Director: David Poisey, William Hansen
National Film Board of Canada. 1991. $39.95
Length: 59 minutes
Audience: High School, Post-Secondary
Topics: communications, diversity, representation

This film, about the Inuit's struggle to control television in the North, focuses on the achievements of IBC, the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation. Narrated by Ann Hanson, one of IBCs leading broadcasters, Starting Fire With Gunpowder features excerpts from some of the network's most popular programs, including a soap opera, the adventures of Super Shamou, documentaries and dramas on the issues of wife assault and substance abuse, news and current affairs programs about native land claims issues, and documentation of traditional lore. All programs are produced in Inuktitut, with the stated aim of preserving the language and culture of the Inuit.

The film also discusses some of the political and economic difficulties faced by those involved in native communications. This example of a people determined to use the new technology to tell their own stories raises interesting questions about representation and cultural survival. Useful for media education, social studies, courses on the North and development communications.

Starting Fire With Gunpowder can be ordered online from the National Film Board.