Film can include cemetery scene
Council approves contentious filming after company agrees to city oversight
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Monday, September 14, 2015
IQALUIT
Iqaluit city council granted a film company permission Sept. 8 to film a scene in the city's cemetery despite concern from some citizens that graves might be disrespected or damaged. The decision reverses a decision by administrative staff refusing the crew permission to film there.
Charlotte Dewolff, a producer of the Benoit Pilon film titled Iqaluit, approached Iqaluit city council Sept. 8 to ask permission to film at the cemetery after a spring filming by another company triggered resident complaints. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo |
"One of the reasons we came to the city to ask for permission is to follow our protocol and to assure those who have responsibility for the cemetery that it will be filmed in a respectful manner," said Charlotte Dewolff, producer of the film titled Iqaluit, noting that since 1999, her crews have "filmed in the cemetery, never had a complaint. Our crew are Inuit and they respect the cemetery."
But city staffers said 'no' because of a complaint about a different company that caused damage at the cemetery when it filmed there in the spring.
"The answer that came back (from administration) was that 'no, we can't give you permission to film at the cemeteries, neither the old or the new,'" Dewolff said, adding the production team's protocol requires permission.
Councillor Kenny Bell said seeking permission is not necessary.
"I don't know why you're here," Bell said. "There's no policy saying that you can't do it, and there's no policy saying that you can, so we can't give you permission for something when there's nothing to say you can't do it. You should just go ahead and do it."
But Coun. Joanasie Akumalik said the recent experience upset residents.
"We were getting backlash from the community," said Akumalik, calling for a public awareness campaign when filming goes ahead.
'We can't really penalize one company'
"We can't really penalize one company for the actions of another company," Coun. Terry Dobbin countered, noting the economic benefits and 140 temporary jobs the production will create locally. "That just doesn't seem right to me. We're putting up obstacles to productions being filmed in Iqaluit. It's filmed in three official languages, and I think we'd be doing the film industry of Nunavut a great injustice."
Another councillor was supportive.
"I've spoken a number of times about the economic potential the film industry offers to our community, and I feel it offers such potential that we should take steps to encourage it, not discourage it," said Coun. Stephen Mansell.
Iqaluit is a contemporary drama set in the city and starring Natar Ungalaaq of Iglulik and Christine Tootoo of Rankin Inlet. Ungalaaq, who starred as Atanarjuat in the eponymous film, won a Genie Award for his role working with the director of Iqaluit, Benoit Pilon, on the 2008 film The Necessities of Life.
Council approved a motion to grant permission to the film crew to film one morning under the condition that a city designate attend the filming and have the ability to stop the filming if there is any disturbance of graves. The film crew has to pay the city the cost of the designate ahead of the filming.
The two-hour filming of the single scene with a lone handheld camera and a solitary actor is currently scheduled for Sept. 25.
