AKIAK (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

AKIAK is an eight-minute historical short set in 1860s Alaska. It follows a young Indigenous woman whose encounter with an injured bandit draws her into a pursuit connected to her past, with Hunter Taplin directing an English-language Canadian production.

AKIAK is a brief historical film set in Alaska during the 1860s. Its story centers on a young Indigenous woman whose path intersects with that of an injured bandit on the run.

The encounter is complicated by the arrival of someone connected to the woman’s past, creating a compact premise built around pursuit, danger and personal history. Directed by Hunter Taplin, the film has a reported runtime of eight minutes.

AKIAK movie details

Story without spoilers

Set in 1860s Alaska, AKIAK follows a young Indigenous woman who comes across an injured bandit. The man is being pursued by someone from her past, placing the woman at the center of a tense situation involving both the fugitive and the person hunting him. The supplied synopsis does not reveal how the conflict develops or concludes.

What to expect

Viewers can expect a concise historical story shaped by its Alaskan setting, a fugitive-in-danger premise and a connection to the protagonist’s earlier life. With a runtime of eight minutes, AKIAK is structured as a short-form narrative rather than an extended feature. Its listed genre is History, and the available information emphasizes the central encounter and pursuit without detailing the film’s broader themes or style.

Cast and creative team

AKIAK is directed by Hunter Taplin. The cast includes M'taya Bradford Gear, Samuel Stairs, Matthew Parsons, Luke Wheaton, Nigel Binnie and Adam Hill. No writer is listed in the supplied production information, and character names are not provided.

• M'taya Bradford Gear
• Samuel Stairs
• Matthew Parsons
• Luke Wheaton
• Nigel Binnie
• Adam Hill

Release and production context

AKIAK is listed as a 2026 Canadian film in English. Its release date is November 8, 2026, and its runtime is eight minutes. The film’s listed status is Released. No production companies are identified in the supplied details.

Movies Dock view

AKIAK presents a tightly contained historical premise: an encounter between a young Indigenous woman and an injured bandit becomes linked to a pursuit involving her past. Its short runtime and focused setup make the film’s central conflict clear while leaving the story’s details for viewers to discover.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb