Before Tomorrow

This startling debut by Quebec filmmakers Madeline Piujuq Ivalu and Marie-Helene Cousineau is set against a desolate, frosty landscape in the 19th century.

An Inuit woman and her grandson lean on their myths and traditions in an attempt to overcome overwhelming odds after an encounter with white explorers leaves their future uncertain. It's a simple but mesmerizing and lyrical tale, and a beautiful tribute to an ancient culture that is all but forgotten. (Cassandra Szklarski)

From Unknown: The distaff side of the Inuit collective that made Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner and The Journals of Knud Rasmussen display superior storytelling flair in this drama of an elderly woman trapped on a remote island with her teen grandson. It's the 1800s and their job is to leave their mainland camp and dry the season's fish catch before the snow flies. The arrival of the white man brings terror that no one could have imagined. The film inspires both awe at nature's majesty and revulsion at man's insults to the world.