The Arctic Indigenous Screenwriting Workshop has officially kicked off and has started with online sessions in October with Bird Runninwater and Suvi West. The workshop will continue until September 2025.

High Interest

There was great interest in the workshop, with 47 applications from the Arctic Indigenous area. From this group, 12 are selected to participate in the monthly sessions over the coming year led by professionals in the film industry.

We are thrilled by the enthusiasm we have seen. There is a huge interest in Indigenous stories, and we can see that many writers are interested in telling their stories on the screen. This course provides one-on-one mentoring, so we focused on a smaller group this time to give each writer dedicated support, says Liisa Holmberg, the Course leader.

About the program

The Arctic Indigenous Screenwriting workshop will focus on how Indigenous storytelling traditions can inspire the scriptwriting process and enhance the understanding of the basics of film narratives and character development in a film story. By the end of the workshop, the participants will have a strong story, an extended treatment, and a first draft script.

The workshop is the first of many projects following the Sami Film Initiative / Samisk filmløft.

The Mentors

The sessions will be led by professionals in the film industry:

Leader of the Course: Liisa Holmberg: CEO, Arctic Indigenous Film Fund
Kate Leys: International script and story editor, England
Bird Runningwater: Producer/Director from Los Angeles
Suvi West: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi
Gail Maurice: Screenwriter/Director, Canada
Nils Gaup: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi
Åse Katrin Vuolab: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi
Jörgen Hjerdt: Screenwriter, Sweden

Goals

  • To learn how Indigenous storytelling traditions can inspire your script-writing process.
  • To understand the basics of film narratives and character development in your own film story
  • To provide methods for developing ideas into treatments and scripts

Outcome

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a strong story, an extended treatment, and a first-draft script.

Partners

Funders

A part of Sami Film Initiativ / Samisk filmløft:

As part of Samfunnsløftet, SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge, the International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) has been allocated 10 million NOK in funding for a major initiative in the production of new Sámi films and TV series. This initiative is a concrete measure and a response to the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This Screenwriting Workshop is the first of many projects following the Sami Film Initiative.