It is important to the Sinti that as many people as possible from the majority population see the film.
– There are young and older people involved. It’s fun to see how they speak Coltish in the film. They were filming nearby, but I didn’t go to the set,” Fofonoff laughs.
– That’s why I want to go and see the film and I want him to succeed,” says Fofonoff.
The White Channel also shows Reino Riiko Fofonoff’s dormitory days.
– We were not allowed to speak Koltan Sámi. He was immediately arrested for that. I was both in Sevettijärvi and Partakko in a dormitory. They didn’t like the fact that the Koltsa Sámi spoke Sámi to each other, recalls Fofonoff.
Even though the film is fiction, it is based on true events and partly harsh experiences of the Koltsa Sámi. In Fofonoff’s opinion, it would be important for many Finns to see the film.
– I believe that it is also good for those who do not understand Koltan Sámi to watch the film. The Koltta Sámi themselves have already experienced what that life was like and have witnessed everything, reflects Fofonoff.
Film has a big impact on the community
Erkki Gauriloff, who plays Je’vida’s grandfather, has not yet seen his own performance on the big screen.
– Yes, it scares me a bit whether I have succeeded in my role performance. If I’m remembered for something in this film, it’s probably when I didn’t know how to figure out fishing nets properly, laughs Gauriloff.
Since October, Je’vida has toured around Finland and gained international fame from the Toronto Film Festival to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Praiseworthy reviews have also been written about the film in the Koltan Sámi language.
– After all, it’s a pretty tough thing for all of us when the problems faced by the Sámi come up in this film. School times were not easy for me. I think we need to take tissues with us to the show, says Gauriloff.
*Jeʹvida in cinemas from October 20.*