“We are fully capable of leading our own stories” – the Sámi youth series Shut Up premieres today

The Sámi youth series Shut Up (Oro Jaska), created by Silje Bürgin-Borch and Vegard Bjørsmo, opened for an enthusiastic and quite young audience in Oslo November 12. The series premieres today simultaneously on public broadcasters in Norway, Finland and Sweden.

Shut Up is a result of a collaboration project initiated by The International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) and launched in 2018 with NRK as the primary financier, contributing with a budget of up to 100 million NOK. The initiative’s purpose is to support Sámi productions and to strengthen the Sámi film industry. Nearly 70 projects were submitted when NRK announced the initiative, and out of them, two drama series projects were chosen; Shut Up and A Sámi Wedding Party (Heajastallan). The latter will premiere spring 2025. Both series are top-financed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Liisa Holmberg – former Film Commissioner at ISIF and today at the international Arctic Indigenous Film Fund, worked closely with the project for years. Together with ISFI’s Director Anne Lajla Utsi, Holmberg has been active in lifting the Sámi film industry, also through international collaboration with both public organizations and private companies (such as Netflix and Disney). She has witnessed the long-term impact of the Sámi drama initiative:

“I wonder if Ivar Køhn, who at that time was NRK’s Head of Drama, realized in 2018 how much NRK’s investment in the project would lift the Sámi film industry.” Holmberg says.

Shut Up is the first Sámi youth series in 30 years, also pioneering with its strong Sámi representation throughout the entire production.

“It was important that Sámi filmmakers led the project in key positions, such as scriptwriting, directing, and producing. NRK’s investment in this project and all the new talents and the expertise developed are incredibly important for the continued development of the Sámi film industry.” Anne Lajla Utsi adds.

Marianne Furevold-Boland, current Head of Drama at NRK, says it feels fantastic to showcase the first series from the collaboration that has sparked essential connections with the Sámi drama community.

“It has been a true pleasure to collaborate with Anne Lajla and ISFI. It has also been absolutely essential in building good relationships with the Sámi drama community. And Shut Up has truly become a brilliant series – warm, important, and it will spark reflections, engagement, and conversations, just as we aim for with all the content we create.”

As a part of the project, NRK also supported development work of Sámi productions.

“We organized seminars and workshops in collaboration with ISFI, including in Kautokeino, focusing on insight work, production methodology, and script development. This is something we would like to do again!” Furevold-Boland says.

Shut Up is a six-episode series that addresses powerful themes such as sexual assault and being queer in a small community. The series is set in the real Sámi village Karasjok, which has a population of 2,500 people. The protagonist Elli Anne (Kátjá Rávdná Broch Einebakken) calls it "Hell on earth" and longs to escape from the close-knit community. One day, she wakes up after a party and doesn't remember anything, but starts suspecting she got raped.

The storyline is based on real-life experiences from youths in Karasjok. Vegard Bjørsmo, one of the writers who also plays the character Issát, is from Karasjok and have used his own experiences in the writing process. He says that even if Issát's storyline is not directly his own, he could easily relate to the character’s experiences.

Vegard Bjørsmo joined the project two years into the work, and it quickly became clear that he had strong storytelling voice, Silje Bürgin-Borch says. For the past four years, they have worked closely together.

“Such close collaboration over such a long period of time requires effort, we’ve both done most of the work, just taking turns carrying the load. But overall, I’ve had a particular focus on structure and dramaturgy, while Vegard focused more on scenes, characters, and dialogue.”

Silje Bürgin-Borch says the series is important because it takes young people seriously and addressses real-life challenges:

“By talking openly about difficult topics, we can move forward. It’s also the first time Sámi youth have had a series that tackles tough issues in a TV format. It’s important to me that all the Sámi young voices behind this project get to share their story.”

Anne Lajla, what would it take for other Nordic broadcasters to start a similar collaboration with ISFI?

“We already have a fantastic collaboration with YLE Drama, and they have supported the competence project and the pilot of Storyhunters Sapmi, and now we are working together on another specific project. We would also very much like to collaborate with SVT, and who knows, maybe we can make that happen in the future, which would be incredibly exciting and important.”

What has been the greatest lesson?

“One of the greatest lesson for ISFI has been that big dreams can seem unrealistic, but one day you find yourself with the opportunity in your hands, and then you must seize it with enthusiasm, determination, and find the most talented people. And in Sápmi, we have so many incredible multi-talented individuals. We are fully capable of leading our own stories artistically and creatively”

“But what has perhaps been the most important thing for us is the good partnership with the Norwegian TV industry. NRK has a great passion for the Sámi and a lot of knowledge and respect. It has truly been a fantastic collaboration between NRK Drama, NRK Sápmi, NRK External, and ISFI. And of course, we hope to continue collaborating in the future and create even more Sámi drama.” Utsi adds.

During the last five years Nordisk Film & TV Fond has witnessed a growth in fiction applications featuring strong Sámi stories, especially from Norway. Two thirds of the titles are feature films, mostly with support from NFI and ISFI.

Official trailer: