The ducks rise against the other-worldly blue of the winter sky, a blue so cold that you feel it deep inside your bones. This is the frozen paradise of the Belcher Islands, situated on the Hudson Bay in Canada's northern Arctic reaches. Eider's live here all year; the people of the Belcher's hunt them in Autumn and collect their eggs and down in the Spring. "One winter in the early 90's, there was a large die-off of thousands of eiders." Sparked by this threat to the bird they've relied on for generations, the Sanikiluaq reflect on their unique relationship with the eider; "... we see how we have changed ... how can we better adapt for the future?"

Juxtaposing the past with the present the Inuit reconstruct life on a traditional Eider hunt. As a flock of Eiders move across the horizon the Inuit are in place hidden by the snow and ice loaded winds swirling across the bleak landscape. As the ducks get within range the men spring into action, slings arch above to pluck their prey from the sky. The ducks form their entire life support system. Surviving in igloos in the blizzard driven ice families munch on frozen dried duck meat and keep warm wrapped in the feathered Eider pelts while lamps powered by burning duck fat give light and thaw frozen tired limbs.

Despite the enormous changes over the last 100 years, the Sanikiluaq people are still deeply buried in the rhythms of the natural world. A hundred years ago they went out to hunt the eider on the ice and travelled across the broad Arctic landscape on dog drawn sleds. Today guns and snowmobiles may have replaced spears and dogs, but unlike elsewhere in the world these innovations haven't interrupted the Sanikiluaq rhythms of life and they feel the changes in the natural world keenly. "Since the damming began our currents have not been as strong."

The ducks fly through the freezing water to reach the urchins that lie on the sea floor. The underwater photography is as good as it gets; hundreds of birds winging in slow motion through the water, sun shining through the gaps in the ice above. "How's the current? Very strong?" Through the green shimmer of the water, we see the seaweed pulled by the swift-moving water. "This polynya (open body of water amidst the ice) wouldn't be here back in the 80's and 90's. The weather is changing."

Through stunning time-lapse photography and underwater footage, this remarkable film creates an authentic and insightful portrayal of a community challenged by a changing environment. Visual poetry weaves past with present to powerfully acknowledge humankind's relationship with nature and the fragility of our existence.

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Winner - Direction/Cinematography, New York International TV/Film Awards, 2012

Winner - Environment Award, San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, 2012

Audience Choice Best Environmental Film, Vancouver International Film Festival, 2011

Best Film of 2011, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, 2011

Official Selection, Hot Docs, 2011

Best Documentary, Leo Awards, 2012

Best Screenplay, Leo Awards, 2012

Best Feature Film, Reel Earth, New Zealand, 2012

Winner - Jury Award, Wild and Scenic Film Festival, California, 2013

Best Documentary, Berlin Independent Film Festival, 2013

Winner - Jury Award, Korea Green Film Festival, Seoul, 2012