattuk (Kotierk) and a government emissary (Bodnia) (as well as the translator who must help them communicate), One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk is a deeply absorbing account of a little-known and important piece of Inuit and Canadian history.

One Day In The Life Of Noah Piugattuk illustrates Inuit-colonial relationships brilliantly.” - Kelly Boutsalis, NOW Magazine

Director

Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

In 2015, Atanarjuat was selected as TIFF’s number one Canadian film of all time. Kunuk has directed shorts such as Exile and Home and features such as Maliglutit, which was nominated for two CSAs. He recently directed the series Hunting With My Ancestors and executive produced SGaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife). His latest feature, One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, premiered at TIFF 2019. Most recently, he directed the short The Shaman’s Apprentice, which won the CSA for Best Animated Short among other awards at festivals worldwide.

Writers

Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk), Norman Cohn

Cast

Apayata Kotierk (Inuk), Kim Bodnia, Benjamin Kunuk (Inuk), Tessa Kunuk, Mark Taqqaugaq

Producers

Jonathan Frantz, Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

Inuktitut