Annabella Piugattuk

ANNABELLA PIUGATTUK

Date of Birth: December 19, 1983

Born in Iqaluit, Nunavik, Annabella Piugattuk grew up in the small town of Igloolik (just a few hundred miles south of the North Pole) with her four brothers and one little sister. Throughout her childhood, she listened to her grandfather tell stories of their ancestral past and learned a deep understanding of Inuit tradition. Annabella also became adept at hunting on her own and wilderness survival techniques, even saving her best friend from drowning in the frigid Arctic waters.

She developed an interest in acting after her grade eight teacher involved her in a school play. When Annabella was 19, she read a story in the Nunatsiaq News that reported casting directors were in town searching for actors for a new film, The Snow Walker. Her mother encouraged her to go out and get a copy of the script from company representatives, who were handing them out. She did, and that Friday night she was at a community dance with friends when she noticed a man gesturing at her to come over. It was casting director Jared Valentine, who asked Annabelle to audition for the role of Kanaalaq, who speaks Inuktitut and is able to survive in the wilderness. The role seemed tailor-made for Annabelle, whose first language is Inuktitut. After attending auditions locally, the tiny teen (she stands 4'9") and five other semi-finalists were flown to Vancouver to do screen tests. Several weeks after returning home, she received a call to say she'd gotten the job.

In her spare time, Annabelle enjoys hip-hop music, dancing, sports, snowmobiling and has recorded a CD of traditional throat-singing and songs. She currently makes her home in Vancouver.

Filmography:

The Snow Walker (2004)