Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat) (2002)
88%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 26 wins & 18 nominations
Compelling human drama and stunning cinematography make The Fast Runner an absorbing experience
Atanarjuat the Fast Runner is like a breath of fresh air in a world of overproduced movies. The stunning landscapes of the Arctic are the real stars of the show, and the digital video format captures them perfectly. The story is full of intrigue and murder, making it as compelling as any Shakespeare play. And if you stick around for the end credits, you’ll get a glimpse of the fascinating production process. Sure, it’s a bit long, but it’s worth it to be transported to a place you’ve never been before.
Production Company(ies)
Diamond Docs A&E Indie Films, Passion Pictures,
Distributor
Lot 47 Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sexuality/nudity and violence
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:2h 48m
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Language(s):Inuktitut
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 7, 2002 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2003
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Pakak Innuksuk, Madeline Ivalu, directed by Zacharias Kunuk, written by Paul Apak Angilirq, Adventure, Drama, R rating, Lot 47 Films, $3.8M box office, reviewed by Amy Taubin, David Ansen, Stanley Kauffmann, Roger Moore, Robert Denerstein, Marjorie Baumgarten, Amy Bracken Sparks, Mark Halverson, Amber Wilkinson, Jeffrey Overstreet, David Nusair, Nick Rogers, Inuit people, Canadian arctic, crime, trust, justice, healing, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR, Flat (1.85:1), Paul Apak Angilirq, Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk, Some Sexuality, Some Nudity, Violence, Inuktitut, cinematography, human drama, primal storytelling, filmmaking, stunning finale, mystical-mythical opening, Shakespearean plot, treachery, murder, vast, undifferentiated ice fields, Arctic landscapes, digital video, refreshing, mind, spirit, body, original content, look, style, absorbing experience
Worldwide gross: $5,204,281
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,631,626
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,014
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 941,290
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): CA$1,960,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Sylvia Ivalu – Atuat
Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq – Oki
Lucy Tulugarjuk – Puja
Pakak Innuksuk – Amaqjuaq
Madeline Ivalu – Panikpak
Paul Apak Angilirq – Producer, Writer
Norman Cohn – Producer
Zacharias Kunuk – Director, Producer
Director(s)
Zacharias Kunuk
Writer(s)
Paul Apak Angilirq
Producer(s)
Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
26 wins & 18 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (98) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (9)
…a gorgeous landscape movie shot in digital video, which, since it gives equal focus to everything in the frame, turns out to be a terrific medium for depicting the vast, undifferentiated ice fields of the Great North.
October 8, 2019
Amy Taubin
Village Voice
TOP CRITIC
In a time of decadent visual clutter, the stark beauty of these Arctic landscapes is bracing.
March 8, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
The performances of all the roles are better than we might have expected. Sincerity pulses throughout, the assurance from these people that they are enacting a legend that is significant to them.
January 5, 2018
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
From its mystical-mythical opening to the stunning finale, this is storytelling at its most primal and filmmaking at its most original.
October 3, 2002 | Rating: 5/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Compelling as it is exotic, Fast Runner has a plot that rivals Shakespeare for intrigue, treachery and murder.
August 9, 2002 | Rating: A
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
TOP CRITIC
This is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body, so original is its content, look, and style.
July 28, 2002 | Rating: 4/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The ever-changing light and stark sea of ice become characters in themselves. Indeed, the making of Fast Runner is fascinating in itself. Outtakes of the production run with the end credits; they’re worth sticking around for.
October 26, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Amy Bracken Sparks
Cleveland Free Times
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
A trailblazer for its culture and certainly makes for a fascinating, if rather long, watch.
September 6, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film
…takes you to a place you’ve never been and tells a story as profound and ambitious as a Shakespeare play.
January 15, 2005 | Rating: A+
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
…barely has enough material to fill a 52-minute CBC special, let alone a three-hour cinematic “event.”
November 2, 2003 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
A film so crisp with detail that, like other great films, it whisks us away to a locale like nothing else we’ve ever seen to tell a story that’s not quite like anything else we’ve ever heard.
June 26, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap…
Plot
Atanarjuat The Fast Runner is a drama about the Inuit people of the Canadian arctic, telling the story of a crime that ruptures the trust within a closely knit group and how justice is achieved and healing begins.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises the performances of all the roles in Atanarjuat The Fast Runner, stating that “sincerity pulses throughout.”
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