Natar Ungalaaq
Inuk actor, filmmaker, and sculptor
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Natar Ungalaaq (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓇᑕᕐ ᐅᖓᓛᖅ, born 1959) is a Canadian Inuk actor, filmmaker and sculptor whose work is in many major collections of Inuit art. Before playing the lead roles in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) and The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) (2008), Ungalaaq played major roles in other Canadian and American films, including Kabloonak (1995), Glory & Honor (1998). He is also a producer and director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.
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Ungalaaq was the carving buddy of director Zacharias Kunuk. With funds raised by selling their handmade work, they bought their first camera gear in 1981, and started a production company in an Inuit community that didn't even have a TV.
Natar is also a renowned carver. He began when he was 9 or 10 years old, using his grandfather's tools. His carving in white soapstone, "Sedna with a Hairbrush 1985",is featured in the National Gallery of Canada's collection.[1]
In 2016, he made his debut as a director, codirecting the film Searchers with Kunuk.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Frost Fire (TV) | Inuit |
| Trial at Fortitude Bay | Tommy | |
| 1995 | Kabloonak | Mukpullu |
| 1998 | Glory & Honor (TV) | Ootah |
| 2001 | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | Atanarjuat |
| 2004 | Sleep Murder (TV) | Jimmy Tarniq |
| 2006 | The Journals of Knud Rasmussen | Nuqallaq |
| 2008 | The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) | Tiivii |
| 2013 | Maïna | Tadio |
| 2016 | Iqaluit | Noah |
| 2018 | The Grizzlies | Pete |
Awards
Ungalaaq was awarded the Best Actor award at the American Indian Movie Awards[3] in 2002 for Atanarjuat.[4] He won the Genie Award for Best Actor at the 29th Genie Awards for his role in Ce qu'il faut pour vivre.[4][5] He also won the Jutra Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Best Actor award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for the same performance.[4] In September 2009, Ungalaaq was presented with an award of distinction by the Nunavut Film Development Corporation.[6] This award recognized Natar's body of work and his contribution to Nunavut's film community.[7] In 2016, Ungalaaq won Best Indigenous Language Production (2016) for "Maliglutit (Searchers)" at the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.[8]