Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Montreal, Que (Oct 24/05) - A new film called Qallunajatut, or Urban Inuk, debuted at the One World film festival in Ottawa last week.

Nunavik writer Jobie Weetaluktukhe directed the 46-minute documentary, which explores the Inuit experience in Montreal.

It's the latest documentary from Kunuk Cohn Productions and Igloolik Isuma Productions, the independent Inuit production company behind the internationally-acclaimed feature film Atananjarat The Fast Runner.

"Isuma is based in Iglulik but we have a Montreal office and we know Inuit who live in the city, so we decided to follow several Inuit over the course of a summer," said producer Katarina Soukup.

The movie is follows the paths of three Inuit as they try to adapt and survive in the city.

"More globally, it's also about the urbanization process that Inuit have undergone over the past 50 years," she said.

The documentary explores the experiences of Jayson Kunnuk, of Iglulik, Charlie Adams, of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, and Pitsulala Lyta, of Iqaluit, as they make lives in Montreal.

"When a nomadic, hunter-gatherer people come to a city where it's all about getting ahead and making money, it's a very big culture clash," said Soukup. "So, there's a lot of difficulty and struggle and problems that are present in the communities become more exacerbated in the city."

Adams, whose music makes up part of the film's soundtrack, and Kunnuk struggled with homelessness. Lyta, who moved to Montreal at 17, fought with addiction before going into rehabilitation.

"In the documentary she's helping Inuit and other aboriginal people on the street as an outreach worker with the Native Friendship Centre," Soukup said. "While it's difficult, there are people like Pitsulala who have gone through those difficult things and made peace with being an urban Inuk and live a productive and good quality life."

Lyta recently moved to Ottawa to work with Pauktuutit, a national Inuit women's organization.

The documentary will also screen at the ImagineNative Aboriginal Film Festival in Toronto and Rencontres internationales du documentaire in Montreal.