Santa Fe Film Festival 2008

Sikumi translated from Iñupiaq means on the ice. It is the story of Apuna, an Inuit hunter who drives his dog team out on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals, but instead witnesses a murder. There is no anonymity in the closely-knit communities of Arctic Alaska; thus, Apuna knows both the victim and the murderer. The murderer, Miqu (Tony Bryant), claiming self-defense and desperate to avoid punishment, tries to persuade his friend to forget what he saw and help dispose of the body. Apuna is then forced to navigate the uneasy morality between honoring the body and memory of one friend and destroying the life of another. Shot on anamorphic 35mm at temperatures of -20 degrees F, Sikumi is the first ever film made entirely in the Iñupiaq (Eskimo) language. Despite polar bears, extreme weather conditions, fires on set, and exploding pipes, director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean and the production team have gracefully captured a moment in these characters' lives that few could imagine. The exceptional performances of the entirely Iñupiaq cast give voice to an epic story of morality set on the stunning frozen sea ice of the Arctic slope of Alaska. Andrew Okpeaha MacLean is Iñupiaq, born and raised in Alaska.

Read external reviews of the film:
Film Threat
Eye For Film