# Zacharias Kunuk

Zacharias Kunuk OC ONu (Inuktitut: ᓴᖅᑲᓕᐊᓯ ᑯᓄᒃ, born November 27, 1957) is a Canadian Inuk producer and director, most notable for his film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. It is the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inuktitut with an all Indigenous cast.
He is the president and co-founder of Igloolik Isuma Productions, Canada's first independent Inuit production company. His co-founders are Paul Qulitalik, Paul Apak Angilirq, and Norman Cohn (the only non-Inuk team member). Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) was named as the greatest Canadian film of all time by the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival poll.

## Background

Zacharias Kunuk was born in Kapuiviit (Jens Munk Island) on Baffin Island, Nunavut (then part of the Northwest Territories), Canada. In 1966, he attended school in Igloolik. There he carved and sold soapstone sculptures to afford movie admissions. As his skill improved, he was able to buy cameras and photographed Inuit hunting scenes. When he heard about video cameras in 1981, he purchased the basic equipment to teach himself how to create his own movies.

## Career

In 2002, Kunuk was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
His second film, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, in which he is a co-writer and co-director with Norman Cohn, is a co-production with Denmark. It premiered on September 7, 2006, as the opening film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In June 2007, Zacharias Kunuk filmed the rescue and return of his father, Enoki Kunuk, who was lost for 27 days in the Arctic tundra.
Kunuk is the co-founder of the Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change Project, along with Ian Mauro of the University of Victoria's School of Environmental Studies. The goal of the project is to collect information from Inuit elders for a film about the Inuit perspective on the impact of climate change on Inuit culture and the environment. The project submitted a video to the United Nations for the 2009 COP15 Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change which was presented at the National Gallery of Denmark.
As of April 2011, Kunuk is developing a project with Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond about the 18th century conflict between Cree and Inuit, which lasted almost a century.
In July 2017, Kunuk joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as part of 774 new members invited that year.
In March 2019, Kunuk was made a member of the Order of Nunavut, the sole member of the Order's 2018 class.

## Filmography

Feature films and television:
* Nunavut: Our Land - 1995, director and writer of television series
* Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner - 2001, director, producer, writer and editor
* Kunuk Family Reunion - 2004, director and producer of television documentary
* Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through Canadian Cinematic Psyche - 2004, appeared in television documentary
* The Journals of Knud Rasmussen - 2006, director, producer and art director
* Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) - 2008, executive producer
* Tungijuq - 2009, executive producer of short
* Home - 2011, director and writer of short
* Sirmilik - 2011, director of documentary
* Searchers (Maliglutit) - 2016
* Edge of the Knife - 2018, executive producer
* Kivitoo: What They Thought of Us - 2018
* One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk - 2019
* Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice - 2021
* Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara) - 2025

## Awards

| Year | Award | Result | Recipient |
| 2001 | Cannes Film Festival: Golden Camera | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2001 | Edinburgh International Film Festival: New Directors Award | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Tied with L.I.E.) |
| 2001 | Ghent International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize-Special Mention-Grand Prix | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2001 | Hawaii International Film Festival: Special Mention Best Feature Film, Best Feature Film | Nominated | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2001 | Santa Fe Film Festival: Luminaria-Best Feature | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2001 | Toronto International Film Festival: Best Canadian Feature Film | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2001 | Cinemanila International Film Festival: Lino Brocka Award | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Tied with What Time Is It Over There?) |
| 2002 | Genie Awards: Claude Jutra Award-Best Achievement in Direction, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Motion Picture | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Shared with Norman Cohn, Paul Apak Angilirq, Germain Wong) |
| 2002 | Newport International Film Festival: Audience Award-Best Feature | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2002 | San Diego International Film Festival: Festival Award-Best Feature Film | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2002 | Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: TFCA Award-Best First Feature | Win | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2003 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: CFCA Award – Most Promising Director | Nominated | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2003 | Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award-Best Foreign Film | Nominated | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner |
| 2019 | Vancouver International Film Festival: Best Canadian Film Award | Won | One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk |
| 2021 | Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film | Won | Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice |

## Books

* Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice (2021)