American Documentary

Overview

Brooklyn, N.Y. – August 13, 2024 – POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody award-winning documentary series, explores what it means to confront the colonial sins of the past and what it takes to make reparations for the erasure of cultures in Danish director Lin Alluna’s candid, reflexive film, Twice Colonized. In the documentary, Alluna travels with renowned Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter as she embarks on a personal journey to reclaim her language and identity after a lifetime of whitewashing and forced assimilation. The goal, to bring her colonizers in both Canada and Denmark to justice. On a structural level, Aaju shines a new light on the very real effects of colonization, while pointing towards a better future. Twice Colonized, a co-production between Ánorâk Film, EyeSteelFilm, and Red Marrow Media, is the first co-production between Inuit across colonial borders.

Produced by Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Bob Moore, Twice Colonized, will make its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, October 14, 2024 at 10PM/9C (check local listings) on PBS Television, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The film is available to stream until December 13, 2024, at pbs.org, and the PBS App.

In addition to standard closed captioning for the films, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real-time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.

Now in its 37th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest running non-fiction series.

In Twice Colonized, Aaju Peter, a lawyer, activist, and grandmother, is a force of nature. As a member of a historically marginalized and oppressed community, Aaju's heritage puts her in the unique position of someone who has been "twice colonized" -- first by Danish settlers in Greenland, and then by modern-day Canadian policies and institutions. As an activist, she addresses the growing crisis of opportunity in the Arctic, defends the human rights and traditions of Indigenous peoples in the region, and is a fierce protector of her ancestral lands. In the film, Aaju takes offense to seal hunt activists, asking for an Inuit exemption so hunters can continue to hunt as they’ve done for generations. She works tirelessly to bring colonizers in both Canada and Denmark to justice while deploying her effusive spirit and illuminating wit to provoke self-examination and personal responsibility among Westerners for imposing their colonial ways. As Aaju launches an effort to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union, she finds herself facing a complex and deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds from the unexpected passing of her youngest son.

Filmed over five years, throughout the emotionally powerful documentary, director Lin Alluna journeys alongside Aaju as she plumbs through the social and personal wreckage of sanctioned white dominance to find the strength — within her abilities, her community, and her own vulnerabilities — to transform her hardships and painful experiences into something amazing that can inspire others who also struggle with the poisonous effects of colonialism.

Lin Alluna’s Twice Colonized is a powerful example of modernity brushing up against traditional cultures," said Chris White, Executive Producer, POV. "Lin deftly captures Aaju's relentless fight for the rights of the Inuit community, the reclamation of her native language and traditions, and how the remnants of colonization continue to shape her life. Lin's artistry and personal connection to Aaju allowed the story to not just be about Aaju's remarkable 'work', but also delves into her dynamic character and layered history."

“Aaju and I wanted to make a film that inspires and empowers you by portraying one person’s fight for change”, said director Lin Alluna. “To me, Aaju is a leader who understands that we need imperfect role models who dare to be vulnerable, and it makes me extremely proud that she chose me to make this film with her. We share a vision to paint an intimate and nuanced portrait of what it means for Aaju to be on a journey of self discovery as well as being an ambitious activist searching for a sustainable way to push governments to protect all of our children’s future. I’m very excited that this vision will now reach audiences in the US on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

Aaju is a Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and activist, based in Arctic Canada. She is a fierce defender of Indigenous rights and issues related to sustainability and resources. In 2011, she received Canada's highest honor, the Order of Canada, and since then she has been called upon as an advisor to both the EU and UN.

Twice Colonized made its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it was a Grand Jury Prize World Cinema - Documentary nominee. The documentary made its Danish premiere as the Opening Night film at the 2023 CPH:DOX Film Festival, and opened the 2023 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival marking its Canadian premiere. The premieres marked the first time in history that the same film opened both high profile documentary festivals. An official selection of many film festivals notable wins include the “Camera Justitia Prize” at The Hague Movies That Matter Festival 2023, and the “Grand Jury Prize” at the 2023 Gimli Film Festival.

Twice Colonized won the “Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary” Award at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, and received a nomination for “Best Original Music in a Feature Length Documentary.” It won the Transparency Jury Prize at the 12th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2024), received a Robert Award (the Danish Oscars) and Bodil (the Danish Golden Globes) nomination for “Best Documentary,” and Cinema Eye Honors recognized Aaju Peter as one of its “Unforgettables” Award winners at their 2024 ceremony.

• “Twice Colonized has a curiosity and a complexity that distinguish it from various other admiring activist portraits in the documentary sphere...."
  Guy Lodge, Variety
• "It’s a brave and generous undertaking from Peter, which is handled with respect and sensitivity by Alluna."
  Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
• "Watching Aaju Peter in her efforts and reflections becomes an emotional, artful journey."
  Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

Twice Colonized, a co-production between Ánorâk Film, EyeSteelFilm, and Red Marrow Media. Lin Alluna is the director. Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Bob Moore are the producers, and Katie McKay is the associate producer. The writers are Lin Alluna and Aaju Peter. Mark Bukdahl is the editor, and the cinematographers are Iris Ng, Glauco Bermudez, David Bauer and Lin Alluna. Sound design is by Benoît Dame and Catherine Van Der Donckt. Music is by Olivier Alary, Johannes Malfatti and Celina Kalluk.

Twice Colonized will be available for streaming concurrently with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

Photos

Download Twice Colonized photos.

Click Twice Colonized Press Kit to access the theatrical press notes.

Credits

Director: Lin Alluna

Producers: Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Bob Moore
Executive Producers: Inuk Silis Høegh, Mila Aung-Thwin, Daniel Cross, Aaju Peter, Erika Dilday, Chris White

Associate Producer: Katie McKay

Writers: Lin Alluna, Aaju Peter
Editor: Mark Bukdahl
Cinematographers: Iris Ng, Glauco Bermudez, David Bauer, Lin Alluna
Sound Design: Benoît Dame, Catherine Van Der Donckt
Music: Olivier Alary, Johannes Malfatti, Celina Kalluk
Language: English, Danish, Kalaallisut, Inuktitut
Countries: Denmark, Canada, Greenland
Year: 2023

About the Filmmakers

Lin Alluna, Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Twice Colonized

While cinematically dissolving the limits of reality, Lin Alluna’s (she/her) films focus on brave women who want to change the world. Twice Colonized is her debut feature; it premiered at Sundance in 2023 and was the first film to open both CPH:DOX and Hot Docs. She teaches filmmaking, is chair member at the Danish Film Directors association, and a graduate of the prestigious National Film School of Denmark. She is an alumni/lab fellow at IDFAcademy, UnionDocs, DFI Outreach, Nordic Talents and Circle Doc Accelerator.

Emile Hertling Péronard, Producer, Twice Colonized

Emile Hertling Péronard (he/him) is an award-winning and Oscar-nominated Greenlandic film producer operating out of both Nuuk and Copenhagen. A 2023 Cannes “Producer on the Move,” his films have screened at Cannes, Venice, Berlinale, Sundance and more. He is the Chair of Arctic Indigenous Film Fund, on the Board of Directors at ARTEF - the Anti-Racism Taskforce for European Film, the Executive Director of Nuuk International Film Festival, and in 2023, he was awarded the Greenlandic film prize, Innersuaq, for his work.

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Producer, Twice Colonized

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (she/her) is a Canadian Inuit filmmaker and activist, known for her award–winning films on Inuit life and culture. She was awarded the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross MSC, in 2017 in recognition of her work as an activist and filmmaker. She directed and produced Hot Docs Audience Award-winner Angry Inuk (2016), and the documentary was also included in the list of ‘Canada's Top Ten’ feature films of 2016. 2016 was also the year she joined forces with fellow Inuk filmmaker Stacey Aglok - a partnership that pushed her to fall in love with scripted work too. Alethea has been fending off problematic scripts from non-native producers ever since her first film was released.

Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Producer, Twice Colonized

Stacey Aglok MacDonald (she/her) is a Canadian Inuit filmmaker, known for her groundbreaking work as a writer, producer & director. Raised in Kugluktuk, Stacey got her start as a production assistant in a documentary. It was her first drama, Throat Song (2013), that launched her career. Since then she has helped produce and direct one of the most well-known Inuit language television shows, Qanurli. Today, Stacey is one of Nunavut’s leading television producers, and she owns the production company Red Marrow Media together with Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

Bob Moore, Producer, Twice Colonized

Bob Moore (he/him) is Co-President and Creative Producer at EyeSteelFilm in Montreal where he has produced over 40 feature documentaries since 2008. Together with his talented partners and collaborators, he has been the recipient of over 100 international awards, including Emmys®, Cinema Eyes, Golden Horses, Owls, Phoenixes, and a variety of other celebratory animal-themed prizes. He’s been the subject of a Producer’s Spotlight at the Cannes Marché du Film, is currently an advisor and mentor working with the Sundance Film Festival, IDFA, DMZ Docs South Korea, QUMRA, Tokyo Docs, Dhaka DocLab Bangladesh, Hot Docs, and RIDM.

About

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied, American Promise, Minding The Gap and Not Going Quietly, and innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras and Nanfu Wang. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Snapchat and Instagram.

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About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.

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