Directed by Suvi West, Anssi Kömi • Documentary • 2023 • 76 minutes
Filmmaker Suvi West takes the audience behind the scenes of the museum world, revealing a visual, philosophical, and spiritual realm. Sámi herself, she seeks a connection with her ancestors through old museum objects, eventually arriving at the collective pain points of the Sámi people. How can the damage caused by outsiders be repaired so that collective pains can be left behind?
'Máhccan - Homecoming' is set in the changing world of museums and deals with the repatriation of museum objects. Repatriation refers to the return of cultural heritage to its original owners. In recent years, museums around the world have had to confront their own colonialist burden and consider returning objects taken from oppressed or subjugated nations, often through theft.
West embarks on a journey following museum objects from Helsinki to Inari and from Berlin to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Her travel companions and advisors include experts from the museum world, past generations, and dreams that guide the story. As the dream-like journey progresses, West delves deeper into the bloody past of the Sámi people and the realm of unresolved sorrows. The effects of historical events are felt and become visible in the present moment.
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Directed by Saila Huusko & Jasper Rischen • Documentary • 2017 • 82 minutes
The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States. Every four years, the Navajo tribe elects its president, whom many consider the most powerful Native American in the country. In the mids...
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How to Build an Igloo
Directed by Douglas Wilkinson • Documentary • 1949 • 10 minutes
A demonstration of igloo-building in Canada's Far North, showing how the site is selected and how blocks of snow are used to make a snug shelter in only an hour and a half. As the camera follows each stage, the commentary explains t...
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Nice Colored Girls
Directed by Tracey Moffatt • Drama • With Gayle Mabo, Cheryl Pitt, Janelle Court • 1987 • 16 minutes
This stylistically daring film audaciously explores the history of exploitation between white men and Aboriginal women, juxtaposing the “first encounter” between colonizers and native women with ...
