Arctic Indigenous Filmmakers on Climate Change: First-Hand Perspectives

Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. Hosted by Curator and Impact Producer Nadia Denton, it delves deep into the rapidly evolving film industry.

Featuring the insights from film creatives and professionals from Sápmi, Canada and Yakutia, this episode will shine a light on the ground-breaking work of the Witness Program, a film training and mentorship programme for emerging Indigenous filmmakers from the Circumpolar Arctic that is the fruit of a collaboration between Telefilm Canada and the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF).

Designed as a professional development opportunity that allows Arctic Indigenous filmmakers to share their authentic perspectives on how climate change is affecting their communities through their own storytelling and in their own filmic and spoken languages, the programme supported a first cohort of 6 filmmakers who produced 5 films and were mentored by 3 Indigenous long-feature film producers and filmmakers, under the guidance of Liisa Holmberg, CEO of the AIFF.

These conversations unpack the way in which these first-hand narratives convey the sense of urgency of climate change which Arctic Indigenous communities have been witnessing for decades and the ways in which their filmmaking practices can embody acts of resistance, resilience and language revitalisation.

Key to understanding these films is the notion of a worldview. The speakers, Liisa Holmberg, filmmakers Sadetło Scott and Svetlana Romanova and mentor Danis Goulet, all share their experiences of how their communities’ worldview, connection and deep relationship to the land are expressed in these and other films, which they made in a context of challenges to the land and Indigenous storytelling through the compounded effects of climate change and colonization.

Film commissioner Liisa Holmberg (she/her) is working in International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) in Norway. Liisa Holmberg is a Sámi film maker originally from Finnish side of the Saamiland. She has worked in the film business as a producer, production manager and film consultant from the year 1994. Big part of her work as a film commissioner is working internationally with Indigenous film makers in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Sápmi and Russia to establish an Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF). Holmberg is a member of European Film Academy from the year 2018.

Sadetło Scott (she/her) is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene filmmaker, who grew up and lives in Sǫǫ̀mbak’è, Denendeh (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Sadetło has a B.A. in Indigenous Governance and a Certificate in Heritage and Culture from Yukon University, and Certificates in Motion Picture Production and Cinematography from Capilano University. Sadetło's work, such as “Edaxàdets'eetè” aims to educate on the importance of Indigenous language and the Indigenous experience.

Svetlana Romanova (Sakha/Even) is an artist and filmmaker born in Yakutsk, the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located south of the Arctic Circle. Her practice centers on the importance of Indigenous visual language, particularly in the Arctic regions and gravitates towards critical self historization.

Writer/director Danis Goulet’s films have screened at festivals around the world including Berlinale, Sundance, MoMA and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Her award-winning feature NIGHT RAIDERS premiered in the Panorama section at Berlinale and also screened at TIFF in 2021. For television, Danis has recently directed for the acclaimed FX series RESERVATION DOGS. She is Cree/Metis, originally from northern Saskatchewan.

The host Nadia Denton is a film industry specialist with over a decade of experience as a Curator, Impact Producer and Author. Her focus has been on cinema of the African diaspora, she specialises in Nigerian Cinema and is author of two books The Black British Filmmakers Guide to Success and The Nigerian Filmmaker’s Guide to Success: Beyond Nollywood. Nadia is also an official V&A African Heritage Tour Guide.

As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations...