portrait of children

Marie-Hélène Cousineau

Co-director Marie-Hélène Cousineau formed the collective Arnait Video Workshop, and is its coordinator/trainer as well as an active collaborating producer. Along with co-director Madeline Pijuq Ivalu, she directed the feature film Before Tomorrow, winner of Best Canadian First Feature at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. She also co-produced the 2011 APTN documentary series The Uluit, which was nominated for a Gemini for Best Documentary Series. Her video work has been widely exhibited in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. With an MFA in Communications from the University of Iowa, Cousineau was also associate professor of Communications at Concordia University in Montreal (1997-1999). From September 29 to December 16, 2012, her installation Perdre et retrouver le Nord et retrouver le Nord was on view as part of the opening eight-artist show Archival Dialogues: Reading the Black Star Collection at the Ryerson Image Centre in Toronto.

Madeline Piujuq Ivalu

Co-director and actress Madeline Piujuq Ivalu has been a key elder participant in all Arnait projects since its inception. With Marie-Hélène Cousineau, she co-directed Arnait’s award-winning feature film Before Tomorrow. She was cultural advisor and interviewer for the Arnait productions Women/Health/Body and Itivimiut as well as storyteller, musician, actor and writer for Qulliq, Ataguttaluk Starvation, Piujuq and Angutautuq and Unikausiq. She presented the videos of the Workshop at the 1996 Qaigit Symposium in Ottawa. She represents Igloolik women Paukktutit, the Pan-Canadian Inuit Women’s organization.