Two Lovers and a Bear comes home to Iqaluit

Nunavut cast and crew who helped to make the feature film Two Lovers and a Bear will get their first chance to see the film at home in Iqaluit this Saturday.

The Nunavut premiere will be a free screening at the Astro Theatre on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m., and a reception featuring Iqaluit's the Trade-offs will follow the film. There are rumours that one of the film's two main stars, Tatiana Maslany or Dane DeHaan, will also make an appearance at the screening.

The romance about two lovers who find refuge in the Arctic from their pasts was partly filmed in Iqaluit. It is Montreal-born director Kim Nguyen's first fiction film following his Academy Award–nominated Rebelle (War Witch).

"I can't wait for it to get here and be shown," said Ellen Hamilton, the film's Nunavut co-producer.

More than 100 people from Nunavut assisted in the making of the film, helping with anything from Ski-Dooing cast and crew to a shoot or operating the camera, said Hamilton.

She said the making of the film was like a master class for the Nunavut crew, who had the opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with industry masters.

Two Lovers and a Bear premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival in May and at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Hamilton said the Nunavut premiere will be unique.

"For sure there will be a lot of sealskin worn," she said with a chuckle.

For actor Vinnie Karetak, the most exciting part of the film is showcasing his hometown.

"The fact that you can see Iqaluit on the big screen — you can see Nunavut on the big screen — it's so beautifully shot," he said.

Karetak said the film is another example of the potential within the Nunavut film industry.

"It generates so much income. It's viable. It works."