The stars of the acclaimed APTN, CBC and Netflix comedy North of North, Anna Lambe and Maika Harper, join Sarah Burke to talk about one of the coolest mother-daughter duos on tv.
They talk about filming in their hometown of Iqaluit, and what changes when Inuit women aren’t simply represented in a story, but are helping lead the creative decisions behind it. Anna and Maika reflect on bringing their own lived experiences to Siaja and Neevee and how rewarding it's been working with creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.
They also get candid about women in media and the difference between walking onto a set where you’re expected to explain your identity and one where it is simply understood. Anna opens up about advocating for herself as an Indigenous woman in the industry, working on increasingly large productions, and why she gravitates toward women-led creative environments. Maika reflects on more than a decade in television, balancing acting with life as a single mother, and what it means for her daughters and other young Inuit people to see modern, funny, fashionable Inuit women on screen.
And while North of North can hold complicated histories and intergenerational experiences, Anna and Maika explain why the show refuses to define Inuit life through trauma. Instead, it centres humour, joy, messiness, family and community.
Also in the episode: Anna shares more about In the Heart of the South, her new film with North of North co-star Zorga Qaunaq, while Maika explains why, for the moment, she’s happy to be focused on being a mom.
North of North Season 2 is streaming now in Canada on CBC Gem and APTN+, with its Netflix release to follow.
Images courtesy of APTN/CBC/Netflix
https://gem.cbc.ca/north-of-north
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