Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople
New Zealand theatrical release poster
Directed byTaika Waititi
Screenplay byTaika Waititi
Based onWild Pork and Watercress
by Barry Crump
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLachlan Milne
Edited by
Music by
  • Lukasz Buda
  • Samuel Scott
  • Conrad Wedde
Production
companies
Distributed byMadman Films and Piki Films
Release dates
  • 22 January 2016 (2016-01-22) (Sundance)
  • 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31) (New Zealand)
Running time
101 minutes[2]
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$2.5 million[3]
Box officeUS$23.2 million[1]

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (/ˈwɪldərpiːpəl/ WIL-duhr-peep-ul) is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle" Hector and Ricky Baker; a father figure and foster son who become the targets of a manhunt after fleeing into the New Zealand bush. Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan, and Waititi produced the film.[4]

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016.[5] The film opened across New Zealand on 31 March 2016.[6][7][8] The film received a limited North American release on 24 June 2016.[9] The film received critical acclaim, with many critics highlighting Dennison and Neill's performances and chemistry.

  1. ^ a b "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". The-Numbers. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople': New Zealand's Oddball Hit". The Wall Street Journal. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Wilderpeople (@wilderpeople)". Twitter. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  5. ^ Harvey, Dennis (23 January 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople takes top spot at the Kiwi box office". New Zealand Film Commission. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople continues smashing NZ box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople breaks Kiwi box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) - IMDb". M.imdb.com. Retrieved 3 January 2017.