Searchers (film)
| Searchers | |
|---|---|
Film poster
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| Maliglutit | |
| Directed by |
Zacharias Kunuk Natar Ungalaaq |
| Produced by | Jonathan Frantz Zacharias Kunuk Cara Di Staulo |
| Starring | Benjamin Kunuk Jocelyne Immaroitok Karen Ivalu Lucy Tulugarjuk |
| Music by |
Chris Crilly Tanya Tagaq |
| Cinematography | Jonathan Frantz |
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Production
company |
Kinguliit Productions
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Release date
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| Country | Canada |
| Language | Inuktitut |
| Budget | $1.2 million |
Searchers (Maliglutit) is a 2016 Inuktitut-language Canadian drama film directed by Zacharias Kunuk and Natar Ungalaaq, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Based in part on the 1956 John Ford film The Searchers, the film is set in Northern Canada in 1913. It centres on Kuanana (Benjamin Kunuk), a man who returns from hunting to discover that much of his family has been killed and his wife and daughter have been kidnapped.
The film was shot in Nunavut with an entirely Inuit cast, and with contributions from a local crew. The production was troubled by extreme cold. It has received positive reviews in Canada, and was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
The story is inspired by the 1956 John Ford film The Searchers, although co-director Zacharias Kunuk discarded the original's plot about conflicts between white people and indigenous peoples, instead using only Inuit characters. Kunuk explained racism was not an intended theme of the film, though given the time setting, the Inuit would have some items received from white people, as there were trading posts then. Kunuk said he watched western films in the Igloolik community hall as a boy, and declared The Searchers star John Wayne "was our hero." However, he said his perception of Wayne became more complicated as he learned more about him.
Actor Natar Ungalaaq made his directorial debut with this film, along with Kunuk, who directed him in the 2001 film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. Kunuk, Ungalaaq and past colleague Norman Cohn collaboratively developed the screenplay from 17 to 100 pages. As part of an initiative to discover and train new actors in the small community of Igloolik, Nunavut, and to have an entirely Inuit cast, Jocelyne Immaroitok, Johan Qunaq, Karen Ivalu were cast and mentored by Ungaalaq. Experienced actress Lucy Tulugarjuk also starred, and coached the novice performers.
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