Je’vida

After her sister's death, Lida is forced to clear out the family home with her niece before it is sold. The place, the things, the questions hanging between the two strangers, it brings Lida (Skolt Sámi name: Je'vida) back to her past. From childhood to adulthood, the memories alternate and make her realise how her Sámi identity was taken away from her.

This beautiful, melancholic drama, directed by Katja Gauriloff, is beautifully shot in black and white, showing the stark beauty of the area. Skolt Sámi is still spoken by only three hundred people, making it the first time it has been the main language in a feature film. The weight of the film is carried, among others, by Agafia Niemenmaa, who plays her role as the young Je’vida superbly. But more than the film is a portrait of a woman, it is the depiction of atrocities committed by the young Sámi.