# The Settlers (2023 film)

The Settlers (Spanish: Los colonos) is a 2023 revisionist Western drama film directed by Felipe Gálvez Haberle (in his directorial debut), who co-wrote the script with Antonia Girardi in collaboration with Mariano Llinás. The film stars Mark Stanley, Camilo Arancibia, Benjamin Westfall, Alfredo Castro, Mishell Guaña, Sam Spruell, Marcelo Alonso, and Adriana Stuven. It is a co-production between Chile, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, France, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.
The Settlers had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023. It competed for Un Certain Regard and Caméra d'Or and alongside those was honored with the FIPRESCI Prize, becoming the first Chilean production to win that award. It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

## Synopsis

In 1893, Segundo, a Chilean mestizo, MacLennan, a Scottish veteran, and Bill, an American mercenary, embark on an expedition on horseback to delimit and reclaim the lands that the State has granted to José Menéndez. What appears to be an administrative expedition turns into a violent hunt for Onas, the natives of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The Selknam genocide lies at the core of the film.

## Cast

* Camilo Arancibia as Segundo
* Benjamin Westfall as Bill
* Mark Stanley as Alexander MacLennan
* Alfredo Castro as José Menéndez
* Mishell Guaña as Kiepja
* Sam Spruell as Colonel Martin
* Marcelo Alonso as Vicuña
* Adriana Stuven as Josefina Menéndez
* Mariano Llinás as Francisco Moreno
* Agustín Rittano as Captain Ambrosio
* Emily Orueta as Granddaughter
* Luis Machín as Monseñor

## Release
### Festival

It had its world premiere on 22 May 2023, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. then it was screened on 12 August 2023, in the Fiction Competition section of the 27th Lima Film Festival and soon on 7 September 2023, in the Centerpiece section at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

### Distribution

MUBI announced that they have acquired distribution rights for multiple territories, including North America, Latin America, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Turkey, India, and the Benelux. They plan to release the film theatrically in the UK and the US.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

### Accolades

| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result |
| Cannes Film Festival | 21 May 2023 | Caméra d'Or | Felipe Gálvez Haberle | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 21 May 2023 | Un Certain Regard | Felipe Gálvez Haberle | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 21 May 2023 | FIPRESCI Prize | Felipe Gálvez Haberle | Won |
| Munich International Film Festival | 1 July 2023 | CineVision Award for Best Film by an Emerging Director | The Settlers | Nominated |
| Lima Film Festival | 18 August 2023 | Best Picture | The Settlers | Nominated |
| Lima Film Festival | 18 August 2023 | Best Screenplay | Felipe Gálvez & Antonia Girardi | Won |
| Lima Film Festival | 18 August 2023 | Peruvian Association of Film Press - Best Film | The Settlers | Won |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 30 September 2023 | Horizons Award | The Settlers | Nominated |
| Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montreal | 15 October 2023 | Louve d'Or | The Settlers | Won |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | 1 November 2023 | Tokyo Grand Prix | The Settlers | Nominated |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 17 November 2023 | Best Picture | The Settlers | Won |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 11 December 2023 | Best First Feature | The Settlers | 5th Place |
| Forqué Awards | 16 December 2023 | Best Latin-American Film | The Settlers | Nominated |
| International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights | 18 March 2024 | Fiction Grand Award | The Settlers | Won |
| Platino Awards | 20 April 2024 | Best Ibero-American Debut Film | The Settlers | Nominated |
| Platino Awards | 20 April 2024 | Best Art Direction | Sebastián Orgambide | Nominated |
| Artios Awards | 12 February 2025 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – International Film | Jessie Frost | Pending |