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
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$2.5 million
Box officeUS$23.2 million

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (/ˈwɪldəppəl/ WIL-duh-peep-ul) is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, based on the 1986 novel Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison stars as "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.

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016. The film opened across New Zealand on 31 March 2016. The film received a limited theatrical release in North America on 24 June 2016. The film received critical acclaim, with many critics highlighting Dennison and Neill's performances and chemistry.