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sacred to us – is always present. It’s not something you can just exploit. In traditional Sami storytelling, we have lots of stories connected to nature – underground people, spirits in the mountains and trees. Last year, there was a feature film that told a love story from the reindeer herding environment here in this village – a contemporary story about two young people falling in love. There’s a scene in which the grandmother is playing with her grandson, telling our creation story about how the world was created out of a female reindeer and how the heart of the reindeer was put inside the earth. Then they listen to see if they can hear the heart beating. Nature is a core theme in many of our films and also a central element in the way of shooting, using our vast landscapes. It’s interesting how this world view informs even the modern, everyday stories. I believe indigenous stories are something the world really needs in these times of climate change and instability. It’s something the western world has forgotten or lost. Our storytelling has not only been for entertainment but also a way to survive in this harsh, cold Arctic environment for 10,000 years. The stories contain all the knowledge you need to survive and are a language to communicate with nature.
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The Flint: It sounds like Sami storytelling has a lot to offer the world. How do you approach non-Sami filmmakers who want to incorporate your culture into their work? ALU: In film history, there’s been a long tradition of everyone else telling our stories for us. Indigenous peoples haven't had the opportunity or privilege to do so themselves. It’s only in recent years that this change has started happening. There have been not-so-good examples where indigenous people, including Sami, have been objectified and exoticised, which has enforced stereotypes, prejudice and racism. It’s
interesting to see how that is changing. Internationally, there’s more general awareness about who is telling the story and from what perspective. More stories should have the chance to be told from an inside perspective. It’s actually becoming more difficult not to do it because you can’t afford the risk of criticism afterwards. There’s a saying within the indigenous film community: ‘Nothing about us without us’. If it’s our story, we want to be part of it. Sometimes, of course, we might say no to a project, but most of the time we encourage collaboration. This doesn’t just mean bringing in Sami consultants or assistants but also the promotion of higher-level collaborations that can be beneficial to both parties. We had a great collaboration with Disney on Frozen 2 . On that film, I led the Sami advisory group. The Sami parliaments in Norway, Sweden and Finland, along with the Saami Council, approached Disney and invited them to collaborate. It was very respectful; they wanted to tell the story in a culturally sensitive way. When big companies such as Disney do these things in the right way like this, it’s a really good thing for us. We also have something called the Pathfinder guidelines on our website. Every time we’re approached by anyone who wants to be inspired by Sami stories or culture, we encourage them to read these guidelines first. Then we’re open to talking after that.
PANEL TALK On Earth Day 2024, AMPAS held an event celebrating Arctic filmmakers, featuring Sami cinematographer Ken Are Bongo and Sami composer Elle Márjá Eira
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