Amanda Kernell’s Sámi Blood Wins LUX Film Prize

The European Parliament has unveiled Amanda Kernell’s debut feature Sámi Blood as winner of the 2017 LUX Film Prize, against competition from finalists BPM (Beats Per Minute) by Robin Campillo and Western by Valeska Grisebach.

Sami Blood tells the touching and delicate tale of a young Sámi girl who dreams of a different life and distances herself from her community with great anguish because of the racist attitudes they have to face.

Lene Cecilia Sparrok and Mia Sparrok, who star in the film and collected the prize, said in a statement: “We are still here; we still exist. Every day, our people see the effects of colonial and racist thinking, as well as climate change.”

“The UN claims our language is almost extinct. Receiving this award feels like retribution for the older generations of Sámi people who have been treated as lesser citizens – and we hope the European Union brings an end to this so that we can all stop thinking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’.”

The LUX Film Prize was founded in 2007 by the European Parliament to cast an annual spotlight on the European public debate. The films selected help celebrate the universal reach of European values, illustrate the diversity of European traditions and shed light on the process of European integration.