This parka is worn by the original camp leader and shaman Kumaglak. His
murder in the presence of the Evil Shaman, Tungajuaq, sparks the bloody feud
between Atanarjuat and Oki's families. The raven feathers sewn on the skin of
the parka indicate that the man wearing it is a shaman.
This winter nasaq (hood) was worn by Oki in the film. Made of wolf fur, the
hood has long tentacle-like strips encircling the neck, the effect of which is
to make Oki look fiercer and meaner.
This unusual parka is made of King Eider duck skin and covered in feathers.
It was worn by Atanarjuat's arch-rival, Oki, during the attack on Atanarjuat's
camp and subsequent chase across the sea ice. The parka floats in water!
The amauti (woman's parka) has a deep hood at the back in which babies and
children are placed. In the film, this beautiful amauti was a gift to Atuat,
Atanarjuat's first wife, during their emotional reunion after his return to
Igloolik following a period of exile and recovery at the camp of the shaman
Qulitalik.… Read more
Under the dual direction of head seamstress and Igloolik elder, Atuat
Akkitirq (nominated for a Genie Award in Achievement in Costume Design), and a
group of highly-skilled local seamstresses created the magnificient clothing
worn by the characters in the film.
Atanarjuat was filmed with an all-Inuit cast in Inuktitut on location
under extreme conditions. To achieve this on a modest yet professional
$1.9 million budget required serious arctic know-how. Igloolik Isuma
Productions Inc.… Read more
Marie-Hélène Cousineau talks about the work of Arnait video in Igloolik
and how the members of the collective are now looking for a wider
audience for their stories, especially after the production of their
first feature film, Before Tomorrow. Interviewed by Gabriela Gamez,
Montreal, June 2009. In French.
