Programs

Greenland: Life at the End of the World

It’s the largest island in the world and 80% of it is covered by an ice cap. This immense land of isolated ice fascinates. And more and more tourists are setting out to conquer it. 

Between polar temperatures, icebergs and polar bears, Greenland remains a raw and hostile land. The 56,000 Greenlanders have learned to live in these extreme conditions. In the village of Oqaatsut, reindeer and seal hunting and fishing punctuate the daily life of the thirty-five villagers. Here, there is no running water, no doctor or hairdresser. A single classroom serves as a church and dispensary. And to get around, the sled dog remains the most effective means. On this immense territory, where no road connects the cities, the sick must be evacuated by helicopter or plane.

In Nuuk, life is a little less harsh than in the rest of the country. Greenlandic youth, increasingly connected, are determined to break the isolation of this frozen universe by frequenting nightclubs, concerts and even gourmet restaurants. But to cook, you have to be imaginative because the refrigerators are often empty. On this polar land, made up of 90% permafrost, it is impossible to grow vegetables. All fresh products are imported by ship from Iceland and Denmark. 

But if nothing grows on this frozen territory, the subsoil is nevertheless full of treasures: uranium, iron, hydrocarbons, rare earths and even rubies, among the most beautiful and rarest on the planet. We profile life at the end of the world.

PRODUCTION INFO

  • Year: 2022
  • Duration: 52 mins
  • Production: Ligne de Front
  • Director: Sarah Fournier & Erik Woringer
  • Available Versions: FRA
  • Country of production: France