Untamed beauty has drawn Cory Trépanier to paint the Canadian Arctic for over a decade. Preparing for a touring exhibition in Washington DC, he heads back on an expedition to complete his vision. For 9 weeks, Cory travels with Inuit elders; paddles the most northerly canoe route in North America; walks in the footsteps of early explorers; voyages the Northwest Passage and deeply connects with a changing land. With the future of the North at a crossroads, can a simple stick and some bristle paint the Arctic into the hearts and minds of others, so far away?

Director's Statement

In 2006, I first stepped into the 1.5 million square kilometres of the Canadian Arctic. It was an extension of a lifelong passion for the natural world that I had been expressing through my art as a landscape painter since my youth. In this search for untamed beauty, I immersed myself into the overwhelming vastness of our North. Majestic mountains, wild rivers, enormous glaciers, sublime icebergs, endless tundra and poignant human history became new subjects for my canvases and films. Being humbled took on a new meaning. With a pack full of painting, film, and camping gear, I traversed 60,000 kilometres through 6 Arctic National Parks, 16 Arctic communities, and explored countless places in-between. Perspectives experienced by plane, helicopter, ship, boat, canoe, and on foot, often limited day-to-day accoutrements to the basics of hiking boots, food, and a tent; deepening my connection to the land. Through my time exploring the Arctic with the Inuit, whose generations on the land have taught me so much, my journeys became even more fulfilling. Friendships I've made through these experiences continue to enrich my life and inform my art, and will do so for the rest of my life.

Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Environment, Arts, Indigenous, Road Trip, World Cinema.

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