A story about the integration of a young Sami girl into Swedish society in mid 1930s. An uncompromising look at the history of Scandinavian colonialism and racial discrimination.
Ella, a reindeer-breeding Sami girl, grew up in the vast expanses of the untamed Lapland. Turning 14, she starts attending a Swedish boarding school in Uppsala, the fourth largest Swedish town. Fitting into Swedish society proves more challenging than she thought, and she quickly learns that to integrate, she must break all ties with her family and culture.
“Many older Samis left everything behind and became Swedish and I’ve always wondered; what happens to you if you cut all ties with your culture and history? And can you really become someone else? Sami Blood is a declaration of love to those who left and those who stayed – told from Elle Marja’s perspective. I wanted to make a film where we see the Sámi society from within, a film where we experience this dark part of Swedish colonial history in a physical way. A film with yoik and blood.«” (Amanda Kernell)
Amanda Kernell
Born in 1986 in north Sweden. An acclaimed director and scriptwriter, Kernell’s shorts have received several international awards. Nowadays she lives in Copenhagen and teaches film directing. Sami Blood is her debut feature.