Finnish documentary film Anerca, Breath of Life in VIFF online

Presenting a panoramic view of the numerous Indigenous peoples of the Arctic Circle, each with their own daily customs, habits, histories and struggles, the father-son filmmaking team of Markku and Johannes Lehmuskallio adopt an array of visual styles as diverse and complex as their subjects.

24.9. – 7.10.2020

Online British Columbia

VIFF Vancouver International Film Festival

Film

One by one, each people’s artistic heritages, modern political realities, and connection to the land are illustrated by dreams, oral histories, performances, ceremonies, and hunting practices, and a complex tension emerges between centuries-old ways of life and the current hegemony.

The film won Jury Prize Région du Nyon - Most innovative feature film at Vision du Reel Festival in 2020.

"Lyrical… Not so much a documentary as an attempt to connect with the soul of each of the cultures it visits… Through the art, dance and music of, among others, the Yupik of Alaska, the Haida of Canada, the Selkups, Nenets and Nganasans of Russia and the Sami of Scandinavia, the film pieces together an account of peoples connected physically and spiritually to the land, who don’t do so well when the attachment is broken." - Wendy Ide, Screen Daily