An anthology of stories made collaboratively with the Nenets, an indigenous nomadic people of the Russian tundra under modern Communist rule. Beautifully composed from both archive material and cinematography, the film blends fiction and documentary to produce a vivid portrait of Nenets culture as told and performed by the people themselves. As the first feature film made in the Nenets language, Seven Songs makes an important contribution to contemporary indigenous cinema and a timely intervention into continuing calls for decolonization in Russia.

Seven Songs from the Tundra | Dir. Markku Lehmuskallio & Anastasia Lapsui
Finland | 2020 | 90 mins | Nenets and Russian with English subtitles

Content warning: Animal Sacrifice, Mild physical violence, Blood/gore