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Marie-Hélène Cousineau

November 2006

Marie-Hélène Cousineau Marie-Hélène Cousineau has been integral to the development of women's video in Igloolik, Nunavut. In 1991, she founded Tarriaksuk Video Centre with Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn, and established Arnait Video Productions with Mary Kunuk and Madeline Ivalu. She still produces and directs videos for Arnait Video Productions, including the personal documentary Unakuluk, Dear Little One. She works closely with Mary Kunuk, and the pair have co-directed the videos Anaana/Mother and Ningiura/My Grandmother. Cousineau wrote the screenplay for and is currently directing Before Tomorrow for Igloolik Isuma Productions, an adaptation of For Morgendagen by the Danish writer Jorn Riel. She also coordinated the Nunavut tour of Atanarjuat/The Fast Runner for Igloolik Isuma, and was the still photographer for the film. Cousineau served as consultant in the development of the Nunavut Film Commission. From 2002 - 2004, she was the vice-president of Ajjitt, the Nunavut Filmmakers Association. She has also sat on the board of Studio XX, a feminist art organization in Montreal. Cousineau has taught media courses at the Collège Jean de Brébeuf and Concordia University in Montreal. Cousineau's video Women in Black won the Alcan Best Documentary Award at the Festival international du jeune cinéma de Montréal. She received an MFA in Communication Studies and Production from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and an MA in Art History from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She received a BA in Art History from Université Laval in Québec City, Québec. Cousineau was born in Montreal, the city where she currently lives. In addition to video production and teaching, Cousineau works as a freelance journalist for Radio Canada International and newspapers such as Nunatsiaq News and La Presse.

"I was in the North, people were really fun to work with , they were interested, I was curious, we got along and there you go!"

Screened by NMAI

Image credit: Marie-Hélène Cousineau - courtesy of the filmmaker

Screened by NMAI

Norman Cohn

Zacharias Kunuk


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