Vancouver (Mar 22/04) - A film partly shot in Rankin Inlet, and starring an actress from Iglulik, has been nominated for nine Genie awards.

The Snow Walker, which is based on the short story "Walk Well My Brother" by Farley Mowat, earned nominations for best picture, screenplay, director and actor. Annabella Piugattuk of Iglulik has been nominated for best supporting actress for her first film role.

Producer Rob Merilees was pleased with the nominations, though the Genies (Canada's version of the Oscars) aren't all that well known, even in Canada.

"People keep calling to congratulate me on my Geminis," he said.

Geminis are the awards for excellence in Canadian television.

Merilees said shooting in Rankin Inlet was essential to the movie, and likely contributed to its critical success.

"It was super important to shoot in Rankin Inlet," he said.

"We scouted in the Yukon and near Yellowknife, but I'm really glad we found the money in the budget to shoot there. We spent two weeks shooting there and those scenes make up at least 60 per cent of the movie."

The rest of the film was shot in Churchill, Man. and Merritt, BC.

The barrens almost become another character in the movie, as Charlie the pilot (Barry Pepper) learns how to survive off the land from Kanaalaq (Annabella Piugattuk). The swarms of mosquitoes that cloud some frames of the film are not special effects.

"You can't get how crazy it was," said Merilees of the location shoot.

Mosquitoes and polar bears were two of the big challenges to shooting on location in Nunavut.

It was such an adventure that the producers made "The Making of The Snow Walker," which will air on Bravo this month.

High school geography teachers have approached the production company about using the film to teach students about the Arctic environment.

"It's an interesting way to show people the tundra," he said.

Merilees hopes that even though the Genie awards don't have a very high profile, the nominations will increase interest in the movie, both in Canada and overseas.

"We tend to eat our own in Canada," said Merilees. "(The nominations) just validate that we've done a good job."

The Genie awards ceremony will be held May 1 in Toronto and broadcast live on CityTV, Bravo and Star.