Angry Inuk

Canadian filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril offers a passionate, albeit somewhat strident, defense of seal hunting by the Inuit people. Opposition to seal hunts began to gain momentum in the late 1970s and early ‘80s thanks to well-funded activism by environmental groups coupled with eco-supportive celebrities eager to attach their star to a cause. Angry Inuk argues that over time the Inuit people saw their economic self-sufficiency and cultural heritage suffer due to outside pressure to halt the seal hunting. Arnaquq-Baril views seal hunting from a very different perspective, recalling happy childhood memories when she joined her family in pursuit of the animals that would later provide the meat for their meals and fur for their clothing. The film follows Canadian Arctic hunters as they capture, kill, skin, and dine on the seals. Arnaquq-Baril attempts to arrange interviews with the anti-hunting environmental groups, but is constantly rebuffed. While it is refreshing to have an articulate presentation of the hunters' side of this story, Arnaquq-Baril's argument of an ongoing existential threat to Inuit civilization is not entirely convincing, especially since the ban of imports of seal skin and seal meat has been in effect in Europe since the 1980s and the Inuit tribes are still thriving. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)