‘When We Tell Our Stories, We Are Creating Our Future’: Sámi Filmmakers Are Ready to Speak Up
Marta Balaga The Sámi, the indigenous people in the far north of Europe and Russia, are ready to share their stories with the world. But only under certain conditions, says film commissioner Liisa Holmberg from the International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI). “The most important thing is respect,” she notes, mentioning the Pathfinder Film Protocol – a set of guidelines and questions for non-Sámi filmmakers named after Nils Gaup’s 1987 Oscar-nominated drama. “When the Sámi people may not have the same opportunity/resources to tell their stories, why am I the right person to [do it]? How will my film production benefit the Sámi community and what am I giving back? Is it right for me to take up this space?,” it states.