Shooting documentary on Sámi women

A month and a half ago I got to experience the Sámi’s slaughtering of reindeers in Guorbak, situated in the extreme north of Sweden. I had no idea of how much I would fall in love with the Sami culture, the animals and the nature. It was the start of one of the most important journeys I will make in my life. My thanks to the indigenous people of Sweden will be given through the documentary I am shooting, a tribute to the Sámi culture and some of the people who are taking it to the future.

Being indigenous in the 21^st century is an enormous challenge in a world that focuses on cash flow and the following consumption. The Sami culture is built around a unique way of life that is a part of and inseparable from the natural world.

One of my best friends from high school and nowadays neighbor in Uppsala is Sámi. She got in touch with her roots during her university studies since she undertook her classes at a distance from her mother’s cottage in Laponia. Today I am helping her to build a house next to that cottage because everyday that passes her heritage calls out even stronger to her. But ever since she finished her studies she has done a sky rocket career at a multinational corporation. That is another dream and it is her constant challenge to spend 15 weeks a year up in the north and still keep the pace that is required for her to keep climbing the career latter. When it all comes down to it: will she be able to live the life that the whispers of her ancestry are calling for or will she become a global leader at an enterprise?

This is one of the stories I will tell in my documentary. A lot more is to come from this treasure chest that is Sápmi, the land of the Sámis.

Do you want to know more about the documentary? Or do you want me to write or produce a tv report for you on this subject? Send me a mail at ceciliajournalist (at) gmail.com