Niillas Somby sacrificed not only an arm for his people but was also forced into exile as a wanted terrorist. The Alta conflict and one of its key activists take center stage in this poetic hybrid documentary about the Sámi people’s struggle for land and rights.
Short Documentary Film, 23 min (2025)
The film tells the unique story of Niillas Somby and is directed by Liselotte Wajstedt and Marja Helander, with Mauri Lähdesmäki as director of photography.
The film is produced by Paranord Film in co-production with: Filmpool Nord/Katja Härkönen, Sons of Lumière/Mete Sasioglu, Vaja Filmproductions/Liselotte Wajstedt and Fount Films/Mauri Lähdesmäki
FESTIVAL LIST, IN MY HAND (2025):
Tromsø International Film Festival; Winner: Tromsøpalm, Best Short Film
Göteborg Film Festival; Nominated
Human Film Festival
Hot Docs; Official Competition
Seattle International Film Festival; Official Competition
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival; Winner: Best Short Documentary Film
Sydney Film Festival; In Competition
Way Out West
Vancouver International Film Festival
Indigenous filmfestival in Copenhagen
Helsinki International Film Festival; Winner
Filmfest Sundsvall, Winner, Norrlands bästa och Special mention, internationalla juryn
Umeå Filmfestival, Nominated, Storspoven
The jury for Filmfest Sundsvall, Stone City Awards:
Vinnare av Stone City Award 2025 – Bästa norrländska film
In My Hand av Marja Helander och Liselotte Wajstedt
Juryns motivering:
We enter this film through the most confined place, but it turns out to be a universal invitation not only to go on a journey, but to reconsider what constitutes justice and activism. For the way it nagivates from the past to the présent, from the personal to the political, from the majesty of nature to the vulnerability of a single human, from achive footage documentary to fictional reanactments, all told through a poetic lens.
Filmen vinner 25 000 kr från Film i Västerbotten, Filmpool Jämtland, Filmpool Nord, Film Västernorrland och Region Gävleborg, fri dryck från VASA Bryggeri vid nästa filmproduktion samt en prisstatyett skapad av Cecilia Tjärnberg.
Juryn bestod av: Christina Olofson, Grégory Coutaut, Tiziana Pelusi
Recensioner