There’s no point in mincing words about it: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is one of the most important films in Canadian cinema history. A nearly three-hour epic set at the dawn of the first millennium, it recounts an Inuit legend about a man, Atanarjuat, who earns the animosity of his band leader’s son, who then kills Atanarjuat’s brother and forces him to flee, naked and barefoot.

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is historically significant not only as one of the biggest productions in Nunavut history, but as the first feature film written, directed, and performed in the Inuktitut language, which was an important milestone in not just Canadian, but film history.

The film had its premiere at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Caméra d’Or, the award for first feature film. That same year, it won six Genie Awards (now called the Canadian Screen Awards), including the Claude Jutra Award (now called the John Dunning Best First Feature Award), Best Score, Best Editing, a posthumous win for Paul Apak Angilirq for Best Screenplay, Best Director for Zacharias Kunuk, and Best Picture.

Here’s the best news: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is free to watch via the National Film Board website and app. The app is available on most major platforms, including iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, and Roku. It is also embedded here for your convenience.

Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, Zacharias Kunuk, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

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Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner