Lucy Tulugarjuk
Lucy Tulugarjuk (born February 28, 1975) is an Inuit actress, throat singer, and director.[2] She is executive director for the Nunavut Independent Television Network.[3]
Lucy Tulugarjuk | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 28, 1975 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress Throat singer Director |
| Children | Nuvvija Mikili Tulugarjuk |
| Relatives | Madeline Ivalu (aunt)[1]
|
Career
Tulugarjuk is known for starring in the 2001 film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner,[5] for which she won the award for Best Actress at the American Indian Film Festival.[6] In 2015, she acted in the film Maliglutit.[7]
In 2017 she directed her first feature-length film Tia and Piujuq (Inuktitut: ᑏᐊ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᐅᔪᖅ).[8] The film featured Marie-Hélène Cousineau as producer, and Tulugarjuk's daughter in the lead role as Piujuq.[9]
With Carol Kunnuk she was co-director, co-writer and co-star of Tautuktavuk (What We See), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and won the Amplify Voices Award for Best First Film.[10]
She performs as a throat singer, but in 2014 declined to perform for Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq in protest of the government's seismic testing.[5] That year, she wore seal skin at the Gone Wild show in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories to support Inuit culture.[11] In 2016, she also called for the resignation of Aglukkaq's successor as MP, Hunter Tootoo.[4]
She is executive director for Nunavut Independent Television Network, a service of Isuma based in Igloolik.[3] In 2021, Isuma launched Uvagut TV, a 24/7 online channel devoted to Inuktitut language programming, for which Tulugarjuk is managing director. Tulugarjuk reported that she sees the channel as "a tool for preserving and revitalizing the Inuit people's language and culture."[12]
Filmography
As actress
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | Puja | |
| 2005 | L'iceberg | Nattikuttuk | |
| 2006 | The Journals of Knud Rasmussen | Nuvvija | |
| 2007 | Issaittuq | Title translated as 'waterproof' | |
| 2013 | Maïna | Aasivak | |
| 2016 | Searchers | 'Maliglutit' in Ikutitut.[13] | |
| 2018 | Tia and Piujuq | Tarriagsuk Ansaana | |
| 2020 | Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice | Young Shaman | |
| 2023 | Tautuktavuk (What We See) | Uyarak | |
| 2025 | Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film † | TBA | Filming[14] |
As filmmaker
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Journals of Knud Rasmussen | Writer, casting director, makeup artist | Credited with writing the Inuktitut dialogue |
| 2018 | Tia and Piujuq | Director, writer | |
| 2019 | Restless River | Co-producer | |
| 2023 | Tautuktavuk (What We See) | Co-director, co-writer, actor | with Carol Kunnuk |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | American Indian Film Festival | Best Actress | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | Won |
| 2023 | Toronto International Film Festival | Amplify Voices BIPOC Canadian First Feature Award | Tautuktavuk (What We See) | Won |
References
- "Lucy Tulugarjuk". Inuit Art Quarterly. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- "Lucy Tulugarjuk".
- "Uvagut TV celebrates launch with live event in Igloolik Wednesday". Nunatsiaq News. 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- Zerehi, Sima Sahar (8 September 2016). "'Hunter Tootoo Resign!' petition wants to force Nunavut MP's hand". CBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Rohner, Thomas (8 August 2014). "Nunavut throat-singer Lucy Tulugarjuk refuses to perform for MP Leona Algukkaq". The Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- "OSU to host conference on Native American Language". Oregon State University. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Gregoire, Lisa (17 March 2015). "Veteran Nunavut filmmakers shooting next feature production". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Ismaël Houdassine, "Tia et Piujuq, l’amitié sans frontières". Ici Radio-Canada Montreal, December 10, 2018.
- Asinnajaq (ᐊᓯᓐᓇᐃᔭᖅ) (15 April 2019). "Mother Tongue". Canadian Art. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- Christian Zilko, "American Fiction’ Wins People’s Choice Award at 2023 TIFF (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire, September 17, 2023.
- "Fort Smith, N.W.T. puts fur fashion on the runway". CBC News. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Warner, Andrew (26 January 2021). "Canada Launches First Indigenous-Language TV Channel". Language Magazine. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- Byrnes, Bernie C (20 June 2017). "Canada Now: Maliglutit (Searchers)". Loose Lips: Cherry-Picked Pop Culture. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- Moreau, Jordan (22 March 2023). "'Mission: Impossible 8' Brings Back Rolf Saxon From Famous Vault Scene in the First Movie". Variety. Retrieved 23 July 2023.