| Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice | |
| Director: | Zacharias Kunuk |
| Producer: | Neil Christopher Jonathan Frantz Zacharias Kunuk Nadia Mike |
| Starring: | Madeline Ivalu Jacky Qrunnut Lucy Tulugarjuk |
| Music: | Beatrice Deer Sylvia Ipirautaq Cloutier |
| Cinematography: | Evan Derushie |
| Editing: | Evan Derushie Daniel Dietzel Maia Iotzova |
| Studio: | Kingulliit Productions Taqqut Productions |
| Distributor: | Isuma |
| Runtime: | 20 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English Inuktitut |
Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice is a Canadian animated short film, directed by Zacharias Kunuk and released in 2021.[1]
A story about the traditional Inuit role of the shaman, the film centres on a grandmother (Madeline Ivalu) and granddaughter (Lucy Tulugarjuk) who travel to the underworld in an effort to heal an ill young hunter (Jacky Qrunnut).[2]
The film was released alongside a children's picture book of the story, written by Kunuk and illustrated by Megan Kyak-Monteith.[3] The book was published in both English and Inuktitut; the latter edition won the 2021 Indigenous Voices Award for work published in an indigenous language.[4]
The film premiered at the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Award.[2] It had its Canadian premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Canadian Short Film.[5]
The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.[6] It was subsequently named to the initial shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the 94th Academy Awards,[7] and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.[8]
It also won Best Independent Short Film at the Festival Stop Montreal.[9]