The Annual Sámi Film Festival returns to Scandinavia House and virtually nationwide! Now in its 8th year, the festival celebrates the rich storytelling traditions of the Sámi, an Indigenous people of the northernmost parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. This year’s program is curated by acclaimed director, writer, artist, and composer Elle Márjá Eira, whose work in mediums from TV to classical opera has captivated audiences across the globe, and whose directorial debut Stolen reached the Top 10 list in 71 countries following its Netflix premiere in 2024.

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In My Hand (2025)
Dir. Liselotte Wajstedt & Marja Helander | 24 min.
Labelled a terrorist and left disabled, a Sámi activist paid a brutal price in 1982 while battling Norwegian authorities to protect his ancestral land. Masterfully blending archival footage and re-enactments, In My Hand retraces his battle and legacy, and challenges us to ask: Is it finally time to stop exploiting nature and start preserving it? Narrated by Niillas Somby, the film navigates between imprisonment, protests, and surreal encounters, providing a unique insight into one man’s journey of resistance, exile, and return.

Máhccan /Homecoming (2023)
Dir. Suvi West & Anssi Kömi | 76 min.
As museums worldwide are increasingly pressured to return cultural property, co-directors Suvi West and Anssi Kömi share a personal and insightful story about the return of Sámi artifacts, long held in a museum, to their homeland. Set at a turning point in which museums must grapple with their colonialist history—including the National Museum of Finland, which has now returned thousands of everyday objects to the Sámi—this “keenly observed film” (POV Magazine) tours museum vaults across Europe, where filmmaker unravels layers of history, grappling with questions of representation, exploitation and the intricate tapestry of her own cultural identity.

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