Greenland’s Filmmakers Are Ready to Tell Their Own Stories

Family entertainment starts in the morning, with some smaller acts taking over the afternoon. As the sun sets, legendary singer-songwriter Rasmus Lyberth takes the stage with his guitar. When his raspy voice reaches the high notes of “Nipaannerup Anersaava (The Spirit of Silence)”, a teary-eyed crowd joins in. Lyberth is a source of national pride, one of the few local musicians whose fame has spread beyond the island.

Angunnguaq Larsen is busy setting up the sound equipment for the Aasapalaaq Festival, one of the leading cultural events of the summer here in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. It’s late August, and Greenlanders know to take advantage of a sunny day before the weather becomes unbearable. Local groups sell hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. Kids play around Aqqaluk Square while grandparents sit on folding chairs.

Angunnguaq Larsen is busy setting up the sound equipment for the Aasapalaaq Festival, one of the leading cultural events of the summer here in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. It’s late August, and Greenlanders know to take advantage of a sunny day before the weather becomes unbearable. Local groups sell hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. Kids play around Aqqaluk Square while grandparents sit on folding chairs.

Family entertainment starts in the morning, with some smaller acts taking over the afternoon. As the sun sets, legendary singer-songwriter Rasmus Lyberth takes the stage with his guitar. When his raspy voice reaches the high notes of “Nipaannerup Anersaava (The Spirit of Silence)”, a teary-eyed crowd joins in. Lyberth is a source of national pride, one of the few local musicians whose fame has spread beyond the island.

In between songs, people keep approaching Larsen, who is also a local celebrity. Despite regularly working as a sound technician and music professor, he has starred in some of Greenland’s most famous movies. In 2009, he appeared in Nuummioq, a story about a construction worker who finds love right when he gets diagnose