TUKTOYAKTUK
Tuktoyaktuk is now the first hamlet in the Northwest Territories with its own film policy, says the NWT Film Commissioner.

Students from East Three Secondary School in Inuvik and Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk travelled to Pingo National Landmark in 2013. The landmark has drawn many photographers and filmmakers. The Tuktoyaktuk mayor welcomes individual videographers and photographers but the hamlet is introducing a policy for large-scale filmmakers. - photo courtesy of Neil Ingroville

"The Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk is actually going to be the first, which we're really excited about and hopefully will blaze the trail for other hamlets and communities to jump on board," said commissioner Camilla MacEachern. "Interest is increasing, it was something that became very apparent that we needed to address."

The policy is one of the ways the community is gearing up for the opening of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway this fall, said Mayor Darrel Nasogaluak.

The hamlet received a higher than usual number of requests from filmmakers this year who wanted to film the new highway, as well as the final season of the ice road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.

"We got a bunch of requests from different organizations regarding our last year of the ice road," Nasogaluak said. "They wanted to film the last year construction, the last year when we get to use it."

Tuktoyaktuk's hamlet council approved the policy which outlines the rules and responsibilities of filmmakers looking to film within the community.

Filmmakers must provide basic information, such as the size of the crew, when and where they plan to film and their approximate schedule.

The goal is to ensure there is mutual understanding between the filmmakers and the people and places being filmed, MacEachern said.

"It's pretty general. The main theme is respecting residents," she said.

"It's definitely a standard in the global industry that permits are in place. It's something that gives peace of mind on both ends because at the end of the day, communication really is the key to happiness and success."

While Tuktoyaktuk wants to encourage the film industry to operate in the community, a policy helps ensure understanding between filmmakers and residents, Nasogaluak said.

"We thought we should create a policy so we could just hand them something and give them some direction on what they should do when they are interested in filming," he said.

"It's also to protect our community. It tells them if you're going to talk to an individual, get permission to do any filming with them."

The policy only applies to companies doing filmmaking projects, not individuals, he added.

"This doesn't really apply to someone coming to take pictures," he said.

Photographers and filmmakers have long been drawn to the land surrounding Tuktoyaktuk, Nasogaluak said. Pingo Canadian Landmark is just outside the hamlet and the community sits on the shores of the Arctic ocean and marks eight mounds of snow covered ice.

"We do get a lot of tourists that come a long way to see the pingos," he said.

"They're pretty interested in the Arctic Ocean. The highway will actually link sea to sea to sea, so it's going to be a big deal when that opens."

For now, Nasogaluak said preparations have already begun to prepare Tuktoyaktuk for the highway's debut.

"We're preparing our tourism outfitters for the expected amount of tourists that are coming in," he said.

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