This month the HS Doc club is showing Angry Inuk, a new doc showing the Native side of the seal hunting ban. That’s right, a pro seal hunting movie. Controversies aside, I wanted to make an image that showed the seal in both respect and sadness.
Im quite happy with the illustrated solution I came up with, probably my favorite HS Doc poster so far. The icy landscape is in the rough shape of a seal with the head haloed by the setting sun, with the abstract reflection implying blood in the water. The canoe based hunters are returning to land with their catches, providing for their families. The intent was not so much as to show a dieing seal in the water, but an ingenious community living off the land and traditions that have supported them
“In her film Angry Inuk, Inuit director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Though most commercial sealing is conducted by Inuit in the Arctic, anti-sealing activism has created a perception of the industry that denies their central role in the sealskin market. To reinsert themselves into the international discussion, these Inuit activists must inconvenience the fundraising campaigns of animal groups by using all the tricks in the social media book, and invent some of their own along the way, like “sealfies.” Seal meat is a staple food for Inuit, and many of the pelts are sold to offset the extraordinary cost of hunting. Inuit are spread across extensive lands and waters, and their tiny population is faced with a disproportionate responsibility for protecting the environment. They are pushing for a sustainable way to take part in the global economy, but in opposition stands an army of well-funded activists and well-meaning celebrities.” – National Film Board of Canada
For more information, check out HS Doc Club
