Ulannaq Ingemann
b. 1990 Sisimiut, Greenland —
“I like films without dialogue,” explains the owner of Ujâvaaq Pictures Ulannaq Ingemann from his home in Sisimiut, Greenland. “I find them really interesting because I like being in that quiet place.” Following his studies at the European Film College in Ebeltoft, Denmark, Ingemann’s first release Killormut (Upside Down) (2014) reflects this particular preference. The film portrays a man wrestling with suicidal thoughts through rigid shots, almost all completely set in the cab of his overturned vehicle after it veers off the road. The audience’s point of view changes only briefly, consistently mirroring the claustrophobic feeling of the man’s inner thoughts.
Thor Eugenius (2016) employs a similar deliberate quietness to evoke a feeling that, according to the director, “is not in slow motion but [is] very slow in the feel.” Wide landscape shots mingle with tight scenes of photographlike stillness, alongside warm close-ups that express the daily life of hunter Thor Eugenius. The short exemplifies the patience and pace of life as an Inuit hunter—all in under three minutes. Though many of his projects are currently freelance, Ingemann has a passion for timelapse, a technique that further relays his perspective of the beauty of Greenland and its people.
Ingemann is currently finishing the Black Mirror– inspired short family drama, titled Updated, set for release in August 2019, with director Nivi Pedersen. Updated follows a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and her son, who is planning for her to be part of his wedding. Futuristic (or near-future) technology provides access to the ailing mother’s thoughts. Here, the director’s fondness for stillness and quiet becomes a thought-provoking examination of the complexities of silence. – Napatsi Folger