Village at the End of the World 2012

Welcome to beautiful Niaqornat, Greenland, population: 59, and an affectionate picture of a very chilly place. “British filmmaker Sarah Gavron’s (Brick Lane) first documentary depicts the course of a year in a remote village in Northern Greenland with more dogs than people. The film focuses on four townsfolk – Lars, the only teenager;  Karl, the huntsman who has never really acknowledged that Lars is his son; Ilanngauq, the outsider who moved to Niaqornat after meeting his wife online; and Annie, the elder who remembers the ways of the shamen and a time when the lights were fuelled by seal blubber. The economic and ecological future of the community is more fragile than its hardy inhabitants, and Gavron filters these bigger issues through her compelling observation of their everyday lives. Ravishing cinematography by David Katznelson (Downton Abbey) establishes the icy location as the beautiful and unpredictable fifth ‘character’ in this astutely constructed real-life drama.” — Clare Stewart, London Film Festival

Festivals: London 2012