From the bush near Fort Macpherson, to lighting up marquees at film festivals around the world, The Sun at Midnight's extraordinary journey continues.

The NWT feature film — directed and produced respectively by local film stalwarts Kirsten Carthew and Amos Scott — reached yet another high-point in its festival drive over the weekend at Arkansas' Bentonville Film Festival. 

At Saturday's award gala, Meg Ryan took to the stage to hand out the festival's Best Narrative award as selected by the jury. It was Carthew and her project on the receiving end — a testament to the waves this film is making on the international stage.

See Carthew accept the award in this recap video

This is the latest in a string of successes for the film's cast and crew, which has included high profile screenings at the Berlinale Film Festival, an award win at the Whistler Film Festival, and Leo Award nominations over the last year. 

The film was the first-ever local recipient of funding under the GNWT's Film Rebate program administered by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Carthew and Scott have also received travel assistance through the SEED program to provide the resources necessary to build the film's profile and develop further capacity as filmmakers and producers. 

What's next for The Sun at Midnight? Who knows. But if the last year is any indication, there's surely more to come. 

As the NWT's film sector continues to grow, the Department of ITI continues to deliver programming to support the skills development needed for a strong local industry, encourage more success stories like The Sun at Midnight, and diversify the NWT economy. 

Learn more about programs and services available for filmmakers at the NWT Film Commmission .