Debut writer-director Felipe Gálvez asserts himself as a revelatory new cinematic voice with The Settlers, a searing and indelible take on the Western. Blending historical specificity with vivid visual style, this Cannes Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI Prize winner creates a singular immersive vision, arresting in both content and form.
At the turn of the 20th century, three horsemen embark on an expedition across the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the behest of a wealthy landowner, tasked with securing his vast state-appointed property. Accompanying a reckless British lieutenant and an American mercenary is mestizo marksman Segundo, who comes to realize, amidst rising tensions within the group, their true mission is to murderously “remove” the indigenous population.
Set against stunning mountain landscapes, Chile’s Best International Feature Film entry to the 96th Academy Awards is a visceral reckoning with national myth and the attendant violence. Painterly yet piercing, this acclaimed frontier epic turns a bold eye to the past, daring to reimagine its depiction in the present and for the future.
THE SETTLERS. Los colonos. Chile, Argentina, 2023. 97 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Felipe Gálvez; Screenplay: Felipe Gálvez, Antonia Girardi; Cinematographer: Simone D’arcangelo; Production Designer: Sebastián Orgambide; Costume Designer: Muriel Parra; Editor: Matthieu Taponier; Sound Designers: Tu Duu-Chih, Tu Tse Kang; Composer: Harry Allouche; Line Producer: Carolina Agunin Nicolás San Martín; Assistant Director: Lula Varsky; Casting: Roberto Matus, Jessie Frost, Verónica Souto; Make-Up & Hair: Damián Brissio; Producers: Giancarlo Nasi, Benjamín Domenech, Santiago Gallelli, Matías Roveda, Emily Morgan, Thierry Lenouvel, Stefano Centini; Associate Producers: Matías Gutiérrez, Daniela Mendoza, Juan José Erenchun; Executive Producers: Fernando Bascuñán, Alex C. Lo, Constanza Erenchun, Amy Gardner; Co-Producers: Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin, Kristina Börjeson, Anthony Muir, Ingmar Trost, Fernando Bascuñán. Cast: Mark Stanley (Maclennan), Camilo Arancibia (Segundo), Benjamín Westfall (Bill), Alfredo Castro (Menéndez), Mishell Guaña (Kiepja), Agustín Rittano (Ambrosio), Mariano Llinás (Moreno), Sam Spruell (Colonel Martin), Adriana Stuven (Josefina), Luis Machín (Priest), Marcelo Alonso (Vicuña). A MUBI release.
Show Dates
New York City, NY: IFC Center — opens Friday, January 12
Los Angeles, CA: Laemmle Royal — opens Friday, January 12
Chicago, IL: Gene Siskel Film Center — opens Friday, January 19
Los Angeles, CA: Los Feliz 3, Los Angeles, CA — opens Friday, January 19
San Francisco, CA: Roxie Theater — opens Friday, January 19
Denver, CO: Sie FilmCenter — opens Friday, January 19
Joplin, MO: Bookhouse Cinema — opens Friday, January 26
Tulsa, OK: Circle Cinema — opens Friday, January 26
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Institute of the Arts — opens Friday, January 26
Iowa City, IA: FilmScene — opens Friday, January 26
Columbus, OH: Gateway Film Center — opens Friday, January 26
Santa Barbara, CA: Hitchcock Cinema — opens Friday, January 26
Rochester, MN: Pop's Art Theater — opens Friday, January 26
North Kansas City, MO: Screenland Armour — opens Friday, January 26