Skábmagovat – Indigenous Peoples’ Film Festival brings diverse forms of love to the silver screen in Inari in January
Skábmagovat Film Festival will once again take place in the heart winter from 22–25 January 2026 in Inari, Sápmi. The theme of the 2026 festival is diverse love. Through this theme, the festival aims to highlight the multidimensional nature of love in Indigenous experiences: love for language and land, for community and generations, for being oneself, and for the diversity of queer love.
“Skábmagovat 2026 is an invitation to reimagine love – not as something passive or necessarily comfortable, but as an expansive force. A force that challenges us to deepen our care for ourselves, for one another and for the world we share,” describes the festival’s Artistic Director, Sunna Nousuniemi.
Nousuniemi continues the life’s work of former Artistic Director Jorma Lehtola, who has dedicated himself with the festival for over 30 years. The festival has now entered a new era with a significant transition – yet with a soft landing – as on the opening day, Thursday, at 19:30 at the Sámi Museum Siida, audiences will see Inari of Memories, a screening curated by Lehtola.
Festival’s main guest arrives from Canada
The festival’s film programme features over 55 films and 25 premieres from around the world. The festival’s main guest comes from Canada, film director Sinakson Trevor Solway, who is a member of the Siksika Nation. Solway’s feature-length documentary Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man, which explores Indigenous masculinity and manhood, will be screened at the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos on Friday, 23 January at 16:00.
The Sámi film productions premiering at the festival include titles such as Ciao rakas! and Heajastallan – A Sámi Wedding. Heajastallan is a Sámi TV drama series which was recently released on the Norwegian television. Heajastallan will be shown in a special screening at the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos on Friday at 19:30. The series’ director and screenwriter Åse Kathrin Vuolab will attend the screening as a guest. In addition, Ciao rakas! – a cinema version based on the eponymous TV series – will have its world premiere at the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos on Saturday at 14:30. The film director Ken Are Bongo and one of the film’s lead stars, Sissi Jomppanen, will attend the screening.
Skábmagovat will also host a solidarity screening in support of Palestinian human rights. The screening will feature Yalla Parkour, a documentary by Palestinian filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter. The film is a compassionate portrayal about the youth and their dreams, practicing parkour in the ruins of Gaza.
SkábmaKlubba delivers a diverse line-up
The side programme includes, among other events, the Diverse Love panel discussion held on festival Friday at 14:00 at Sajos, where Indigenous filmmakers and artists will come together to reflect on their creative work through the lens of the theme. On Saturday, the programme includes the Meet the Filmmakers discussion event at Siida at 10:30. Both events are open to everyone.
As is tradition, the SkábmaKlubba festival club will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos. On Friday, the club will swing with AJR – Aanaar Jazz Revival, which this year joins forces with rappers Jezebro and Amoc, while the late-night rhythms will be provided by the radiant DJ HulluElla. Saturday’s pre-party begins at the Snow Theatre, where DJ Petra Laiti will keep dancers warm in the frost of the evening at a pre-club event. Later in the night, SkábmaKlubba will feature a fresh rising star from Sápmi, actor and singer VEGARD, after which DJ Petra Laiti will keep the party going until the end of the night.
Tickets and transportation
Advance ticket sales for the festival have begun on the lippu.fi website. In collaboration with the Inari Municipality’s Cultural Services, Skábmagovat organizes shared transportation to the festival on 24 January 2025 via Saariselkä and Ivalo to Inari and back. More information about schedules can be found on the festival’s website.
The programme of Skábmagovat – Indigenous Peoples’ Film Festival is available in three languages: Northern Sámi, Finnish, and English. About the festival
Skábmagovat invites all film lovers to immerse themselves in Indigenous stories and perspectives. The festival is dedicated to presenting Indigenous cinema to both local and international audiences and to promoting intercultural dialogue and understanding.
