The Midnight Sun Film Festival once again includes the landscapes of Lapland and the rights of the Sámi people in its programme. The first ever film in the Skolt Sámi language, Je’vida is directed by Katja Gauriloff and depicts, through one family, the devastating consequences of the assimilation of the Sámi people.
Weighed down by her life experiences, Iida (Sanna-Kaisa Palo) travels with her dead sister’s daughter Sanna (Seidi Haarla) to Northern Lapland to sell the family farm. As Iida throws memorabilia into the flames, she reminisces about the past, when she was still known by her Sámi name Je’vida. Relations between the generations are at the heart of the growing bond between the young Je’vida (Agafia Niemenmaa) and her grandfather (Erkki Gauriloff) as they go fishing and do their chores. Nonetheless, their way of life, embodied by Skolt Sámi rituals and melodious speech, is sacrificed on the altar of science, education, and social acceptance. The apogee of Gauriloff’s career thus far, this personal and melancholic family saga champions the sharing of memories and the continuation of family traditions.
Tuomo Marttila