Je’vida, the first Skolt Sámi feature film, to premiere in Tribeca
Directed by Katja Gauriloff, the film sheds light on the meaning of culture, language and memories, and above all, on the community of the Skolt Sámi in the era of forced assimilation.
Je’vida will have its world premiere in New York at the Tribeca Festival in June. It will be one of eight films in the International Narrative Competition. The domestic premiere is in the fall of 2023.
Je’vida is the first film in Skolt Sámi which is spoken nowadays only by a few hundred people. Written by Katja Gauriloff and Niillas Holmberg, the film tells the story of Iida, born Je’vida, whose niece Sanna brings her the news of her sister’s death. Iida and Sanna travel to north, to Iida’s birth cabin where the memories of a life she suppressed decades ago surface again. Her childhood at the homestead was communal and close to nature. Everything changed when she was sent to school.
Katja Gauriloff’s previous film was Baby Jane (2019), based on a novel by Sofi Oksanen. Her documentary feature Kaisa’s Enchanted Forest (2016) traveled the festivals and won the Jussi Award for Best Documentary.
Je’vida is produced by Joonas Berghäll, Satu Majava and Anna Nuru for Oktober.