Anne Lajla Utsi awarded the inaugural WIFTI Peace Prize

The first peace prize from the Women in Film and Television International was co-founded by WIFTI’s outgoing president Helene Granqvist and Isiako Abesadze, founder of WIFTI Caucasus, with support from Wade Channell, founder of Damn Fool Productions, to spotlight a film and TV personality, ambassador for inclusion, sustainability and peace.

Utsi was selected for her “tireless work to spread Sámi stories to the world, which has led to the unprecedented three Sámi feature films screening at the recent Toronto International Film Festival”.

“WIFTI is built on a foundation of solidarity and desire for an inclusive, sustainable and peaceful world, which respects all our differences,” said Granqvist. “The WIFTI Peace Prize rewards the efforts of embracing peace, even while experiencing tension, discomfort and historical challenges. The prize honours the art of storytelling and the process of building constructive relationships. Anne Lajla Utsi’s work symbolises the core of the WIFTI Peace Prize,” she underscored.

Commenting on her award, the high-profile Utsi said she will be sharing it with “all the incredible Sámi and other Indigenous filmmakers” she has been working with.

She added that the accolade has a particular significance for her, and is "crucial in a greater sense, because in an unstable world with war in Europe and the upcoming truth and reconciliation processes in the Nordic countries, this award symbolises the strong impact film has for building understanding and peace."
“The WIFTI Peace Prize encourages us to focus on our bright future for Sámi culture, languages, and way of life. Giitu!” said Utsi who was handed out on Saturday a pendant from Kenyan designer Adele Delak whose work was featured in Beyonce’s Black is King and Netflix’s Sense8.

Recent films about Sámi people that have conquered festival audiences and juries include Je’vida by Katja Gauriloff, Let the River Flow by Ole Giæver, The Tundra Within Me by Sara Margrethe Oskal, the documentaries Historjá-Stitches for Sapmi by Thomas Jackson and Homecoming by Suvi West and Anssi Kömi.

The WIFTI Summit in Helsinki-Facing the Future which also celebrated Women in Film LA’s 50^th anniversary, was attended by 120 filmmakers from six continents.

Topics discussed by attendees included gender equality-what’s the update, women and underrepresented minority in the media and audiovisual industries, and the impact of AI on our societies, with a talk delivered by Nordisk Film & TV Fond CEO Liselott Forsman.

During the Summit, WIFT Finland also unveiled a new ‘Equality Tool’, designed to facilitate the planning of TV and film content, employment relations and workplace safety from an equality perspective.

Finally the global gathering hosted a change of guard between the Swede Granqvist, WIFTI president since 2018, now replaced by Irish academic Dr Susan Liddy.