Miles Morrisseau
ICT
It was a big night for the folks of the fictional Inuit community of Ice Cove which won nine awards at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, including best comedy.
Showrunner Alethea Arnaquq-Baril thanked family and a crew that had to deal with challenges specific to the far north.
“Thank you to my husband and my children to all of our families who have to sacrifice so much so we can do what we do,” Arnaquq-Baril said. “Thank you to our incredible writers and cast and crew and all of the Inuit artists who worked so hard in our show. All TV is hard to make but we do it at -49. Y’all are creative warriors and we share this with you.”
Created with Stacey Aglok Macdonald, the show is a personal vision that was created in a Inuit cultural ecosystem that has been supporting artists for years.
“I also want to thank Nunavut Film. They [have] supported us since the beginning of our career. We wouldn’t be here without them,” said Aglok Macdonald. “And Carrie Swanson and the ISO thank you so much for your support.”
The series is about Siaja, played by Anna Lambe, a young Inuk woman who realizes that her life is not the life she wants to live and blows it all up to start again in a small community where no one and nothing has changed but her.
“This show is incredibly personal to us. It reflects our community, our families, our lives and our Arctic. I just want to say that this show is everything that I wanted, that I want to say to my young daughter and everything I wanted to say to my mother but didn’t know.”
“North of North” reflects a struggle that many women can connect to which is breaking free of the roles and limitations put on them whether it is in their relationships and the community expectations.
“We want women everywhere to know that even when you don’t have the words it’s OK to change your life and go for the life you really want,” said Anaqay-Baril. “You can be ambitious for yourself and your community.
While “North of North” took home the majority of awards in comedy, the drama competition was dominated by another popular Canadian export, “Heated Rivalry.” That series is also hugely popular around the world and Lambe sees both successes as a sign that new stories are being told.
“I think for a long time people would have been really afraid to take risks on you know queer hockey drama and a story about a very complicated family from the Canadian Arctic,” Lambe said on the red carpet when asked about the similar success of the two shows. “The humanity of these shows, of these characters, of these stories is what people want and they want shows that make them feel things and they want shows that have characters that you have to peel back layers on. So to me it makes so much sense that these are you know two big ones at the Canadian Screen Awards.”
The awards “North of North” won were:
- Best Comedy Series
- Best Lead Performer, Comedy – Anna Lambe
- Best Direction in Comedy Series – Zoe Hopkins
- Best Writing to Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Anaquq-Baril
- Best Supporting Actor, Comedy – Maika Harper
- Best Guest Performer, Comedy – Tanya Tagaq
- Best Achievement in Hair – Chyrstal Lotz, Tasha Cadotte
- Best Original Music, Caleb Chan, Brian Chan
- Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy – Anna Lambe, Maika Harper, Braeden Clarke, Zorga Qaunuq, Jay Ryan
Other Indigenous wins
It was a good night for APTN as one of the broadcast partners, along with CBC and Netflix.
APTN National News, the world’s only national Indigenous broadcaster, picked up the highly-coveted award for Best National Newscast.
“At the Place of Ghosts” (Mi’kmaq: Sk+te’kmujue’katik) took home the award for Achievement in Makeup, the film is a thriller focused on two Mi’kmaq brothers forced to reconcile when faced with supernatural forces. It was written and directed by Bretten Hannam, two-spirited Mi’kmaq filmmaker.
For performance in a supporting role, the drama award went to Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Kaina First Nation, for her performance in “Sweet Angel Baby.”
“40 Acres” was the big winner among film nominees picking up 10 awards including Best Picture, Director and Screenwriters. The post-apocalyptic thriller tells the story of the descendants of African-Americans who settled in Canada surviving in a dystopian future. The group connects with Indigenous survivors including Michael Greyeyes, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in the role of Galen.
Another Indigenous highlight from the awards broadcast was the live performance of Tia Wood’s latest single, “Sage my Soul” during the In Memoriam segment.
The segment ended with the words of Graham Greene, Oneida, who reminded the creatives, “If you want to be an actor, use your heart, don’t be afraid to show your heart, that’s where your feelings are.”