Brace Your Heart

In a remote mountain village, twenty-year-old Ejva inherits her late father’s reindeer herd, but the responsibility weighs heavily on her. Meanwhile, the influential village leader Heaika tries to woo her; Ejva has her doubts, but under pressure from the community, she eventually yields to his advances. However, his initial affection soon turns into manipulation. When his nephew Nejla appears and Ejva experiences true love for the first time, tensions explode. Heaika is furious and turns violent; in an act of jealous revenge, he jeopardizes her future as a reindeer herder. Brace Your Heart is a compelling drama about love and traditional expectations, in which Ejva’s struggle for autonomy symbolizes all Sami women who aren't afraid to show their mettle.

Brace Your Heart premiered this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received an Honourable Mention in the Platform program. At the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, it was nominated for the Golden Shell for Best Film, and director Amanda Kernell won the Silver Shell for Best Director. The screening at the Noordelijk Film Festival marks its Frisian premiere.