Proud and honored

The film premieres on February 16 and will be screened at one of the world’s most renowned A‑festivals.

– This is incredibly big. The film industry is enormous, and you compete with the very best films in the world to secure a place at the Berlinale. I’m extremely proud, but I don’t think it has fully sunk in yet. It probably will once I’m standing in Berlin, says director and screenwriter Elle Sofe Sara.

Árru is, as the only Nordic film, among the ten nominated feature films for the Europa Cinemas Label Award at the Berlinale. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 21 at the official prize event at the Grand Hyatt Berlin.

Strong political core theme

The film’s title, Árru, can be translated as “disturbance” or “obstruction.” The story follows Maia, played by Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, who tries to protect her family’s reindeer grazing lands from mining operations. The theme highlights both external pressure on Sámi lands and internal family conflicts.

– Árru conveys how complex and difficult it is to stand in the tension between the pressure on our land areas and the challenges within the family. I want to show how Maia handles the situation, and that there is always hope, says Elle Sofe Sara.

Creative collaboration

The script is written by Elle Sofe Sara together with Johan Fasting, who has previously written acclaimed series such as Makta and Heimebane.

– This is an important international recognition for Elle Sofe Sara, as she is now screening her first feature film on one of the world's largest film stages. It is also a motivation for the entire Sámi film community, because it shows that Sámi films have a natural place on major film stages, says ISFI director Anne Lajla Utsi to the online magazine Rushprint.

Shown daily at the festival

Árru will be screened for the first time on February 16 and will then be shown daily until February 22.

The cast includes Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Ayla Gáren Nutti, Mikkel Gaup, Simon Issát Marainen, Ellen Anne Buljo Stabursvik, and Anni-Kristiina Juuso.

Strong artistic momentum

The premiere of Árru comes shortly after Elle Sofe Sara gained national attention with the ballet performance Láhppon / Lost – the first Sámi joik ballet ever staged on the main stage of the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet.

This feature film also features joik and dancing. A total of 13 dancers are listed as part of the artistic team in the information about Árru on Elle Sofe Company's website. If you read more about Árru, you will also see that the Norwegian Film Institute and Sámediggi are among funders, along with several other institutions.

For Dáiddadállu, it is also a great honor that Elle Sofe Sara, as co‑founder of the Sámi artist network, has succeeded with her productions. This proves that the establishment of the network has played a part in bringing Sámi art to an international audience.