Katja Gauriloff Makes History With ‘Je’vida,’ the First Feature Shot in the Skolt Sámi Language: ‘My Mother Never Let Me Forget’
variety.comMarta Balaga Director Katja Gauriloff has made history with “Je’vida,” the first feature shot in the Skolt Sámi language. “It’s my native tongue, but because of forced assimilation in Finland [of the Sámi people] I didn’t actually learn it.
I am studying it only now,” she tells Variety ahead of the Toronto premiere. “It’s endangered: we have only 300 speakers. There is maybe one village where it’s still in everyday use, which also influenced casting.
But we are doing everything we can to keep it alive.” In “Je’vida,” starring Sanna-Kaisa Palo and “Compartment No. 6” breakout Seidi Haarla, not all actors are Sámi. “It was a compromise, of course, because I had to be realistic.
But also, we are talking about people who are changing cultures. These two women are fully Finnish, so they shared their characters’ confusion.
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