Compared by critics to the work of Homer and Shakespeare, The Fast Runner combines the immediacy of documentary with the power of myth. Two Inuit clans feud over the ill-fated love affair of Atanarjuat and his chosen bride, Atuat. When the protagonist takes a second wife, the action accelerates to a stunning chase scene on the ice. Described by some critics as one of the greatest action scenes ever filmed, the sequence portrays Atanarjuat, naked and pursued by killers, as he runs across the frozen tundra in order to escape his rivals. Filmed by Kunuk’s longtime collaborator and cinematographer, Norman Cohn, The Fast Runner’s striking visuals are unforgettable. Zacharias Kunuk’s seamless direction and the natural performances he evokes from his actors draw the viewer into an elemental world where time seems irrelevant and the daily rituals of the Inuit prior to European contact are brought to life.