Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
You’ve probably heard that there are dozens of Inuit names for snow, but what do they each mean, and what purpose do they each serve? In this short documentary, the Inuk filmmaker Rebecca Thomassie from the remote village of Kangirsuk in the far north of Quebec in Canada learns many of these terms from a local elder, Tommy Kudlak, so that she might pass them along to her three-year-old daughter. As Thomassie and Kudlak travel by snowmobile through the pristine white landscape, he teaches teaches her words describing snow that’s ideal for building igloos or shelters, snow that’s good for drinking, and more. Produced by Wapikoni Mobile, a nonprofit organisation that helps Indigenous filmmakers craft films that reflect their cultures, issues and rights, Thomassie’s short makes for a charming and fascinating window into Inuit cultural knowledge.
Director: Rebecca Thomassie
Website: Wapikoni Mobile
video
Life stages
At 14, Asal is excited about her engagement. Her relatives all have their own opinions
33 minutes
video
Metaphysics
Bertrand Russell wanted to kill off causation. Can contemporary philosophy rescue it?
8 minutes
video
The future
What’s the healthiest way to handle a creeping feeling that the world is ending?
15 minutes
video
Ethics
How many monkeys is it worth sacrificing to save a human life?
6 minutes
video
Psychiatry and psychotherapy
Pondering the peculiar one-sided intimacy of the client-therapist relationship
3 minutes
video
History of science
Bat-people on the Moon – what a famed 1835 hoax reveals about misinformation today
8 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Thirty years after one teenager shot another, is it time to forgive?
28 minutes
video
Biotechnology
What it’s like to wear a prosthetic that ‘feels’
6 minutes
video
Family life
Fifty years ago, a train collided with Jack and Betty’s car. Here’s how they remember it
9 minutes