THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN: Report on the world première in Igloolik of Norman Cohn and Zachari

In the article "Tragedy at the top of the world" in The Globe and Mail today (March 18th), Gayle MacDonald reports on the world première of Norman Cohn and Zacharias Kunuk's The Journals of Knud Rasmussen at Ataguttaaluk High School in Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada on March 11th. The movie is scheduled to have its secondary world première (cf. secondary virginity) at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 7th.

The screenplay for The Journals of Knud Rasmussen was written by Cohn and Kunuk. The movie stars Pakak Innukshuk as Aua, Leah Angutimarik as Apak, Neeve Uttak as Orulu, Samuelie Ammaq as Umik, Eugene Ipkarnak as Qillaq, Abraham Ulayuruluk as Evaluarjuk, Natar Ungalaaq as Nuqallaq, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq as Natar, Pierre Lebeau as George Washington Cleveland, Jakob Cedergren as Therkel Mathiassen, Kim Bodnia as Peter Freuchen, Jens Jorn Spottag as Knud Rasmussen, Sofie Danielson as Arnarulunguaq, Piuaitsoq Petersen as Miteq, Qillaq Danielsen as Bosun, and Juaanna Platou as Bosun's wife.

Here's a synopsis for The Journals of Knud Rasmussen from the official subsite for the movie: "January 1922. With powerful forces of a new century pressing in around them, Danish explorer and scientist Knud Rasmussen visits the isolated camp of the great Iglulik shaman, Aua. For Rasmussen and his protégé, the young anthropologist Therkel Mathiassen, arriving at Aua's family camp is like falling into Paradise, an arctic Garden of Eden with an intoxicating mix of spiritual and physical vitality, joyful intelligence and exuberant generosity. What the Danes don't realize is Aua's temporary fortress of beauty and tranquility stands surrounded by the steamroller of the twentieth century - the introduction of Inuit-language Christian bibles, increasing dependence on foreign trade goods and the first police investigation of a murder of a white man - and that nomadic Inuit can't stay in one place even if there's nowhere safe to go."

The Globe and Mail: "Tragedy at the top of the world"
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen official subsite (English)
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen official subsite (French)