The 5th Annual Sámi Film Festival returns this February exploring Sámi stories through film in a must-see hybrid event taking place both in-person and virtually!

Presented as a partnership between the National Nordic Museum in Seattle and Scandinavia House in New York, the Festival will take place virtually from February 9-12 and in-person at both venues on February 11, 2023. The program includes a variety of contemporary Sámi documentaries, short films, and panel discussions with the filmmakers, and in 2023, the Sámi Film Festival will feature the selections of guest curator of film and acclaimed director Katja Gauriloff.

Gauriloff, a Skolt Sámi filmmaker and co-owner of the production company Oktober, was recently awarded the Finnish Film Affair’s top prize for Je’vida, the first film shot in the Skolt Sámi language.

The Sámi Film Festival originated as a partnership between the National Nordic Museum and Pacific Sámi Searvi in 2018. Since that time, it has become an onsite event drawing audiences from the East and West Coasts and an online event sharing Sámi film with a global audience.

Tickets and a full lineup will be announced closer to the date; check back soon for more details!

About the Curator

Award-winning director Katja Gauriloff is well-known for her influential films. Her films have received awards at various festivals around the world. Her films Canned Dreams and Kaisa’s Enchanted Forest have both been part of the Berlinale festival selection. Kaisa’s Enchanted Forest opened the Berlinale NATIVe section in 2017.

Additionally, Katja Gauriloff has been awarded the Finnish National Film Awards (Jussi) for the best documentary film in 2016. Gauriloff is currently working on her second fiction feature Je’vida which will be the first Skolt Sámi language feature film in history. Gauriloff lives and works in Rovaniemi, Northern Finland.

Support

The 5th Annual Sámi Film Festival is presented a partnership with The National Nordic Museum in Seattle.