Mosha Michael (c. 1948 – November 17, 2009) was sometimes called Canada's first

Inuk Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...

film maker. He made three short films for the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

in the 1970s: ''Natsik Hunting'', ''The Hunters (Asivaqtiin)'' and ''Whale Hunting (Qilaluganiatut)''."Inuk filmmaker mourned"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, November 20, 2009. Michael grew up in

Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...

. Diagnosed with tuberculosis as a child, he was sent to a clinic in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

for a year for treatment. He also had to attend a residential school in

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

. Later in life, Michael became homeless, due to a long-term problem with alcoholism. He died from internal bleeding a week after surgery at St. Michael Hospital. His sister Naulaq blamed decades of alcohol abuse for his death.

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* 1948 births 2009 deaths Film directors from Nunavut Inuit from the Northwest Territories Inuit filmmakers National Film Board of Canada people Street people Alcohol-related deaths in Canada People from Iqaluit Canadian documentary film directors Inuit from Nunavut {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub