PATHFINDER GUIDELINES EXPERT GROUP ANNOUNCED

Almmuhuvvon: 22.04.2026

PATHFINDER GUIDELINES EXPERT GROUP ANNOUNCED

The International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) announces the establishment of the Pathfinder Guidelines Expert Group. The group consists of Sunna Nousuniemi (Sápmi/Finland), Åsa Simma (Sápmi/Sweden) and Ken Are Bongo (Sápmi/Norway), and is coordinated by ISFI.

The expert group is founded in line with The Pathfinder – Guidelines for Responsible Filmmaking with Sámi Culture and People (2021). Its purpose is to ensure that film productions involving Indigenous Sámi stories, communities, and lands are carried out with sensitivity and a deep understanding of both historical and contemporary Sámi realities. The initiative also addresses key questions around authorship, representation, and the power structures that shape Indigenous narratives.

ISFI receives a growing number of inquiries each year from international film productions seeking to include Sámi elements, stories, locations, or people. The expert group has been established to provide guidance and advice to these productions, ensuring that filmmaking processes are carried out in a respectful and culturally appropriate way within the Sámi society, and culturally sensitive and respectful to the Sámi people.

The Pathfinder protocol is intended to be used as early as possible in a production, ideally before the script is finalised. Production companies are encouraged to contact ISFI, after which projects may be evaluated by the expert group to get guidance on how to move forward with the specific projects.

HOW THE EXPERT GROUP CAN HELP YOUR PRODUCTION

If you have a filmproject that needs consultation on Sámi content, you can contact the International Sámi Film Institte by e-mail, info@isfi.no.

You may submit a synopsis, short treatment, pitch deck, or project description for feedback. Please note that we do not accept feature film or series screenplays and are unable to review these formats.

ISFI will then coordinate further process with the Pathfinder expert group. You can expect feedback on a general and overall basis.

If you need further consultations, then your production company can hire any expert of your choise.

 

 

ABOUT THE EXPERT GROUP

 

Ken Are Bongo is a Sámi director and cinematographer rooted in the landscapes and culture of the Arctic. He made his feature film directorial debut with «Ciao ráhkis!». After years shaping images for film and television, he brings a strong visual voice to stories where different worlds meet in the North.

Radio-JusSunná / Sunna Nousuniemi is a queer Sámi audiovisual artist and storyteller from Anár, Sápmi. Their artistic path emerged when they grabbed their father’s video camera in the early 2000’s and started documenting their daily life with their friends in Anár. In 2025, their short film ÁHKUIN received the New Voice in Storytelling Award in Toronto at imagineNATIVE Media + Arts Festival. Recently, they graduated from the Sámi Education Institute as an artisan, specializing in traditional Sámi soft handicrafts, as well as they took on a new role as the Artistic Director of Skábmagovat.

Åsa Simma was born into a nomadic reindeer herding family, migrating between north Sweden and Norway depending on the season. She was taught the traditional Sámi singing called yoik , during that time yoik was forbidden. She was part of the movement to diminish the yoiking ban. She left for Denmark where she took acting education. Åsa Simma has been very active in the global Indigenous peoples’ art movements. She has toured among Australian Aboriginals, lived with Inuits from Greenland and North American Indians. She works as a film dramaturg and a script developer. She is a director and a scriptwriter within performing arts. In 2025, she become Doctor of Honour at the University of Stockholm, Sweden.

Due to the increasing number of productions seeking guidance, ISFI envisions expanding the Sámi storytelling and cultural expert group over time to meet the growing demand. The Expert group is coordinated by ISFIs Film Commissioner Siljá Somby.

 

Photo: ISFI/Siljá Somby. Taken during a gathering in Rovaniemi earlier this year.