Of the North's distributor apologizes to Inuit community

The distributor of Dominic Gagnon's film of the North, which has been panned by critics as painful and racist, has apologized to the Inuit community.

"I'm truly sorry people are hurt. I don't even know how to express how sorry I am," said Julie Tremble, head of Vidéographe, an artist-run non-profit organization.

"It's really bad and it shouldn't happen, but it did."

There are the stereotypes and painful imagery and misinformation that spreads about Inuit and indigenous people that does have a [palpable] effect on our lives.- Concordia professor Heather Igloliorte

Tremble added that as far as Vidéographe is concerned, Gagnon's documentary, which is an assemblage of publicly available internet videos, "has died."

She said the filmmaker has received multiple requests to remove clips from the film to the point where the current version is nothing but 74 minutes of silent blackness.

Tremble spoke to CBC News after a roundtable discussion at Concordia University on Wednesday night hosted by the FOFA Gallery.

The topic was "Cultural Representation in the Media Arts, Ethics and Freedom of Expression," but talk focused almost entirely on Gagnon's film.

Three of the five panelists were Inuit, including Concordia professor Heather Igloliorte.  

"Although I may appreciate this may be a new conversation for some of you, it is not new for Inuit," Igloliorte said.  

"There are the stereotypes and painful imagery and misinformation that spreads about Inuit and indigenous people that does have a [palpable] effect on our lives," she added.

Of the North ignited controversy last November when it screened at the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).  

The mashup documentary, billed as "a hallucinatory vision of the Arctic," contains clips of drunk Inuit--passed out, vomiting and crashing an ATV.  It also features one extremely graphic sexual scene.  

Pushing limits

Critics say it reinforces negative stereotypes about a marginalized people, and that some footage isn't from the North at all.

Gagnon, who has never been to the Arctic, has defended his film, saying it's not racist and he hopes it will provoke discussion.  

Panelist and Gagnon supporter Mathieu Grondin said that's been the case for him.

"I think what's positive in what came out of this is it pushed the limits of my knowledge of these cultures," Grondin said. 

"Maybe this conversation is more productive for whites than for indigenous people."

Quality discussion or reviving old stereotypes?

But filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril disagreed. 

"I completely reject the idea that it's generated quality discussion," she said.

"All we get the chance for people to hear is, 'we're not all drunks, really.'"

Radio producer Stephen Puskas likened the film to "trying to start a conversation by insulting the other party."

In the spirit of promoting dialogue, the FOFA Gallery offered simultaneous French-English translation to the entire audience. They also live-streamed the sold-out event on the web.

Gagnon declined an invitation to participate in the event but said he would watch, "with great interest, behind my computer screen, as usual."

As of Thursday, he could not be reached for comment.