CHIHIRO PUHUU NYT MYÖS SAAMENKIELTÄ

Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away will be released in North Sámi

For the celebration of the International Decade of Indigenous languages, International Sámi Film Institute has partnered up with Studio Ghibli, Cinema Mondo and Arthaus and dubbed Studio Ghibli –production, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in North Sámi language.

The North Sámi film title is Chihiro ilmmiid gaskkas.

”It has been our great privilege to work with Studio Ghibli since the beginning and release their creations in Nordic countries. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, 2001) was the first ever animated movie to receive Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival, and it was rewarded with Oscar for best animated movie”, says Mika Siltala from Cinema Mondo and continues, 

”Studio Ghibli is extremely particular and careful with all handling of their movies. Ghibli suppported wholeheartedly the idea, that Spirited Away should receive a chance to reach Sámi-speaking audiences as well. It has been fun and eye-opening experience to help International Sámi Film Institutes work with North Sámi-language version”, says Mika Siltala of Cinema Mondo.

•        ”Arthaus is the proud distributor of Studio Ghibli in Norway, making sure these masterpieces will reach out to new and old generations of film enthusiasts. Hence we were very excited when The Sámi Film Institute contacted us with the idea to make a North Sámi dub of Spirited Away (Chihiro og heksene), and make this wonderful film available to an even bigger audience in Norway and the Nordic region. Spirited Away was our first release from Studio Ghibli. We're very happy that we will also have a Sámi version”, says Svend Bolstad Jensen of Arthaus

Chihiro ilmmiid gaskkas is directed by film director Sara Margrethe Oskal. World-famous singer Mari Boine is featuring as Yubaba. Mikkel Gaup, from Academy Award nominee film The Pathfinder, plays the voice role of Kamaji. Neda Labba, who has recently featured in animation films such as Frozen II, acts in the lead voice role of the main protagonist, Chihiro. Ole Gabriel Buljo is starring in the voice role of Haku.

•        ”North Sámi dubbing of the classic Spirited Away is groundbreaking for the Sámi audiences as we have so few films in our Sámi languages.  We are excited to show how beautifully the film’s storyline aligns with Sámi mythology and North Sámi language. ISFI is very proud of this exciting collaboration and we hope that this marks a new beginning of a golden era for Sámi film dubbing”, says Anne Lajla Utsi of ISFI.

Chihiro ilmmiid gaskkas will have its Gala Premiere at Tromsø International Film Festival on 16.1.2020. The Finnish premiere will be at Skábmagovat Indigenous Peoples’ Film Festival in Aanar (Inari) on 26.1.2020 and then followed by another festival screening at Season Film Festival in Helsinki on 26. - 29.3.2020.

Cinema Mondo in Finland and Arthaus in Norway will later release new upgraded edition of Spirited Away on DVD which will have Nordic language versions alongside the North Sámi version.

Chihiro ilmmiid gaskkas is financed by International Sámi Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, The Sámi Parliament in Norway.

International Sámi Film Institute: www.isfi.no/en/

Media contact: Anne Lajla Utsi annelajla@isfi.no; +47 90755574

Cinema Mondo: http://www.cinemamondo.fi/

Media contact: Mika Siltala: mikas@cinemamondo.fi

Arthaus: www.arthaus.no

Media contact: Nille Stormoen: nille@arthaus.no

Note to editors: Photos are available at

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uEYJxAMUgaU4uphS9igBJdupPWrByxTh?usp=sharing