The stands were full of moviegoers, and the parking lot was jammed with cars for the first drive-in film of the summer held at the baseball diamond in Rankin Inlet, Friday, July 22.
A few hundred people came down for the 11 p.m. show to see Nyla Innuksuk’s Slash/Back, filmed in Pangnirtung. Children filled the baseball stands, while others gathered in cars, piled on truck beds and got comfortable on ATVs to take in the movie.
Gabriel Karlik has been hosting the drive-in summer movies for the last three years. He used a projector and a giant white screen propped up on the baseball diamond fence this year, with plenty of cords and power sources for technical support.
“Last night was okay,” said Karlik about this summer’s debut, noting he ran into radio issues that had challenged him in the past. “The equipment’s old, so I’ve just got to start fixing it up again. But other than that, it was a good turnout.”
Karlik doesn’t sell tickets or charge admission, he just loves to do this. He was originally inspired to try an outdoor movie when he was in Iglulik three years ago.
“When the pandemic hit, I had to figure out another way to show movies without a lot of interaction, so that’s where the radio came in,” he said.
If all goes well and the weather cooperates, Karlik hopes to host drive-in movies every weekend up to October.
“Last year we only did it a couple of times because rain was the biggest issue,” he said, adding he intends to hold some indoor events as well.
