Sami Blood (Sameblod)

Amanda Kernell’s powerful feature debut follows a teenage Sámi girl in the 1930s who is forcibly removed from her family and sent to a state boarding school that is intended to raise its Indigenous charges to a level “acceptable” to the rest of Swedish society. When strong-willed but sensitive 14-year-old Elle Marja encounters race biology examinations at her boarding school and racism from the local Swedes, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve that dream, she flees to the big city and renounces all aspects of her heritage, from her traditional clothing and special knife to her mother tongue. Part of the film is in the Southern Sami language, which is now only spoken by some 500 people. Inspired by stories from Kernell’s grandmother and extensive interviews with elders from the Sami community, her poignant debut feature sheds light on Sweden’s colonial oppression of the indigenous Sami folk in the 1930s through the coming-of-age tale of a reindeer-herding Sami girl who breaks free from her family and culture. Directed by Amanda Kernell. 110 minutes In Saami and Swedish with English subtitles