#FIRSTLOOK: INDIGENOUS SCREEN OFFICE CONTRIBUTES $1 MILLION TO IQALUIT TV PRODUCTION STUDIO

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has confirmed its 1M dollar contribution to the building of a film and television production studio in Iqaluit, Nunavut. ISO was first-in-funder for the studio initiative, led by Red Marrow Media, which triggered a private partnership investment from fellow Inuk entrepreneur Cody Dean, and marks a notable milestone as ISO’s largest funding commitment yet. This is part of a larger investment in Nunavut through the ISO’s Sector Development program, which also includes support for two broadcast entities, Inuit TV and Uvagut TV.

The capital contribution to create the studio space in Iqaluit ensures Red Marrow’s as-yet untitled scripted series created and written by Inuit writers and producers Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril will be shot in Nunavut rather than in the south, maximizing the benefits of the project for the Inuit production community. The project is majority produced by Red Marrow Media, in partnership with Miranda de Pencier’s Toronto-based production company Northwood Entertainment and is the first ever CBC/APTN/Netflix collaboration. Following production, the studio will continue to create economic development opportunities for Nunavut’s film and TV industry, and be shared for broad community use.

“ISO worked hard to negotiate terms with Canadian Heritage that would allow us to support capital costs because we know this is a critical component to building capacity in the Indigenous screen sector – particularly in the north,” said Kerry Swanson, CEO of the ISO. “We are incredibly proud to be able to help build much-needed production infrastructure in Nunavut that will create industry opportunities for generations to come.”

“We are so grateful to the ISO for supporting our vision for a space in Iqaluit. This studio will enable our production community to create content on a scale that has never been possible before,” said Alethea Arnaquq-Baril & Stacey Aglok MacDonald, co-CEOs of Red Marrow Media. “It is so important to us to be able to create content in our own homelands, which allows us to bring our community into our show, both onscreen and off. A studio like this would have been game changing for us at the start of our careers, and we hope its existence now will help spark the careers of many more Inuit creatives to come.”

In the last five years, the ISO has been a pioneering organization in the screen, arts and culture sectors, delivering over $24.6m directly to over 320 First Nations, Inuit and Métis recipients across Canada. Over 88% of ISO’s total budget has been delivered directly to applicants and projects over the last two years, with all funding delivered in both official languages. The organization’s work in advocacy, funding policy, program design and delivery, eligibility, narrative sovereignty and protocols have been replicated and advanced across the industry, where ISO is widely acknowledged as a leading organization.

The ISO is the first organization of its kind in Canada and abroad – an independent Indigenous-led and run funding organization that supports screen-based content owned and controlled by Indigenous storytellers on all platforms. ISO’s mandate is in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ratified by Canada, which positions storytelling and self-representation in media as a fundamental right. With 67% of funding in 2022 going to projects with Indigenous languages, the ISO further supports the government’s Indigenous Languages Act and language rights affirmed by this government and by UNDRIP.

About ISO

The ISO is the first organization of its kind in Canada and abroad – an independent Indigenous-led and run funding organization that supports screen-based content owned and controlled by Indigenous storytellers on all platforms. ISO’s mandate is in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ratified by Canada, which positions storytelling and self-representation in media as a fundamental right. With 67% of funding in 2022 going to projects with Indigenous languages, the ISO further supports the government’s Indigenous Languages Act and language rights affirmed by this government and by UNDRIP.