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 Zacharias Kunuk
Mr. Kunuk was born in Kapuivik in the eastern Arctic. He became a successful soapstone carver prior to his start in video productions. Following the sale of three soapstone sculptures in 1981 during a trip to Montreal, he brought home the Arctic’s first home video camera. In 1982, he joined the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) in Igloolik where he was a senior producer and station manager until 1991. His film, Qaggiq (The Gathering Place), brought national attention to Isuma Productions. Following the completion of this film, Mr. Kunuk went on to co-found and become President of Igloolik Isuma Productions, Canada’s first Inuit-owned independent production company, in 1990. Amidst international acclaim, Isuma Productions continues to express an original mandate to create independent media based projects as a means of preserving and representing Inuit culture and language, and generate employment for the local Igloolik community and Nunavut. In 2001, Mr. Kunuk won the Caméra D’Or at Cannes International Film Festival for Isuma’s first feature film Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner). For his groundbreaking work, Mr. Kunuk has won the National Arts Award and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. For his innovative work in film production, Trent University is pleased to bestow its highest honour on Zacharias Kunuk. |
An honorary Doctor of Laws degree is conferred upon Zacharias Kunuk for his award-winning accomplishments in film production and for showcasing Canada’s Arctic and the Inuit way of life to the world.