special voyage to biff

Last night I felt so humbled and privileged to be in the audience for the Brisbane premiere screening of Inuk as part of BIFF. I went in with no preconceptions- actually I didn't have any knowledge of what I was about to see- I simply accepted a ticket from a friend and proceeded to spend the entire night glued to the screen. The film took me in- the beauty of the frozen land, the gripping anxiety and reality of life there and the comparisons and contrast that kept popping into my mind of our own red dust desert and indigenous people. (You can read more about the film and its story on their website.)
The end of the film came with much applause and strangers in the audience couldn't help but make conversation with neighbours about the gripping journey they had just experienced, via a little silver screen in the backrooms of the Tribal Theatre on Brisbane's George St.The best bit was still to come...
At the end of the film, BIFF introduced us to the lead 'actors' from the film- all the way from Greenland. I say 'actors' because Inuk used no professional actors in its filming, only real people, most of who were involved with the real Uummannaq childrens home, about which the film is centred. My goosebumps were enormous as I listed to these wonderful people, including the social worker and 4 children from the home talk about their experiences, love for their country and difficulties facing Greenlandic Inuit's.
I felt so overwhelmingly lucky to have been in the audience, so greatful that in Brisbane, we have a strong arts culture that allows things like BIFF exist and that their programming is such that it lets ordinary Brisbanites be part of such wonderful events.
Happiness gush over for now! Go see + support Inuk! :)