IGLOOLIK, Nunavut — To celebrate the launch of Canada’s first all-Inuit TV channel, Uvagut TV will air a two-hour live special on Wednesday, February 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.
Uvagut TV launched on January 18 (as we reported here) and brings Inuktut programming to more than 600,000 homes across all four Inuit regions and the rest of Canada, via the Shaw Direct satellite service. Cable operator Arctic Co-operatives Limited also carries the channel in Nunavut and Northwest Territories and the channel owners are seeking wider Canadian carriage, too.
Co-hosted by Inuit producer and director Zacharias Kunuk (above, top left) and Uvagut TV managing director Lucy Tulugarjuk (top right), the channel’s special celebration will feature elders, spokespersons and performers from across Inuit Nunangat.
“Countless Inuit have worked over generations to dream the first Inuit-language channel into existence,” says Tulugarjuk, who is also executive director of Nunavut Independent Television Network (NITV), which owns and operates Uvagut TV. “This is a cause for celebration, and we’re honoured to have so many friends, so many great Inuit artists, join us for the party.”
The show will feature throat singing, drum dancing and performances by opera singer Deantha Edmunds (bottom left) from Nunatsiavut, “Inuindie” singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer (bottom right) from Nunavik, and Angela Amarualik from Igloolik whose fusion style blends traditional and pop music, says the press release.
“This is a special moment,” says Kunuk, vice-chair of NITV and head of the Isuma Group, who is best known for his Inuktut-language feature film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. “We’ve wanted our own TV channel in our own language for so many years. Now that day is finally here.”
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