Indigenous digital storytelling: A new project amplifies Arctic Indigenous voices

A groundbreaking collaboration between Finland, Sweden, and Norway is empowering Indigenous voices through film, digital storytelling and new media. The goal is to build skills, strengthen cultural ownership, and equip a new generation of Arctic Indigenous storytellers to share their stories with the world.

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Stories that shape the future

In the heart of the Sápmi region, a unique partnership is taking shape. The Indigenous Digital Storytelling with New Media project, funded by Interreg Aurora, brings together Sámi Allaskuvla, Umeå University, and the University of Lapland in a joint effort to advance Indigenous voices in digital and audiovisual media.

The need is clear: Indigenous communities often lack access to education and training that reflect their worldviews, languages, and storytelling traditions. Local talent is frequently overlooked in favour of outside media professionals, weakening cultural ownership and job opportunities.

From vision to action

The project is already delivering results:

• The University of Lapland is leading the launch of the Arctic Indigenous Cinema Master’s Programme, set to open in the 2026–2027 academic year.
• Sámi Allaskuvla has launched a fully virtual course in Indigenous film theory, ethical storytelling, and scriptwriting, with students completing a short film script as their final project.
• Umeå University focuses on digital storytelling as a method that centers memory, place, and slowness. They have developed an interactive map that allows users to geolocate and time-fade their stories.

Driven by strong cross-border collaboration, the partners share a commitment to giving Indigenous narratives space, respect, and global reach. As Liisa Holmberg puts it:

The road ahead

Next steps include:

1. Scaling and localising course content into multiple Sámi languages and adding emerging technologies such as virtual production and immersive media. (Immersive media are media experiences that surround the user and make them feel as if they are “inside” the story or environment.)
2. Expanding community-based storytelling pilots to more Arctic communities, fostering intergenerational storytelling rooted in land and identity.
3. Launching the Master’s Programme, combining local grounding and education to engage with global networks for true representation.

The long-term vision is lasting change: more jobs, greater visibility, and a new generation of filmmakers and storytellers who place Indigenous perspectives at the heart of the global media landscape.

You can see the promotion video for the Master’s Programme Arctic Indigenous Cinema below:

Contacts