Filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk Joins the Department of Theatre and Film as a Guest of the Geoffrey & Margaret Andrew Fellowship in Creative & Performing Arts for the Month of January.

Nyla Innuksuk is the founder of Mixtape VR which produces Virtual and Augmented Reality content. A writer for Marvel Comics, Innuksuk co-created the character of Snowguard, a teenage superhero from Pangnirtung, Nunavut and a member of Marvel’s Champions League. Working in mixed media allows Nyla to channel her passions for technology and genre storytelling among mediums that include interactive graphic novels, film, television and synthetic experiences. Originally from Igloolik, Nunavut, Innuksuk studied film at Ryerson University before working as a producer at the Aboriginally owned and operated Big Soul Productions. She then went on to found Pinnguaq VR before establishing her own company in Mixtape. In addition to her film and digital work, Nyla sits on the board of directors of Ontario Creates (formerly the OMDC) and the Glenn Gould Foundation. She was recently selected by Google to be included in their exclusive Google Jump program, is an ambassador for the Northern Indigenous Film Fund in Norway and was the 2018 imagineNATIVE artist in residence.
From Nyla:
“During my time at UBC, I am hoping to foster relationships with students and faculty that are doing interesting work that may relate to my field. I am currently developing several projects that I am able to spend time researching and developing while I am here on campus. One is a curated gallery exhibit that will include a virtual reality experience about shamanism and the Inuit belief system of Sila. I am also finishing a script for my first feature film called Slash/Back that will go into production this summer. During my first week here at UBC, I had a short 360 degree video shoot with London-based fashion designer Curtis Oland and I’ll finish post production on the video which will then be a part of a fashion exhibit at London Fashion Week in mid-February. The VR project in particular focuses on the connectedness of humans to our physical environment and I can’t think of a more beautiful place (other than perhaps Nunavut) where I could be thinking about these themes.”