New York Premiere
Sikumi
Shorts in Competition: Student
| USA | 15 MINUTES | IñupiaqDrama
Apuna, an Inuit hunter, is driving his dog team on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals when he becomes witness to a violent murder. With no anonymity in the microscopic communities of Arctic Alaska, Apuna realizes that he knows both the victim and the murderer. The latter claims self-defense and is desperate to avoid punishment, so Apuna finds himself forced to navigate the uneasy morality between honoring the body and memory of one friend while destroying the reputation and life of another. Shot on anamorphic 35mm at temperatures of 20 degrees below zero, Sikumi is the first film ever made entirely in the Iñupiaq language.
Cast & Credits
Directed by
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean is an Iñupiaq filmmaker born and raised in Alaska. His short Sikumi won the Jury Prize at Sundance. His film Natchiliagniaqtuguk Aapagalu (Seal Hunting with Dad), which premiered at Sundance in 2005, was later selected to screen at MoMA. He holds his MFA in film directing from New York University.
Principal Cast
Brad Weyiouanna, Tony Bryant, Olemaun Rexford
Producer
Cara Marcous
Assistant Director
James Rogan
Director of Photography
Cary Fukunaga
Screenwriter
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Sound Design
Bob Edwards
Score
Andres Martinez
Sound Recorder
Rob Meyer