In the Shadow of the Tugtupite

A cinematic portrait of despair and anxiety towards an unknown future for the Inuit of the world's largest island. The film questions the rationale behind past and future mining prospects in Greenland and how they are linked to the search for identity of the fledgling nation in a post-colonial world.

  • Inuk Jørgensen
    Writer, producer, director
    The Bottle Cleaner, Greenland Adventure Race, Home, Hedtoft
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 3, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    3,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Greenland
  • Country of Filming:
    Greenland
  • Language:
    English, Kalaallisut
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Nuuk International Film Festival
    Nuuk
    Greenland
    September 16, 2020
    World Premiere
    Jury Award - Best Shortfilm
  • Red Nation International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    November 1, 2020
    North American Premiere
    Best Documentary Short Nominee
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood
    United States
    December 30, 2020
    Gold Award - Best Documentary, Bronze - Best Editing, Honorable Mentions - Director, Cinematography, Score
  • Dunedin International Film Festival
    Dunedin, Florida
    United States
    January 11, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Tromsø International Film Festival
    Tromsø
    Norway
    January 19, 2021
    Scandinavian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Skabmagovat Film Festival
    Inari
    Finland
    January 28, 2021
    Finland Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Canberra Short film Festival
    Canberra
    Australia
    March 27, 2021
    Finalist, Best Native Stories
  • Tampere Film Festival
    Tampere
    Finland
    March 10, 2021
    In competition
  • Demetera International Short film Festival
    Paris
    France
    May 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Trento Film Festival
    Trento
    Italy
    April 30, 2021
    Italien Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Ecocine
    Sao Paolo
    Brazil
    March 29, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Liberation DocFest
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    April 6, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Wairoa Māori Film Festival
    Wairoa
    New Zealand
    June 5, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Nickel Independent Film Festival
    St. Johns
    Canada
    July 19, 2021
    Canadian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • GECO Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    July 3, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Native Spirit Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 5, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Alpi Giulie Cinema/Monte Analogo
    Trieste
    Italy
    February 5, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Arctic Shorts Film Evening
    Brussels
    Belgium
    TBA
    Official Selection
Director Biography

Award-winning short film director and producer. Educated from the university of Aarhus, Denmark, Inuk has been making home movies and short animations since his childhood in Greenland. As an adult he has been involved in several marketing-/shortfilm productions as well as being an active member of the film making community of Greenland, Film.gl. As an indigenous filmmaker he has a focus on aesthetic images and personal stories that touch on the identity, history, and culture of the Greenlandic Inuit people.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Inuit have always told stories, and this short film is in many ways a retelling of old folklore - yet strangely predictive of things to come.

Today Greenland is a fledgling nation trying to break loose of the chains of colonialism, but in the process history is about to repeat itself as international interest in the riches of the country is on the rise. Colonialism in a post-colonial world. With this film I want to draw a parallel between modern day Greenland and the history of the people of the great island.

Without pointing any fingers I aim to make sense of things to come while drawing inspiration from an old Inuit tale of the red rocks of the Tugtupite (which literally means the blood of the reindeer). For the film I wanted to depict a town devoured of people while always have the mountains looming in the background to create tension, and with only a few camera movements and hardly any human activity as this plays well in connection to the message of the film.

As Inuit we have always told stories and I wonder what stories future generations will tell about us.