FACTS ABOUT FILM MAKING IN GREENLAND
Whether you need extra cameras, drone footage, audio professionals, a lift on a snowmobile, helicopter or a passenger-approved speedboat, or just someone to keep a lookout for unwelcome polar bears, help is always at hand.
As a filmmaker, you can hire quality equipment which is specially adapted to conditions where severe frost and heavy snowfall are often the order of the day.
There is ample opportunity to work with professionals that have extensive local knowledge. Over recent years, the Greenlandic film industry has developed wide-ranging expertise, and local filmmakers have been producing feature films, documentaries, short films, commercials and much more. Many of them are members of the industry association FILM.GL which is only too pleased to help you find flexible and creative solutions to the challenges you face.
Be sure to check out the contacts page to find the right expert for your production, be it photography, line production or general fixing.
There are two airlines operating scheduled flights to and within Greenland. The largest is Air Greenland, which operates a fleet of Dash-8 aircraft that fly between the 13 airports in the country. Helicopters connect the airports to the many heliports located in small towns and villages, while the company’s Airbus 330 flies between the international airport at Kangerlussuaq / Søndre Strømfjord and Copenhagen. The company also operates flights between Copenhagen and Narsarsuaq in South Greenland over the summer months.
Air Greenland also operates seasonal flights from Keflavik, Iceland to both Nuuk and Ilulissat in Greenland.
Air Iceland flies between Reykjavik and six different destinations in Greenland, and the Icelandic capital provides access to a host of destinations in Europe and North America.
There are no regular passenger ferry services sailing to and from Greenland. However, the passenger ferry Sarfaq Ittuk, operated by the company Arctic Umiaq Line, sails domestically between the different ports of Greenland for most of the year. The ferry operates a regular service along the west coast of Greenland.
Greenland covers an area the size of Western Europe. Of its 56,000 inhabitants, about 48,500 live in towns and some 7,500 live in settlements. There are no roads between towns. This means that you have to sail or fly if you want to travel from one place to another. You can also travel by snowmobile or dog sled in some places during the winter season.
13 towns have airports for fixed-wing aircraft. 46 other places have helistops or heliports.
In addition to regular scheduled flights, you can charter planes and helicopters with Air Greenland and other companies. Air Greenland has more than 50 years’ experience flying in the Arctic and has an extensive network of hangars, stations, pilots and technical staff throughout the country.
You can sail with the country’s only passenger ferry Sarfaq Ittuk which is owned by the company Arctic Umiaq Line. The ferry sails along most of the west coast of Greenland, from Qaqortoq in the south to Ilulissat in the north and has room for 274 passengers. There are also smaller companies with passenger-approved vessels that run local, scheduled services and also offer chartered services. You can book with these companies through local tourist offices.
Greenland has an Arctic climate. Average summer temperatures do not exceed 10°C. However, temperatures can rise up to 20°C or more in South Greenland, as well as areas of fjords that are furthest inland.
There are big differences in climate between the north and south of the country. Contact your fixer or the local tourist office in your chosen destination to ensure that your preparation is as good as it possibly can be.
Weather often changes from hour to hour. In a short space of time, you can experience raging storms, brilliant sunshine, pouring rain and sudden blue skies. The low humidity means that the cold does not feel as raw as it does elsewhere in the world and it also means that views can extend over exceptional distances.
The forces of nature make their presence felt. You may experience delays and cancellations to your programme because of the weather. On the other hand, the locals have a flexible and creative approach to handling these challenges.
The rise and setting of the sun also gives ample opportunity for longer production hours, be it daytime- or nighttime shoots. Working around the arctic circle means that your can experience the midnight sun during summertime, or many hours of aurora during the long, arctic winters.
Greenlanders are a traditional and modern people. Our vibrant society is in constant flux, but the people are still able to preserve a traditional way of life. Greenland offers drum dance and opera, beautiful national costumes and haute couture, dogsleds and large cars, hunting, fishing and online shopping.
Greenland is a country of extremes. It has always been thus for the people who have lived here. You can see this reflected in music, mythology, food and language.
The country offers ambitious architecture, design, theatre, festivals and extreme sports, but most families still cultivate the ancient traditions of hunting and fishing.
Greenlanders are true pioneers. Nature has always had its say in the way in which Greenlandic society has evolved. The impact of nature on the people who live here manifests in their openness and energy – and their pioneering mentality. Greenlanders solve the challenges they face and are known for their hospitality and the friendly welcome they extend to visitors.
Whether you need extra cameras, drone footage, audio professionals, a lift on a snowmobile, helicopter or a passenger-approved speedboat, or just someone to keep a lookout for unwelcome polar bears, help is always at hand.
As a filmmaker, you can hire quality equipment which is specially adapted to conditions where severe frost and heavy snowfall are often the order of the day.
There is ample opportunity to work with professionals that have extensive local knowledge. Over recent years, the Greenlandic film industry has developed wide-ranging expertise, and local filmmakers have been producing feature films, documentaries, short films, commercials and much more. Many of them are members of the industry association FILM.GL which is only too pleased to help you find flexible and creative solutions to the challenges you face.