Zacharias Kunuk Honoured at The Banff Centre

Zacharias Kunuk, one of Canada’s most talked-about artists, will receive The Banff Centre’s prestigious National Arts Award on July 28. A public screening of Kunuk’s award winning film, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) will follow the presentation.

The Banff Centre National Arts Award alternates among the literary, media/visual, music, Aboriginal, and performing arts. In 2001, the National Arts Award is going to a deserving winner in the Aboriginal Arts field—to an Aboriginal artist whose work is of unparalleled creative excellence. Nominees for the National Arts Award are assessed on the criteria of their lifetime career accomplishments in the arts, the inspiration of other artists, and their encouragement of the development of the next generation of Canada’s artists.

As the 2001 award winner, Zacharias Kunuk receives the Donald Cameron Bronze Medal, a $10,000 cash award, and a residency at The Banff Centre. The Centre is committed to the advancement of Aboriginal Arts, not only in Canada, but worldwide; it reaches international indigenous communities through the Aboriginal Arts department. This department has a well acknowledged track record of commitment to the development and presentation of innovative contemporary Aboriginal Art, bridging traditional principles and contemporary expressions for Aboriginal artists. The programs represent a diversity of Aboriginal nations, cultures and disciplines.

A sculptor-turned-moviemaker, Zacharias Kunuk’s first feature film, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) swept six categories at the Genie Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay. Atanarjuat is an exciting action-thriller set in ancient Igloolik at the dawn of the first millenium. It has received international attention and numerous international awards since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year. At Cannes, it won the Caméra d’Or, an award for directors of debut feature films, and at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the movie was voted the Best Canadian Feature Film.

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)
Eric Harvie Theatre, The Banff Centre
Sunday, July 28 at 8:00 p.m. (The screening will be preceded by the presentation of the Banff National Arts Award)
Tickets: $5.00 or Free for Arts Lover Passholders and WIPCE delegates
Box Office: 762.6301 or 1.800.413.8368

Click here for Background Information on Zacharias Kunuck

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