Iqaluit (Jul 03/06) - There's nothing like a night out at the movies.

Of course, sometimes that night out grows into a full day of events, including cake, puppets, a film premiere and another sneak peek at an unfinished work.

That's what the Alianait! Arts Festival offered during Film Day, organized by the Ajjiit Media Association, and including works from the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, EnTheos Films and Igloolik Isuma Productions.

The day started off with a 20th anniversary celebration of Inuktitut-language kids' show Takuginai, put on by the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation. It featured a short retrospective of the show at Nakasuk school, followed by a full-on party and puppet show at Iqaluit's Arctic Winter Games Arena, featuring many of the show's most popular characters.

"I used to watch it when I was younger," said Junior Degrasse, who admitted he was there primarily for the cake. "It's funny."

IBC executive director Debbie Brisebois said despite 20 years of programming, and vocal support from the Nunavut government, Takuginai has been working on more of a shoestring budget with each passing year.

"They always agree," she said of interactions with government officials. "But they never quite come up with the money."

She said the operating budget for the show in 1986 was $700,000. Now, that number is $350,000.

Looking to the future, Brisebois said IBC was planning to work with the Department of Education to develop educational materials.

"Schools are crying for resources, especially in Inuktitut," she said.

From the arena, the event moved to Astro Theatre, where several documentaries made their mark on the audience, including "Finding Franklin," about Sir John Franklin's disastrous search for the Northwest Passage; "Inuit Pigungit," Isuma's offering, which took Inuit elders through some of North America's most prominent museums; and "Staking the Claim."

The latter film was a standout, melding stock footage of Inuit history with interviews of prominent figures in land claims discussions across the country, such as Tagak Curley and Mary Simon.

The unfinished film also documented the journey of the film's young hosts - Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Tommy Akulukjuk, Pauloosie Akeeagok and David Joanasie - as they learned more about the history of Nunavut and themselves.

"It was absolutely incredible, " Aglok MacDonald said after the premiere. "It was a privilege and an honour to be a part of this project."

Producer Marianne Demmer said it was also an honour to be a part of Alianait, which she said added them very late in the game.

"We were so excited to be a part of this," she said. "It provided us with an incredible opportunity."