Pathfinder

Pathfinder

Nils Gaup is a Norwegian filmmaker of Sami decent. The Sami people are the indigenous people of the European arctic region, and Lapland, the official region of the Sami’s, stretches over from Norway, through Sweden, Finland and into Russia.

No other Sami filmmakers have reached the level of success internationally as Nils Gaup. In 1987 he was nominated for an Oscar for his film “Pathfinder” and won several national awards.

Pathfinder is unique in many different ways. It is based on a Sami legend about a Sami pathfinder who overcomes a murderous group of Karelian bandits. It is also set entirely in the Norwegian Lapland region and the language spoken is purely Sami language. The film was not only written and directed by a Same but the majority of the actors where local Sami’s.

This is the first Sami film ever to be produced, and it was no easy task for Nils Gaup to convince producers and sponsors that the film would make a good investment.

There is an issue within indigenous media, the idea that stories solely regarding indigenous communities and cultures are not relevant enough to warrant a wider interest, therefor limiting the potential market for the film to be released into.

At the time making a film entirely in Sami and completely catered to Sami culture and community was considered unrealistic. But Nils Gaup did not give up easy, and when he finally succeeded to have it made it turned into one of Norway´s most successful films to this date and put a light on a minority that is so often ignored. 

Nils Gaup is proof that a good story is a good story and his activism and artistic talent have brought Sami stories and issues, that would otherwise have been forgotten and ignored, into the world.

Gaup insisted on making the film as realistic and true to the culture as possible, including accurate clothing, housing and light sources, making the film not only a good story, but a accurate depiction of Sami life and culture.