Silent Messengers

20051 h 33 min 35 secFilm: Documentary

Direction: William D. MacGillivray

Production: Terry GreenlawAnnette ClarkeKent Martin (National Film Board of Canada)

Produced by Picture Plant in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada, with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada - Equity Investment Program and CTF: Licence Fee Program, in association with CTV and IFC: The Independent Film Channel, with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and with the assistance of the Nova Scotia Film Industry Tax Credit.

This extraordinary documentary explores the mysteries of the Inuksuit, those powerful objects that mark the pristine landscape of the North. As enigmatic as the stone slabs of Stonehenge, the Inuksuit are sacred signs of the Inuit and their ancestors--the first people to inhabit the Arctic.


With acclaimed ethnogeographer and photographer Norman Hallendy and well-known sculptor-actor Natar Ungalaq (Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner) as their guides, the filmmakers traverse the open and sometimes forbidding terrain around Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset) and Igloolik, in search of these stone symbols and their meanings.


This journey offers up staggeringly beautiful images of the Arctic. Remote and haunting, the Inuksuit stand as the signposts of a rich way of life, one sadly in danger of disappearing.


Silent Messengers allows us a privileged and intimate encounter with the land. Enhanced by a brilliant musical score, this stunning work is at once respectful and personal, inspiring and human.

Subject categories


  • Tourism > Arctic Region
  • Indigenous Peoples in Canada (Inuit) > CultureTraditional way of life
  • Canada - Images of a Country > Landscapes
  • Crafts > Sculpture and Woodcarving

Credits


participant
Norman Hallendy
Natar Ungalaq
Jimmy Manning
Serge Lampron
George Pitseolak
Pitseolala Manning
George Manning
Kananginak Pootoogook
Pitseolak Niviaqsi
Nowdlaq Osuweetok
Kavavau Manumee
Annie Petaulassie
Kenojuak Ashevak
Pauta Saila
Pitaloosie Saila
Melia Jaw
Osuitok Ipeelie
Zacharias Kunuk
Annie Pitseolak
Jamesie Alariaq
director
William D. MacGillivray
producer
Terry Greenlaw
Annette Clarke
cinematographer
Kent Nason
editor
Christopher Cooper
sound design
Alex Salter
location recording
Alex Salter
music score
Paul Cram
vocals score
Lucie Idlout
production manager
Jan Nathanson
camera assistant
Kevin MacNeil
grip
Kevin MacNeil
gaffer
Kevin MacNeil
DV camera
Natar Ungalaq
production crew
Jimmy Manning
Serge Lampron
Kelly Namonai
George Pitseolak
Kristiina Alariak
Timmun Alariak
Jamesie Alariaq
Mike Constantineau
Silaqqi Alariaq
Peter Toonoo
Ikayukta Saggiatu
Jamasie Pitseolak
interpreter
Letia Itidlooie
Aksatungua Ashoona
sound editor
Alex Salter
re-recording mixer
Serge Boivin
online editor
Doug Woods
colourist
Doug Woods
assistant on-line editor
Luckas Cardona
assistant picture editor
Dennis Bradley
production accountant
Jan Anthony
music recording
The Sonic Temple
narration recording
The Sonic Temple
recording engineer
Lil Thomas
Darren Van Niekerk
score
Paul Cram
Lil Thomas
Lucas Pearse
David Burton
Lucie Idlout
June Shappa
executive producer
Kent Martin
centre administrator
John William Lutz
production supervisor
Patricia Coughran
marketing manager
Philip Moscovitch