Sundance Shines Spotlight On Sámi Drama Sameblod

After a successful run at the Venice Film Festival, Amanda Kernell’s debut feature Sameblod (Sami Blood) has been selected to compete in the Spotlight section of the Sundance Film Festival.

Sameblod tells the story of 14-year-old Elle Marja, a reindeer-breeding Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930’s and eugenics experiments at her boarding school she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.

Upon being invited to Sundance, Kernell said: “It’s a dream to get this film into one of the major festivals like Sundance. But it feels completely surreal that Sameblod has now been invited to the three largest festivals.”

Amanda Kernell was nominated for a Guldbagge in 2015 for her short film Stoerre Vaerie (Northern Great Mountain), which went on to win Best Swedish Short Audience Award at the Göteborg International Film Festival, where Sameblod will show in January.