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DIRECTED BY KIRSTEN CARTHEW
Canada | 2016 | English | 108 minutes | NA
FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE | WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING
Lia, 16, an inner city teen with an attitude, is sent to live with her grandmother in the unforgiving far north. Desperate for a better life, she steals a boat and sets out into the harsh arctic wilderness, where she meets Alfred, a caribou tracker, who reluctantly takes her under his wing and exposes her to an unfamiliar world of vulnerability and danger. When Alfred is severely wounded in a bear attack, their roles reverse and Lia must fight to save both of their lives.
The Sun At Midnight explores how global environmental concerns have an effect on people. In 2010 there was a ban on caribou hunting in the Northwest Territories. Today, there is real fear the caribou will disappear due to resource development and accelerated climate change. The Gwich’in see themselves as stewards of the land. Their name translates to mean “keepers of the caribou”. As Alfred puts it, “if the caribou die, we die too”. The Sun At Midnight takes place during the Summer and Fall time, which is an intensely beautiful and symbolic period. For a limited time there is a sun at midnight – the arctic sun does not set making it the opportune place for wanderers to undertake a lifechanging journey.
