Idlout came to public attention after the release of the 1952 documentary
Land of the Long Day. At the time Idlout was living in
Pond Inlet and was known for his ability as a hunter and leader at the camps. The publicity of the film has led to him being called the "most famous " of his time. He was posthumously the subject of the 1990 documentary film
Between Two Worlds, directed by
Barry Greenwald and produced by the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Investigative Productions Inc. In the one-hour documentary, Idlout's son, Peter Paniloo takes viewers on a journey through his father's life. The film is included in the NFB's Inuit film collection,
Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories.
Between Two Worlds is a continuation of Idlout's life after the making of
Land of the Long Day until his death in 1968, when he drove a
snowmobile over a cliff after drinking at the
Royal Canadian Air Force base. ==Family==