Nanook of the North was released on 11 June 1922.
29-year-old Robert J. Flaherty was hired in 1913 as an explorer on an expedition looking for iron ore and other minerals in the Hudson Bay. Flaherty brought along a camera and filmed footage of Inuit families he met during 2 years of the expedition. While editing, Flaherty dropped a cigarette on the flammable film, destroying more than 30,000 feet of negative.
Flaherty returned to film again, concentrating on a single Inuit family. At the time, there had been few documentaries made and some of the techniques Flaherty used (recreating scenes, modifying surroundings to accommodate the camera equipment, and exaggerating some elements of Inuit life) are now thought to be controversial.
Nanook of the North was an immediate commercial and critical success, and was the first feature-length documentary to achieve success.
