Screaming Fox Productions, Nordisk Film Sweden Ally With Tekele Productions on ‘Máttáráhká' by Sámi director Suvi West: ‘Intersectional Version of ‘Barbie' (EXCLUSIVE)
Directed by Suvi West, and Anssi Kömi, it's produced by Julia Elomäki for Tekele Productions. Cinematographer Kerttu Hakkarainen, behind 'Heartbeast' and 'Natatorium,' will lens the film.
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In 'Máttáráhká' – presented at Goteborg's Nordic Film Market's Discovery Co-production Platform – Máret, who's a filmmaker, lives in a beautiful place where predators are always present. Disillusioned by her culture's chauvinism and indifference, her life changes thanks to a passionate relationship with Johan Johanaš, allowing her to confront sexual traumas and find her own path.
'For me, it's actually a comedy. But maybe it's just my dark and surrealistic mind. It's definitely an empowering project. I call it an intersectional version of 'Barbie,'' Suvi West told Variety.
'It's dark and grotesque, but there's also magical realism. There is threat of sexual violence, but I wouldn't call it a violent film. It's not attached to realism in that sense.'
Instead of setting her story in a specific period, the Sámi director and screenwriter wanted to make it 'timeless.'
'There are elements from the 16th century to modern days and it's not the kind of place that actually exists. In Sámi way of thinking, time is not linear. It's a circle and everything is connected. Which means I carry my future and my past with me all the time.'
In 'Máttáráhká,' women are told they have a certain role in society.
'You take care of everybody and everything. It looks like a matriarchal system, but not when it comes to the ownership of your own body. Máret struggles with these values, she's also being blamed for men's actions. She wants to leave.'
Luckily, she has someone special to look up to: Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman.'
'She wants to be her; she wants to go to Europe and become a TV star. She's trying to get away from her traditional society, even though her mission there isn't complete. When she meets this man, her spiritual powers grow. When she finally goes to Europe, she finds out that the woman's position is not better there either. She needs to come back and fix her society with her powers: one of them is the power of storytelling.'
West has become known for her politically charged documentaries, 'Eatnameamet – Our Silent Struggle' and 'Homecoming.' But telling a fictional story doesn't feel like a detour – quite the opposite.
'It feels like going back to my roots. I started out exploring humorous stories about sexuality and womanhood. Then I moved away from Sápmi land and felt I needed to do my part. As a filmmaker, I've joined the battle of decolonization. I wanted to help my society and now, I can take a break. I've moved back home and I remembered who I was when I was 16 years old. I needed to confront that 'old me' again.'
West is also working on a novel, out in May.
'It also depicts a surrealistic world. Of course, a film about women's empowerment is also political. But this time, I'm not doing it for the world. I'm doing it for myself.'
'Suvi is a visionary filmmaker. As I read the first draft of the script a few years back, I was overwhelmed. It was such an exceptional reading experience,' said producer Julia Elomäki.
'How could anyone write about finding your own path, love, sexuality, traumas and taboos so eloquently in the form of a feature film script? I am so happy to work together with Eva Åkergren and Sara Beate Eira, and make this a co-production between Sweden, Norway and Sápmi. I feel that now, in times like these, our surrealistic story filled with dark comedy is a perfect hideaway.'
Elomäki and Marja Pihlaja have now become owners of Helsinki-based Tekele Productions, a change Elomäki described as 'meaningful both professionally and personally.' The founder, producer Miia Haavisto, continues as a partner and CEO of the company.
'Máttáráhká' will be Tekele Productions' sixth feature, following the likes of 'Eden,' 'Bad Women' and 'Butterflies,' with 'Summer is Crazy' by Ulla Heikkilä currently in post-production.
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San Francisco Chronicle
15-07-2025
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A rap festival near the Arctic Ocean delights crowds under the midnight sun
UTSJOKI, Finland (AP) — It was well past midnight when Mihkku Laiti appeared on stage to perform at an open-air music festival in the Finnish village of Utsjoki, north of the Arctic circle. Despite the time, Lapland's famous midnight sun was still up. During the summer months the sun doesn't go down at all in Utsjoki, which is less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Arctic Ocean. In the glow of blue spotlights, Laiti rapped while a crowd of more than 300 listened, some of them singing along and dancing. Like the majority of Utsjoki's residents, Laiti is a member of the Sámi — Europe's only recognized Indigenous people — and he rapped in his native Sámi language. Laiti, also known by his stage name 'Yungmiqu,' is the founder of the Loktafeasta rap festival. He first found fame on the television show Talent Finland, where he surprised the judges by rapping in the gákti, the traditional dress of the Sámi. It is brightly colored and often characterized by plaits, pewter embroidery and a high collar. The festival brought Laiti's Indigenous culture to the spotlight, though some of his fans could not understand what he was saying. That didn't seem to bother anyone at the Loktafeasta as the festival mixed performances from artists in both Sámi language and Finnish. Some drank beer and ate sausages and the crowd seemed to enjoy the summer festival atmosphere despite spells of rain. 'When I rap about my culture ... I want to show how being Sámi is like from my point of view," Laiti told The Associated Press. 'Because there are many stereotypes about Sámi people and I want to like normalize ... the basic stuff we do and not romanticize those things,' he said. He added that he has not worn the gákti for performances for about a year now to show people that it is possible to be Sámi and wear whatever you want. Europe's only recognized indigenous people The Sámi traditionally live in Lapland, which stretches from northern parts of Norway to Sweden and Finland to Russia. However, of the roughly 10,000 Sámi people living in Finland, the majority now live outside their homeland. The Sámi people were oppressed for centuries by the powers that ruled and exploited their lands, including bans of the use of their native tongues and efforts to suppress their culture. In the past decades, there have been efforts to reestablish their rights, including the right to use Sámi languages which is now guaranteed in the Finnish constitution. Today, the historically semi-nomadic Sámi people have modern lifestyles. The few who still tend reindeer do so with modern vehicles, digital tools and regulated land use. However, there is an effort to preserve the Sámi's cultural identity. Distinctive Sámi clothing was worn by many at Loktafeasta, as is typical on special occasions. Artists rap in Finnish and Sámi language At the festival, Laiti mostly wanted his fans to be happy and enjoy the music. 'I want people to feel joy, of course, and I just want people to be happy that we have this kind of festival here in Utsjoki," he said with a smile. Among the other acts was a duo comprised of self-confessed old school tango crooner Jaakko Laitinen and rapper Jouni J. They also reside in Lapland and perform in Finnish. 'I see a connection from the hip hop and the tinkering with words to the old Finnish like Kalevala freestyling folk poetry," said Laitinen, referring to Finland's national epic about the Earth's creation. A world away from the birthplace of rap music in the Bronx Although the duo's songs were a world away from the birthplace of rap music in the Bronx in New York City, their performance brought joy to Utsjoki's locals and visitors. 'Music travels and music brings people together. It's the magic of the international language of music,' Laitinen said.
