The International Sámi Film Institute has assembled a panel of three established Sámi practitioners to advise international productions wanting to work with Sámi people, places, and stories. The Pathfinder Guidelines Expert Group is a resource for filmmakers who want to get things right before scripts are finalized rather than course-correct after release.
“We are seeing a significant increase in international productions wanting to engage with Sámi stories and landscapes. This creates important opportunities, but also a clear responsibility,” said Anne Lajla Utsi, Managing Director of ISFI.
The group includes Ken Are Bongo, cinematographer on the Netflix series Stolen; Sunna Nousuniemi, an audiovisual artist and storyteller from Finland; and Åsa Simma, a director, dramaturg, and writer from Sweden. Siljá Somby, ISFI’s Film Commissioner, coordinates the group’s work.
The initiative builds on The Pathfinder: Guidelines for Responsible Filmmaking with Sámi Culture and People, published by ISFI in 2021. Productions are encouraged to engage early by submitting synopses, treatments, and pitch decks for feedback on questions about representation, authorship, and power in Indigenous storytelling.
“With the Pathfinder Expert Group, we are strengthening our capacity to guide these processes in a way that safeguards Sámi perspectives, knowledge systems, and storytelling traditions,” Utsi said. “This is about ensuring that film projects that want to involve Sámi narratives are developed with respect, integrity, and on Sámi terms.”
ISFI has seen steady growth in inquiries from international filmmakers and studios. The institute plans to expand the group over time to meet demand.
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