Sara Margrethe Oskal – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

A SAMI WEDDING (TIFF 2025) – Review by Rachel West

September 6, 2025September 6, 2025 Rachel West scripted TV series, A Sami Wedding , Åse Kathrin Vuolab, Kautokeino, Norway, reindeer herding community, Sara Margrethe Oskal, TIFF 2025

Weddings are meant to be celebrations, yet they often come with their share of tensions, particularly when clashing family dynamics and cultural traditions collide. In A Sami Wedding, those pressures are heightened by class hierarchies and a messy family structure. Series creator Åse Kathrin Vuolab has crafted a story that is as visually stunning as it is thematically rich, weaving issues of tradition, class, and trauma into something singular and striking.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 6, 2025: THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME

June 1, 2025June 3, 2025 Jennifer Merin Anders Hoft, Berit Ánne Oskal Kemi, betsy bozdech, Indiepix, jennifer merin, joiking, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, nell minow, Nils Ailu Kemi, norwegian films, Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup, sami, sandie angulo chen, Sápmi, Sara Margrethe Oskal, sherin nicole, The Tundra Within Me

Tradition goes head to head with progress — or at least inevitable change — in Norwegian writer/director Sara Margrethe Oskal’s intimate debut feature The Tundra Within Me. As it follows a feminist artist (Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup) who returns to her remote far-north Sami homeland with her young son after many years in the city, the film examines the ways in which dearly held cultural traditions can be both empowering and stifling.

Reviews

THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME – Review by Jennifer Merin

May 27, 2025May 31, 2025 Jennifer Merin Anders Hoft, Berit Ánne Oskal Kemi, Indiepix, joiking, Nils Ailu Kemi, norwegian films, Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup, sami, Sápmi, Sara Margrethe Oskal, The Tundra Within Me

Norwegian writer/director Sara Margrethe Oskal’s debut feature, The Tundra Within Me, is a tender love story set in Sápmi, the Northern Scandinavia region occupied by the Sámi (aka Lapps), an indigenous people who’ve struggled for centuries to sustain their cultural independence and traditional way of life as reindeer herders. The narrative and characters of The Tundra Within Me are richly steeped in Sámi culture and tradition. All of the performances are beautifully authentic and create great empathy. The cinematography of the icy winter tundra is gorgeous. This cinematic adventure into the feminism of another culture is richly rewarding.

Festivals Interviews

Sara Margrethe Oskal on THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME (TIFF 2023) – Rachel West interviews

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 Rachel West Nils Ailu Kemi, Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup, sami films, Sara Margrethe Oskal, The Tundra Within Me, TIFF 2023

In her first directorial debut feature, Sara Margrethe Oskal turned to her homeland for inspiration. A former reindeer herder, Oskal left her Sámi community in northern Norway to venture south where she is a successful artist and writer. Now, it’s her past that is giving inspiration for her first film, The Tundra Within Me. Some of the conversation in the film revolves around female reindeer herders who don’t wish to be singled out for doing the same jobs as men. It’s an interesting dichotomy and one that is echoed well beyond the borders of northern Norway.

Festivals Reviews

THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME (TIFF 2023) – Review by Rachel West

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 Rachel West Nils Ailu Kemi, Risten Anine Kvernmo Gaup, sami films, Sara Margrethe Oskal, The Tundra Within Me, TIFF 2023

In her debut directorial feature film, writer-director Sara Margrethe Oskal paints a vividly loving portrait of the Sámi community in northern Norway in the semi-autobiographical The Tundra Within Me Exploring the universal themes of belonging, love, and forgiveness, The Tundra Within Me is truly a love letter to Sámi people bridging their own traditions with the pressures of the modern world. It succeeds on so many levels, it is nearly impossible to single out just one highlight. It’s truly a must-see.