Anerca – Breath of Life | WATCH DOCS

For fifty years, Markku Lehmuskallio devoted his work to the indigenous peoples of the North. In one of his latest films, made together with his son Johannes, the director creates a poetic collage of images and memories, from archival shots to contemporary recordings of songs and rituals. His contemplative film becomes a reflection on the fate and spirituality of the Inuit, Chukchi and Sami Arctic peoples. The materials collected over decades show people inhabiting areas from Finland to Alaska, who share a common sensitivity and memory. Their former way of life has given way to the pressure of colonization and the ideology of progress, but their perception of the world has remained the same as centuries ago. The title of the film comes from the word anerca from the Inuit language, meaning the soul and breath of life, but also the creation of poetry. The Lehmuskallios seek a cinematic language to capture this breath through image, sound and editing rhythm. 

Weronika Adamowska