Suvi West and Katja Gauriloff
Masterclass & Film Screenings
Je’vida & Máhccan
Máhccan
directed by Suvi West and Anssi Kömi
The documentary is set in the Museum world in a turning point, where the national museums have to deal with their colonialistic history. The National Museum of Finland returned thousands of everyday objects taken from the indigenous Sámi people back to them. Filmmaker Suvi West takes the audience behind the scenes of the museum world, revealing a visual, philosophical, and spiritual realm. She seeks a connection with ancestors through old museum objects, eventually arriving at the collective pain points of the Sámi people. West asks how forgiveness can be given? How can the damage caused by outsiders be repaired so that collective pains can finally be left behind?
Je’vida
directed by Katja Gauriloff
An aunt and her niece who’ve never met before drive to Lapland to empty a house they’ve inherited. Turns out the withdrawn and distrusting aunt had been a victim of the assimilation policies and the niece has to make a big decision. By taking interest in each other they find value in themselves and their roots. The film follows Je'vida's story in three different time periods. It is a movie about the significance of culture, language, and memories in the context of forced Finnish assimilation. Je'vida is also the first feature film in history to be made in Skolt Sámi language.