Joseph Idlout was one of the most famous Inuit in Canada. Husband of Rebecca Kilak and father of a daughter named Susan, he was a skilled hunter helping Southern people how to live and adapt to the Northern lifestyle of Canada. He could be found on the back of the Canadian two dollar bill, which was issued in 1975.

Portrait of Joseph Idlout

In the 1950s, Idlout had a celebrity status as a "model" Eskimo, that his biography inspired a firm by Barry Greenwald and produced by Peter Raymont called Between Both Worlds. This film documents the human cost of progress. As the South wiped out an established
way of life by sending more education, religion, and commerce north to help the Inuit civilize, Idlout became unable to cope. On June 2, 1968, Joseph Idlout was found dead after driving his snowmobile over a cliff.

Idlout's son, Peter Paniloo, takes us on a poignant journey through his father's life. Idlout, the great hunter, becomes a fox-fur trapper and guide. He gets caught up in the White world. Trying to improve his family's fortunes. Finally, Joseph Idlout does not know who he is or where he belongs. He is "Between Two Worlds"

Today the legacy of dependency is frightening. The suicide rate among young Inuit is five times the national average. The unemployment rate in many communities is a startling 50%.

Joseph Idlout could never have imagined the changes that would overwhelm his North, but he was one of the first casualties.

"This beautiful film is a remarkably sensitive portrait of Joseph Idlout. His story embodies all the tragedies and contradictions of our colonization of Inuit culture."

John Sharkey, Programmer, Toronto Festival of Festivals.

Awards

SESTERCE D'ARGENT (Second prize), NYON FILM FESTIVAL, Switzerland, 1990
SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL JURY AWARD, LEIPZIG, Germany 1991
GOLD APPLE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 1991 (Oakland CA.)
BROADCAST AWARD, YORKTON FILM FESTIVAL 1991
SILVER AWARD, HOUSTON FILM FESTIVAL, 1992
TORONTO FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS, 1990
LENINGRAD FILM FESTIVAL, 1991
MARGARET MEAD FILM FESTIVAL, (NYC), 1991,
FESTIVAL OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN (NYC), 1991
Nominated for three GEMINI AWARDS including BEST DOCUMENTARY 1992
Broadcast in 9 languages in 11 countries.

Source

History: Contact with Europeans (Inuit) - Exploring the Communities. The Kids site of Canadian Settlement Website

Between Two Worlds - First Run Icarus Films (FRIF) Website