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Netflix's North of North was filmed in Iqaluit, the Nunavut capital city, in northern Canada. The principal photography took place within this Arctic Circle, an unusual instance of a mass-market TV show filming exclusively within one of Canada's most remote regions. The show was filmed in Iqaluit deliberately so that the series could authentically depict the community and landscape that the series is centered on.
It matters where the CBC show was produced because the show is concerned with the mundane lives and culture of the Inuit who reside in the North. By filming in Iqaluit—rather than a Southern Canadian city built to resemble the Arctic—the show was able to place its narrative in a context that is so much in sync with its thematic interests, physical environment, and regional specificity.
Why Nunavut was selected as the location for the filming of North Of North?
Nunavut was chosen because of its connection to the setting and characters for the series which were based on Inuit society and northern Canadian life. It is the newest, largest, and northernmost territory in Canada, established in 1999 to grant a higher level of self-government control over the government to its original Inuit population. Its unique geography and culture offer the best possible backdrop to a series aimed at commenting upon Inuit life and worldview.
The majority of television shows based on northern communities are filmed in the South and use sets or digitally created environments to create the Arctic environment. North of North reversed that by filming the entire show on location in the very place they were portraying. This provided the show with a visual and cultural reality that might otherwise have been hard to find.
About filming in Iqaluit
Iqaluit, a population of about 7,000, was the hub of filming North Of North. Baffin Island, situated along the coast of Frobisher Bay, is where Iqaluit lies. Famous for its dramatic tundra, authentic architecture, and harsh landscape, the series often takes advantage of its features, which could perhaps be described as part of the visual lexicon of the program.
The gunfights made use of all areas of the city, from residential neighborhoods to public facilities and scenic spots. Unlike scripted worlds, these places provided a more real-world, documentary-style appearance. Typical details like snowy roads, northern lights, and beach icebergs aren't special effects—they're on-camera details of the Iqaluit territory.
Environmental and logistical challenges during the filming of North Of North
Nunavut's filming presented unique logistical and environmental considerations. In Iqaluit, temperatures routinely drop far below freezing, especially with its long winter season. The city also has little daylight for parts of the year, primarily from December to February. These weather conditions prompted alterations to the shooting schedule, equipment to be adapted for cold-weather use, and limited portions of available light to work with.
Transporting equipment and supplies into Iqaluit was also a significant process. Because the city is not connected to any other part of Canada by road, everything—set pieces, lighting gear, and movie gear—was brought in by air or sea. Travel and crew bookings were also made with isolation requirements in mind.
Despite such constraints, the production remained committed to the ambition of shooting on location. Behind these limitations lies a deeper desire to stay rooted in the geographic and cultural environment of the story.
Community involvement and cultural representation in North Of North
Local participation was an important aspect of the shooting process. Locals from Iqaluit occupied the foreground and background of the films. Community members were provided with numerous supporting roles and background cameos, and local expertise was utilized for location scouting, logistical planning, and cultural advisement.
The series includes footage of Inuit activities in traditional style, local tradition, and even Inuktitut dialogue, one of the official languages of Nunavut. These were achieved with input from local consultants to ensure authenticity and respect. By filming on location in Iqaluit and involving the community directly, the series managed to get some aspects of living in the North with minimal invention.
The choice to film on location in Nunavut also serves to highlight a part of Canada that is rarely represented in made-for-TV television shows. Although the program remains fictional, its commitment to shooting on location to represent an underserved area is an uncommon move within the industry.
North of North was shot entirely in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. This northern location was chosen due to its direct mapping to the geographic and cultural terrain of the program. Shooting on location in the Arctic came with several logistical and environmental issues, like challenging weather conditions and isolation, but these were avoided to keep location-based authenticity.
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Local participation was also engaged to develop the authenticity of production to enable the program to portray local life and culture genuinely. By shooting in Nunavut rather than building it in studio sets, North of North created a thematic and visual link between its fictional communities and the ones represented—and thus a show doing the location proud and in respect.
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