About Isuma

Zacharias Kunuk is an award-winning filmmaker from Igloolik NU, and co-founder of the Isuma Film Collective. His 2001 film Atanarjuat The Fast Runner won the 2001 Camera d’Or at Cannes, and was voted “Best Canadian Film of All-Time” by the TIFF Film Critics Poll in 2015. Kunuk has directed over 30 documentaries, shorts and feature films, all in the Inuktitut language. In 2019, Kunuk and the Isuma collective were chosen as Canada’s representative artists at the 58th Biennale di Venezia. In 2003, Kunuk co-founded Isuma Distribution International to improve Indigenous and Inuit access to Indigenous-language content. Kunuk is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and an Officer of the Order of Nunavut. He continues to make films and is currently in post-production on a 10-part documentary series on mining issues in the north as well as a new historical drama feature film, both set for release in 2025.

Daniel Northway-Frank is a seasoned cultural professional with 20 years’ experience in the film industry. He has held coordination and management roles at Technicolor, Hot Docs, TIFF, and imagineNATIVE, where he was Institute Director for 10 years. He has managed important industry partnerships within the Indigenous film sector, including the NATIVe – Indigenous Cinema initiative with the Berlinale / European Film Market, and the On Screen Protocols & Pathways initiative outlining best practices with Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadian creators and communities. 

Samuel Cohn-Cousineau has been working with IDI since 2016, overseeing distribution activities, marketing campaigns, and community film tours. He has also worked as a production manager, producer, and scriptwriter on various Isuma films, including Tia and Piujuq (2018), Tautuktavuk (What We See) (TIFF Top Ten ’23), and Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband), a new historical feature film by Zacharias Kunuk set to be released in 2025. Growing up between Montreal and Igloolik NU, Samuel is passionate about how film and art can be tools to preserve and promote cultural traditions, economic development, and narrative sovereignty.

Jess Murwin is said to be a nonbinary Indigenous filmmaker, festival programmer and cultural worker “based in Montreal, QC”. Various forms of dubious evidence have been presented in an effort to prove their existence, including anecdotal claims of sightings as well as alleged photographs, video and audio recordings, hair samples, and casts of large footprints. While there is still no widespread scientific consensus on the subject, it does appear their work focuses on community, real and imagined futures, and championing queer and Indigenous storytelling.

Angela Amarualik manages the IsumaTV and UvagutTV social media accounts, as well as assists in coordinating Indigenous community film tours. She is also an Inuktitut translator and award-winning singer-songwriter. Her 2019 debut album won “Best Indigenous Language Album” at the Indigenous Music Awards, and in 2022 she won “Indigenous Artist/Group of the Year” at the Arctic Music Awards. Born and raised in Igloolik, Angela uses her music to inspire Nunavummiut youth and share Inuit culture with people around the world, and she often travels north to teach musical workshops to Inuit youth.