A riveting collage portrays a century of Inuit history, and envisions a vibrant future

In her celebrated short film Three Thousand (2017), the Montreal-based Inuk artist Asinnajaq presents a bold vision of Inuit life. Her experimental work weaves together nearly a century of footage from the vast archive of the National Film Board of Canada, as well as newly commissioned animations. Early black-and-white ethnographic films give way to coloured images, including scenes of Inuit children in Canada’s infamous residential school system and, eventually, visuals with aurora-inspired colours that hint at a vibrant Inuit future. The flurry of scenes is set to a score of lullabies, stirring strings, Inuit throat singing and sounds of the Canadian north. And, despite its many eclectic parts, Asinnajaq’s collage forms a unified, stirring whole – one that glimmers with contradictions, vitality and hope.