Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Biennial 16

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
6 Febuary — 15 June 2025

Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny (2006)

Mark Sandiford
Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny
2006
Digital video, colour, sound
52 minutes
© 2006 The Big Hellos Inc. All rights reserved
Photo: Gary Elmer

Overview

This documentary pokes fun at the ways in which Inuit people have been treated as ‘exotic’ documentary subjects by turning the lens onto the strange behaviours of Qallunaat (the Inuit word for white people). The term refers less to skin colour than to a certain state of mind: Qallunaat greet each other with inane salutations, repress natural bodily functions, complain about being cold and want to dominate the world. Their odd dating habits, unsuccessful attempts at Arctic exploration, overbearing bureaucrats and police and obsession with owning property are curious indeed.

A collaboration between filmmaker Mark Sandiford and Inuit writer and satirist Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat! brings the documentary form to an unexpected place in which oppression, history and comedy collide.

Screening and Booking Information

Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny (2006)
Director: Mark Sandiford
Canada
Documentary | 52 minutes
English and Inuktitut with Arabic subtitles

Details about the full programme and the screenings can be found here.
To book your tickets, click here.