Kaisa's Enchanted Forest

The Skolt Sámi are a nearly distinct nomadic people that lived mainly in an area around Petsamo in Finland, with contingents in Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Kaisa’s Enchanted Forest chronicles their history and cultural heritage, and the great difficulties they suffered in trying to maintain their way of life. It does so through the life stories of two people from very different backgrounds: the Swiss writer Robert Crottet, who held a lifelong fascination for the Skolts, and Kaisa, who was director Katha Gauriloff's great-grandmother and one of the last Skolt Sámi storytellers. By elegantly weaving together archival footage, animation sequences, diary notes, and folkloristic observations, the film tells the story of Crottet's and Kaisa's friendship and reflects upon important events in recent Nordic history. A beautiful film that evokes a rich tradition of myths and stories. MFL

Katja Gauriloff (b. 1972) is a Finnish documentary filmmaker of Sámi background. She studied directing at the TAMK University in Tampere, Finland, and co-owns the film production company Oktober. Her previous film Canned Dreams screened at the Berlinale in 2012.