Behind the scenes

Iggak (caribou goggles) are carved from the antlers of the animal. They were worn to protect the eyes from the harsh glare of sunlight reflected on the ice and snow in the Arctic.

The wearer of this necklace is shaman and camp leader. It signifies authority and supernatural power, commanding respect and obedience from the rest of the camp's inhabitants.

The sets for Atanarjuat were all authentic Inuit dwellings, made from traditional natural materials such as ice blocks, animal skins, rocks, sod, and snow. Igloos, for instance, were crafted from real snow blocks - not styrofoam as in some Southern productions about life in the Arctic!

Behind the scenes look as Zacharias Kunuk presents Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner to a world audience at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001.Directed by Zacharias Kunuk 

In the film, Atanarjuat paddles to shore in this qajaq (one-man canoe), toward his summer camp and his wife Atuat, who is now expecting their son.