Vanishing Point is a perfect example of what is so great about film festivals, and for that matter, the National Film Board — it is a story that doesn’t often get screen time.
This 83-minute documentary follows a Greenland Elder, Navarana K’avigak’ and her life in the Arctic. It is a rare glimpse into a changing world. Directed by award-winning filmmakers and partners, Stephen A. Smith and Julia Szucs who have a background in environment science. They use an unobtrusive camera style to give the film an engaging point-of-view. As such, the viewer feels they are dropped into the scene as a member of this hunter-gather society.
The result is a touching, subtle and beautifully framed story about daily survival, northern traditions and human adaptation in a quickly changing landscape.
Set against the sublime of the tundra, Navarana’s story is narrated in her native tongue, Inukitut. Faced with warmer weather, which makes the ice surrounding their village dangerous to travel on, Navarana looks for answers by tracing her origins. It is said that her great, great, great uncle was a shaman from Baffin Island. He was called Qitdlarssuaq and in 1860 lead the Inuit migration from Canada to Greenland.
Now over 150 years later, Navarana is going to make the journey back to Baffin Island to find her Canadian cousins. There she discovers how the two genetically-linked groups of Inuit have adapted differently.
Vanishing Point is a rare gem that should not be missed. M
Sat., Feb. 9 • The Vic Theatre • Noon
Tues., Feb. 5 • Parkside • 7:15pm - SOLD OUT
Thurs., Feb. 7 • Parkside • 7:15pm - SOLD OUT
Review by local filmmaker Jeremy Lutter
www.jeremylutter.com