Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice, directed by Zacharias Kunuk, has won Best Animated Short at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards.
This is the second win for Taqqut Productions after Giant Bear won Best Animated Short in 2019.
The short-film features an adaptation of a traditional Inuit story from North Baffin, telling the story of a young shaman who must face her first test.
Travelling underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, the young shaman must face challenges and learn to control her fear.
“In the Inuit culture, long before the Europeans came, we have heard stories of how they would heal the sick, in the time of shamans and helping spirits that rule the land, in the land of sky goddess, land goddess and the sea goddess,” said Kunuk.
Featuring evocative stop-motion imagery, Angakusajaujuq has been acclaimed around North America and Europe, winning film festival awards eight times, including multiple awards at the 2021 Ottawa International Animation Festival, the 2021 Spark Animation Awards and other accolades.