Atanarjuat: the Fast Runner
| Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Zacharias Kunuk |
| Produced by |
Paul Apak Angilirq Norman Cohn Zacharias Kunuk Germaine Wong |
| Written by | Paul Apak Angilirq |
| Starring |
Natar Ungalaaq Sylvia Ivalu Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq Lucy Tulugarjuk |
| Music by | Chris Crilly |
| Cinematography | Norman Cohn |
| Edited by | Norman Cohn Zacharias Kunuk Marie-Christine Sarda |
| Distributed by | Odeon Films |
|
Release date
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13 May 2001 (Cannes premiere) 12 April 2002 (Canada) |
|
Running time
|
172 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | Inuktitut |
| Budget | CAD 1,960,000 (est.) |
| Box office | $5,998,310 |
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐊᑕᓈᕐᔪᐊᑦ (fonts required)) is a 2001 Canadian epic film directed by Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk and produced by his company Isuma Igloolik Productions. It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the Inuktitut language.
Set in the ancient past, the film retells an Inuit legend passed down through centuries of oral tradition. It revolves around the title character, whose marriage with his two wives earns him the animosity of the son of the band leader, who kills Atanarjuat's brother and forces Atanarjuat to flee by foot.
The film premiered at the 54th Cannes Film Festival in May 2001, and was released in Canada on 12 April 2002. A major critical success, Atanarjuat won the Caméra d'Or (Golden Camera) at Cannes, and six Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. Atanarjuat was also a commercial success, becoming Canada's top-grossing release of 2002, outperforming the mainstream comedy Men with Brooms. It grossed more than US$5 million worldwide. In 2015, a poll of filmmakers and critics in the Toronto International Film Festival named it the greatest Canadian film of all time.
In Igloolik ("place of houses") in the Eastern Arctic wilderness at the dawn of the first millennium, Qulitalik bids goodbye to his sister Panikpak, wife of Kumaglak, promising to come if she calls for help in her heart. She gives him her husband's rabbit's foot for spiritual power. Qulitalik tells his sister, "Tulimaq is the one they'll go after now."
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