Tony: Back from the Brink prompts screenings, stories
CBC North will host a series of screenings of documentary tale of redemption
Tony Kalluk should have been long dead. Instead, he's on a rocky road to redemption.
That's the premise of a 45-minute documentary film produced by Clyde River's Piksuk Media.
Tony: Back from the Brink tells how Kalluk grew out of a horrendous childhood and into a violent life of crime, spending over 20 years in the prison system.
- Scroll down to watch the entire film
Against the odds, he managed to turn his life around and return home, where he began counselling others heading down a similar path, though it's clear his struggle is far from over.
The film is "storytelling, plain and simple" writes Nunavut defence lawyer Malcolm Kempt in his review.
It's also served as a starting point for stories on the theme of justice and healing.
The CBC's Curtis Mandeville spoke to a former N.W.T. inmate about the lack of programming in the territory's prison system.
The film also prompted Mandeville to learn more about his uncle, Dennis Lafferty, who spent much of his life in jail.
Yellowknife-based Kate Kyle reported on the N.W.T.'s new wellness court, and one man who says it's helping him turn his life around.
Screenings held in Yellowknife, Iqaluit, planned for Whitehorse
CBC North held a free public screening of the film at Northern United Place in Yellowknife on Wednesday, April 27.
It was followed by a panel discussion with Dene leaders, healers and people who work inside and outside of the justice system.
A screening was held in Iqaluit May 12 at the Astro Theatre for students of Inuksuk High School.
That screening also featured advice from inmates currently held in Iqaluit.
CBC is also planning a screening in Whitehorse at a to-be-determined date.