FAIRBANKS — It’s tough for anyone to shoot their first feature film, but Andrew Okpeaha MacLean took a particularly adventurous route toward creating “On the Ice.”

Instead of filming on a soundstage in Los Angeles, the West Valley High School graduate spent his time monitoring weather conditions on the Arctic Ocean and keeping an eye out for hungry polar bears. MacLean shot his debut during early spring in Barrow, using a cast without any acting experience.

The reception of “On the Ice,” which opened this weekend in New York City, Anchorage and Fairbanks, has presented a strong argument the trouble was worth it. The movie, which MacLean wrote and directed, played to a packed theater at Regal Goldstream Cinema Sunday, two days after it debuted with a sold-out show at Lincoln Center in New York.

It’s a promising start for a low-budget film that touts itself as “the first Inupiaq feature film with an all-Inuit cast.” The film evolved from “Sikumi,” a short film that won the Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

MacLean, a New York University film school graduate who spent his childhood in Barrow and Fairbanks, said he’s proud to present the tale.

“For so many years it was outsiders coming in and telling our stories,” said MacLean, who is now based in New York. “That’s starting to shift.”

The movie follows two young men in Barrow as they work to hide a tragic accident that took place during a seal hunting trip on the Arctic Ocean ice. MacLean envisioned his first feature film as a complex stew — a combination of classic Western, morality play and suspenseful tale of Inupiaq culture.

The movie has received good reviews from major outlets like the Wall Street Journal and NPR. Brian Miller of the Village Voice called it “a marvel of concentrated, classical storytelling.”

Even some of the less enthusiastic notices have praised “On the Ice” for its stark cinematography and MacLean’s obvious potential. New York Daily News reviewer Joe Neumaier said the film is “the work of a filmmaker whose seriousness is worth watching out for.”

More importantly, MacLean said, Barrow residents were thrilled with the film during a screening in April. Although it contains dark themes of death and substance abuse, he said many people expressed appreciation that a local filmmaker was telling an authentic story.

“They respected the truth that’s in it, I think,” he said.

During a question-and-answer session that followed a local Sunday showing of “On the Ice,” MacLean found more fans in Fairbanks. Audience members praised the film for its authentic feel and distinctive soundtrack.

MacLean said he’s pleased at one of the riskier decisions — the move to use a completely inexperienced Native cast.

Finding the right actors took a search throughout the North American arctic, from Kiana to Quebec. The leads, Josiah Patkotak, 17, and Frank Qutuk Irelan, 26, are from Barrow and Nome, respectively.

MacLean said he decided when he was casting the movie he would be willing to trade some acting sophistication for authenticity. In the end, he said, the mix seemed to work.

“I really love their performances,” MacLean said.

The movie is full of both only-in-Barrow details and straight-from-Hollywood oddities. In one scene, the caribou on a dinner table was harvested during a hunting trip MacLean took with relatives, and he admits many of the extras are members of his extended family.

In another scene, the movie calls for a snowmachine and its passenger to sink into an opening in the ice. The only dummy available for the job was created for the 1998 movie “What Dreams May Come,” and the filmmakers were surprised when they opened the box and saw Robin Williams’ plasticized face staring back at them.

“It looked exactly like him,” producer Cara Marcous said. “We couldn’t believe it.”

MacLean said it’s an interesting time to be a filmmaker. Digital technology makes it easier than ever to make a movie, but finding a channel for distribution remains a huge challenge.

“It’s hard and harder for a movie that isn’t about giant robots to get into a movie theater,” he said.

But Marcous credited the state’s film incentive program, which reimburses a portion of expenses for movies shot in Alaska, for making the $1 million movie a reality. She said those state funds helped the project attract about $700,000 in private investment.

“On the Ice” is scheduled to show in about a dozen more locations throughout the country in the weeks ahead. Marcous said they’re also pursuing outlets on cable television and the Internet once its theater run is complete.

MacLean said he doesn’t have a next film lined up yet, but indicated he may still have stories to tell from his home state.

“I don’t know what the next one’s going to be,” he said. “I’d like to make a lot of films. I’d like to make a lot of films up here.”