IQALUIT - They live it, they see it and now the members of Aqsarniit Middle School's film club in Iqaluit are raising awareness about the consequences of drugs and alcohol through films on the big screen.

Reaping in the benefits of their hard work are student filmmaker Karen Stoney and teacher Mark Caine from the Aqsarniit Middle School Film Club after the premiere of the club's films in Iqaluit on April 15. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

The club held the first Aqsarniit Film Festival called "Through Inuit Eyes" at the school and at the Astro Theatre on April 15.

"It's good; it's based on my life. I worked really hard on it and it was fun making the movie," said Karen Stoney, a student filmmaker who took the lead on one film called "Break the Cycle" she wrote and co-directed with classmate Tuqqassi Nuqingaq.

It stars Marissa Netser and members of the film club and deals with peer pressure, parental violence and alcohol abuse. Student Geela Jaw illustrated a book based on the movie.

Two other films were also screened for the first time in public.

One was by Nicole Amagoalik, Maiya Aqatsiaq and MisterLee Cloutier-Ellsworth with Thomas Lambe in the role of the main character about a family living in Apex and showing how drugs and alcohol devastate their life and how they come clean.

Sponsored by the Nunavut Film Development Corporation, Brighter Futures and the Inuit School for the Arts and in partnership with the RCMP, the theme was "Don't break the law, break the cycle."

Student Ash Montague said he was pleased with the final product.

"It was amazing and I didn't think it would turn out that good," he said.

The last film was done using South Park-style animation and was done by Grade 6 students Christianne West and Emily Matthews.

All the films used throatsinging or Inuit drumming.

Students were involved in every step of the process from writing, directing, editing, to producing.

Cloutier-Ellsworth was the cameraman for one of the films. He said he doesn't like being in front of the camera so capturing the shots was a good way for him to participate.

Sitting in the audience at the showing at the school was life skills teacher Stuart Crose.

"It makes me cry every time I see the films and I've seen them about 10 times," he said.

He described the films as being powerful, disturbing and joyful.

"I don't think the kids get the opportunity to express these kinds of things very often and to have a medium like the film club has been very valuable," Crose said.

Mark Caine, the teacher responsible for the film club, said he is proud of the students and he plans on submitting the films to a festival in Toronto as well as posting them on YouTube.