Youngest-ever Dead North film director hails from Inuvik

This year, nine-year-old Paige Loreen of Inuvik was the youngest-ever director to participate in the Dead North Film Festival (DNFF).

"It's a scary movie," Paige said. "In the movie, when me and my friend were getting chased by the clown, the clown caught me first … Natalie was running away, and she thought she got away, but then she bumped into the clown and she got caught."

Loreen directed and acted in her film, Run Away, which co-starred her best friend Natalie Nasogaluak and Carl Gruben.

Run Away was edited by Dez Loreen, and David Stewart was the film's director of photography.

This year, a youth category DNFF launched a youth category for young filmmakers to submit films.

Run Away is the Paige's first film.

"It was fun," she said of making the film. "I'm already thinking of the next one a little bit."

According to the festival's website, the DNFF is the world's only circumpolar genre filmmaking festival. This year, the festival, which is in its sixth run, took place from Feb. 28 to March 4.

Filmmakers from around the North produce original short films, which are showcased over the course of five days in Yellowknife.

Paige also participated in a special effects makeup workshop at the festival.

"It's exciting!" she said, adding that she's never done special effects makeup herself before, but her mom has done her makeup for Halloween so that she looked like a monster.

Run Away can be viewed on the film's official Facebook page, Run Away the Movie by Paige Loreen.

Dez Loreen, Paige's father, also submitted his own film, Whimper, to the festival. Whimper was the runner-up for the best scare award.

JD Jones of Inuvik also submitted a film to the festival, Whistler's Lament, which won the award for best visual effects.