Art development project turned into an international campaign

The goal of the project that Dáiddadállu started in 2018 was to highlight each individual artist and Sami art, and thus expand the scope of visibility, exhibitions and collaboration. The project with courses, skills development and film products has given an enormous boost to both DD and our individual artists, and the project has aroused great enthusiasm among those who have gained an insight into the films and the project's content. Among other things, the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) asked to use the artist portrait by Maret Anne Sara for the international marketing campaign around the Venice Biennale in 2022, as well as to use the format that DD and Forest People AS had developed, to create two more similar ones artist portraits of the other two Sami artists, Anders Sunna and Paulina Feodoroff.

- We are extremely proud of the product that we have produced together with our artist partners Lisa Marie Kristensen and Per Josef Idivuoma at Forest People AS. The fact that OCA bought Maret Anne's film and then asked about using our format for the international launch of something as big as this shows that we have a solid and important professional product based on the project that we have carried out. We are very proud and look forward to showing more of the Dáiddadállu Stories films, says general manager at Dáiddadállu, Dine Arnannguaq Fenger Lynge.

Founders and creators

Lisa Marie Kristensen and Per Josef Idivuoma are a creative couple both professionally and privately. they have powerful productions under the direction of SVT and NRK such as Sápmi Sessions, Smaker fra Sápmi and Boazuvázzit. In 2017, however, they decided to move from Stockholm and home to Kautokeino. After many years in different channels and different places, they had long had a dream to start their own production company entirely on their own terms. Then Kautokeino was the best place to do it. The first project at the newly established Forest People was then 19 artist portraits for Dáiddadállu, which in turn led to this project together with the OCA.

How has it been working on this project?

- It has been interesting for me to bring out the people behind the art, to see how everything they do has an enormous driving force in something from home. Something that has happened or is happening and some injustice they want to bring to light. At the same time, it was nice to tell about these people so that everyone, regardless of background, can understand them. Regardless of whether you are from Kautokeino or New York, you can relate to seeing injustice from a young age and being robbed of something that you will never get back. These three people have in common that when everything else has failed, the court, the media, etc., they have managed to convey to the whole world what is happening in Sápmi, through their art. All in all, it has been exciting to follow these three artists. All three stand firm as mountains, and they are never apologetic. Nevertheless, they are humble, says Lisa Marie Kristensen after the launch of the artist portraits.

What does it mean for you as filmmakers – and for your company – to deliver films to such a large and important platform?

- For us, it doesn't matter if it's a big or small platform when we make things. It has nothing to do with our drive. What has been significant is having quite free rein to film three enormously strong people to tell their stories from our own perspective. It has meant a lot to us as filmmakers. We always have the idea that people we know and people around us should understand our films and recognize themselves in them, and it is so rare that you get that opportunity on large platforms, it was cool with this project, concludes Kristensen.