ÁRRU Invited to SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL Special Presentations and Competes for First Nations Award

Árru Selected for SFF Special Presentations and Competes for First Nations Award

Elle Sofe Sara’s feature film Árru has been invited to the prestigious Special Presentations programme at the Sydney Film Festival (SFF), and is also competing for the First Nations Award, which includes a cash prize of AUD 35,000. 

The Sydney Film Festival, held June 3-14, is one of Australia’s largest and most renowned film festivals, and Special Presentations is the festival’s high-profile section for selected international premieres and acclaimed festival favourites. Australian is distribution by Palace Films.

The film will also have its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York early June, where it has been selected for the Viewpoints program, a section dedicated to boundary-pushing and rule-breaking new voices in independent cinema.

Árru had its World Premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale 2026.

ABOUT ÁRRU

Amid the breathtaking landscapes of Sápmi, reindeer herder Maia fights to protect her ancestral lands from a looming mining project. As protests rise, she turns to her charismatic uncle Lemme for help, but his presence reignites deep-buried traumas. Maia must choose: save the land at the cost of her family or surrender it to break the silence.

Director: Elle Sofe Sara | Writers: Johan Fasting, Elle Sofe Sara | Cast: Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Áyla Gáren Nutti, Simon Issát Marainen, Mikkel Gaup | Director of Photography: Cecilie Semec | Composer: John Erik Kaada | Editor: Michal Leszczylowski | Production Designer: Otto Lume | Produced by: Stær A.S (No), Garagefilm International (SE), It’s Alive (FIN), Elle Sofe Company (Sápmi) |The film is financed by The International Sámi Film Institute, The Norwegian Film Institute, The Swedish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Arctic Film Norway, Sámediggi (No), New Dawn, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, NRK, YLE, SVT, and Cadre Bord | With support from imagineNATIVE and Indigenous Cinema Alliance.

International sales by The Yellow Affair

The film Árru has been supported by the International Sámi Film Institute through its grant schemes. Additional support was provided through Samfunnsløftet, with SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge supporting ISFI via the Samisk filmløft initiative.