The Sámi Film Festival, now in its seventh year, will screen from New York to Alaska, spanning the United States from coast to coast. This expanded reach marks a growing collaboration across the circumpolar North, with The Anchorage Museum joining longtime partners National Nordic Museum, Pacific Sámi Searvi, and Scandinavia House. Finnish artist and reindeer herder Matti Aikio will curate this year’s festival, bringing together contemporary Indigenous films with important historical works like Skierri vaivaiskoivujen maa / Skierri: Land of the Dwarf Birches (1982). Aikio, whose practice connects traditional knowledge with contemporary art, works across video, photography, and sound. What began as a local Seattle festival in 2018 has evolved into a significant platform for Arctic Indigenous storytelling, making Sámi film accessible to audiences worldwide.
