DIRECTED BY

Lucy Tulugarjuk

STARRING

Madeline Ivalu, Tia Bshara, Nuvvija Tulugarjuk

There’s the world of Tia and Piujuq. And then there’s the world of making Tia and Piujuq, which is also full of  wonderful stories and experiences. Two of the film’s creators, Lucy Tulugarjuk and Marie-Hélène Cousineau, share some of their experiences. In the video below, the film’s director, Lucy Tulugarjuk,  also explains part of the film’s message.

“Making this movie was a beautiful process. But there were challenges. Nuvvija, my daughter, had to relearn her Inuktitut. This was hard at times. I am thankful she had the chance to learn more about her language and culture, now she is very motivated to continue learning. Our family is all very proud that she is on the path to keep learning. Maybe it will make other Inuit kids love their culture and language even more too. The film was hard for Tia as well, who spoke very little English at the beginning of  the film so it was hard for us to understand each other at first. And she had never been to the Arctic before. But she loved it, I was so impressed with her confidence! I was even more in awe of how both girls connected with each other right away. I love seeing the beautiful innocence children have in common.”

Scroll down to the video below to learn about Lucy’s intentions in creating Tia and Piujuq’s world.

“Spending one month with two 10-year-old girls as original, funny, bright and full of life as Tia and Nuvvija was a beautiful experience. Tia, six months after arriving in Canada as a refugee, found herself on the shores of Igloolik – camping and experiencing the Nunavut summer with Inuit while making a movie. I expect a bright future for her, and am glad to see that she and her family are well settled, and feel accepted and happy here in Quebec. Lucy Tulugarjuk, the director, with her artistic and cultural vision, and her passion for sharing Inuit culture, guided the children through this challenging process that is making a film – even if she and Tia started out not speaking the same language. And two girls, one not speaking English and the other not speaking French, developed a profound and joyful friendship almost immediately, a beautiful example for us all!”