Join us for a special screening of the new Greenlandic documentary Qajaq Man, that recently won best Documentary at the Nuuk International Film Festival, followed by a Q&A by microbiome researchers for the general public.
Directed by Joe Derrick, Qajaq Man follows British chef and adventurer Mike Keen on an extraordinary 3,000-kilometer solo kayak journey along Greenland’s wild west coast — from Qaqortoqin the south to Qaanaaq in the far north.
Frustrated by the rise of processed food and chronic illness, Keen sets out to strip life back to its essentials. His radical experiment: survive entirely off the land and sea, eating only what the Arctic environment provides. Along the way, he prepares his own interpretations of the traditional Greenlandic menu — seal, whale, reindeer, musk ox, and fish — while learning from Inuit food culture and seasonal rhythms.
But this is more than a survival story.
As he paddles through vast Arctic landscapes, facing isolation, extreme weather, and the demands of tradition, Keen sends gut microbiome samples to a scientist in Nuuk. The results track how his return to ancestral eating transforms the invisible ecosystem inside his body. What begins as a personal health experiment becomes a powerful meditation on nourishment — physical and emotional — and on the deep connections between food, culture, and community in a country shaped by both natural forces and geopolitical tensions.
Blending magnificent cinematic nature photography with authentic mobile footage from the kayak itself, Qajaq Man creates a vivid portrait of Greenland’s landscapes and its people. The documentary is 67 minutes long.
An adventurous man. A kayak. 3,000 kilometers.
A cinematic journey through Greenland — and into the human gut.
After the screening, stay for a Q&A where we’ll explore Indigenous food traditions, and what this remarkable journey reveals about health, resilience, and our relationship to the natural world.
The expert panel will consist of:
Associate Professor Aviâja Lyberth Hauptmann, Ilisimatusarfik (Grønlands Universitet) who is one of the researchers in the documentary investigating Keens gut microbes.
PhD student Mads Bjørn Bjørnsen, Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics and Ilisimatusarfik who is also part of the research team behind the documentary.
Professor Tom Gilbert, leader of Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, University of Copenhagen a world leading expert in microbiome research and hologenomics.
The event and documentary will be in English and is free but you have to sign up via this link to secure your spot.
We look forward to welcoming you.