Lucy Tulugarjuk
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Lucy Tulugarjuk is a Canadian Inuk actress, filmmaker, writer, throat singer, and executive director of the Nunavut Independent Television Network. Originally from Igloolik, Nunavut, and born in Churchill, Manitoba, she has played a significant role in bringing Inuit culture and stories to a broader audience through film and television. Tulugarjuk first gained international recognition for her starring role in Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001), a groundbreaking Inuit-language film that won the Camera D'Or at Cannes and the Genie Award for Best Picture. Her performance earned her the Best Actress Award at the American Indian Film Festival in 2001.
Tulugarjuk's career spans over two decades, during which she has contributed in various capacities including acting, writing, directing, costume design, and translation of Inuktitut dialogue. She made her directorial debut with Tia and Piujuq (2017), a feature film exploring the friendship between a Syrian refugee girl and an Inuit girl, which premiered at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. In 2023, she co-directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in Tautuktavuk (What We See), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Amplify Voices Award for Best First Film.
Beyond her film work, Tulugarjuk is a celebrated throat singer and cultural advocate. She has used her platform to support Inuit traditions and language revitalization, notably managing Uvagut TV, a 24/7 online channel dedicated to Inuktitut programming. Her activism includes public stands on environmental issues affecting Inuit communities. As a creative force and cultural ambassador, Lucy Tulugarjuk continues to influence Indigenous representation in media and preserve Inuit heritage through storytelling
Tulugarjuk's career spans over two decades, during which she has contributed in various capacities including acting, writing, directing, costume design, and translation of Inuktitut dialogue. She made her directorial debut with Tia and Piujuq (2017), a feature film exploring the friendship between a Syrian refugee girl and an Inuit girl, which premiered at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. In 2023, she co-directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in Tautuktavuk (What We See), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Amplify Voices Award for Best First Film.
Beyond her film work, Tulugarjuk is a celebrated throat singer and cultural advocate. She has used her platform to support Inuit traditions and language revitalization, notably managing Uvagut TV, a 24/7 online channel dedicated to Inuktitut programming. Her activism includes public stands on environmental issues affecting Inuit communities. As a creative force and cultural ambassador, Lucy Tulugarjuk continues to influence Indigenous representation in media and preserve Inuit heritage through storytelling
