We can offer:
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In-house editing facilities.
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Professional editors.
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Camera and sound equipment for above and below the oceans surface (full-frame formats).
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Highly trained cinematographer for underwater (and above water) shoots.
We can offer:
-
In-house editing facilities.
-
Professional editors.
-
Camera and sound equipment for above and below the oceans surface (full-frame formats).
-
Highly trained cinematographer for underwater (and above water) shoots.
Sámi vs. Sámi
When two parties fight, a third wins.
In a rare Indigenous-against-Indigenous courtroom battle shaped by a long history of state oppression, Northern and Southern Sámi descendants fight over land, reindeer herding –
and ultimately the right to be Sámi.
More than a hundred years ago, the Norwegian and Swedish states forcibly relocated Northern Sámi people to Southern Sámi territory. This led to a conflict that has lasted for over a century.
Today, three generations later, descendants Erik (Southern Sámi) and Inger Ann (NorthernSámi) face each other in court, fighting over land, reindeer herding, and the right to be Sámi.
This historical film reveals how state actions continue to divide a people,
and how the past still shapes their future.
The question remains: Who has the right to the land?
Director Ellen Asti Lundby is a Sea Sámi descendant from Norway.
This positions her outside the conflict, enabling her to explore it with a sense of belonging and perspective.
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WORLD PREMIERE:
TROMSØ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL JANUARY 22nd - 2026
CINEMA RELEASE NORWAY FEBRUARY 2026
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
Download official press materials for the film.
For additional assets or requests, contact us by email
Watch our trailer:
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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – Ellen-Astri Lundby
Can there be a shared future when the past is remembered so differently?
I am Sámi, but I do not own a single reindeer. My family comes from the coastal Sámi in Finnmark, who for generations helped reindeer-herding Sámi move their herds across the fjords. That history of friendship stands in stark contrast to the bitter divisions I see today, where Sámi are fighting each other in court and even within families.
This is why I need to make this film.
The conflict in Tärnaby between South Sámi and relocated North Sámi is not only about land and reindeer – it is about how state policies and colonial practices tore the Sámi apart. By telling this story, I want to expose how governments deliberately set groups against each other.
For me, this film is also about healing. I want to ask: how did it come to this, that two Sámi groups were treated so differently? And is reconciliation still possible? It builds toward the final decision at the Swedish Supreme Court,which will ultimately determine the future of Sámi reindeer herding in the region of Umeå.
Sámi Verus Sámi is both an intimate Sámi story and a universal drama of displacement and belonging. It speaks to Indigenous struggles everywhere, and it is my contribution to ensuring that these stories are neither silenced nor forgotten.
Format & Length
Feature Documentary.
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Format & Length: HD - 78 min & 58 Min
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Director: Ellen-Astri Lundby
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Producers: Johanna Dorothea Raita & Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas
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Co-Production: Jesper Bergom-Larsson, Katja Härkönen
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Cinematographer: Nils-Petter Lotherington
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Editor: Erland Edenholm n:f:k, Josefine LaBelle
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Editing Conultants: Michal Leszczynski
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Composer: Georg Buljo
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Colorist: Joachim Møller Nilsen
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Sound Design/Mix: Mikael Brodin
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Production Company: Ten Thousand Images
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Co-Production Companies: Saltfilm AB, SVT, Filmpool Nord
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Produced with support from: Norsk Filminstitutt, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Svenska Filminstitutet, Viken Filmsenter, Stiftelsen Fritt Ord, Fond for lyd og bilde, Kulturrådet, International Sámi Film Institute, Bergesenstiftelsen
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In collaboration with: Ellen Lundby Film & Media, NRK
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Distribution: Anders Tangen, North Film Distribution
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