Honouring the Impact of ‘North of North,’ Netflix’s First Series From Canada

(Netflix)

By Netflix

“Tunngasugit.” In Inuktitut, this means “welcome”.

And we’re excited to tunngasugit you to the fictional town of Ice Cove, the Inuit community at the heart of Netflix’s first series from Canada, North of North.

Co-produced with CBC in partnership with APTN, North of North represents a significant milestone for Netflix, as well as the larger Canadian entertainment industry. As the first production of its scale filmed in the Arctic Canadian territory of Nunavut, it showcases the cultural and geographic richness of Canada’s northernmost territory.

Created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, the show follows a young Inuk woman who wants to build a new future for herself after a very public exit from her marriage in her small Arctic town. While the series is a comedy, the creators, cast and crew faced plenty of challenges while filming the show in the far North — from harsh weather conditions and handling the logistics of transporting materials across thousands of kilometers, to figuring out how to tame fly-away hair in temperatures so cold that hair spray didn’t work.

North of North was mainly filmed in Iqaluit, Nunavut’s real-life capital and most populous city, with the local curling rink doubling as the production stage for the show’s sets. Hundreds of people in the town helped bring the show to life, with 500 locals serving as background actors — including the mayor! — in addition to the series’ 45 Canadian cast members.

Behind the scenes, more than 300 Canadian crew members, along with over 225 Canadian vendors (including more than 60 from Nunavut), worked on the production, which spanned 61 days and 20 shooting locations across Nunavut and Toronto. Overall, North of North had more than $23M in Gross Value Added Impact¹. 

Members of the community also participated in the series’ mentorship program, which allowed locals to learn the filmmaking process by moving between multiple departments and roles and gaining experience in everything from directing to set dressing and visual artistry. (To learn more about the show’s creative process, production design, costumes and key Inuktitut words, click here.)

North of North not only had a real impact on the communities where it filmed, but it’s bringing authentic storytelling from Inuit creators to our members around the world. 

So bundle up on the couch with a blanket and some bannock and settle in for this heartwarming Canadian story. North of North is now streaming on Netflix.