Je'Vida

Iida travels back to the far north of Finland to clear out her childhood home, only to be confronted with memories and the curiosity of her young niece. A captivating and poignant exploration of Sámi identity across history.

‍

Burdened by her past, and accompanied by an artist niece she barely knows, Iida returns to her Sámi village. She is determined to sell the modest family property after her estranged mother’s death. Showing no sign of sentimentality, she burns every personal item she finds. However, the past will not be erased. Je’vida meshes tender childhood moments and flashbacks to boarding school where the Sámi was beaten out of her, with Iida’s "more Finnish than the Finnish" youth and the hurt and hardened woman of today.

‍

The result is a stark, yet beautiful black-and-white feature from Katja Gauriloff – the first ever in the endangered Skolt Sámi language. It tells a powerful tale of shame, marginalization, and the devastating impact of loss of culture and identity. But even more, it is a testament to the resilience of Indigenous peoples.

‍

- Tromsø International Film Festival (www.tiff.no)

‍