Oskar Östergren Njajta (Sápmi)

Biography

Oskar is an award-winning Sami filmmaker from Sweden. He has played an important role in the rising Sami film wave, for instance as co-producer of SAMI BLOOD by Amanda Kernell (2017). He also initiated and ran the Sami festival Dellie maa – Sápmi Indigenous Film & Art Festival between 2013-2022. He is writer/director of the coming animated film SAAJVE, the first ever Sami animation for cinematic release.

Project

SAAJVE

2D Feature Animation

Family adventure inspired by Sami folktales and magical realms. The young siblings Bräjta and Aanta are tasked with returning a sacredfigure to the magical world Saajve to stop the evil giant Staaloe from destroying all the world‘s knowledge.

SAAJVE is an exciting adventure. An animated feature film for the whole family, inspired by Sami fairy tales, realms and beings. The story takes place in the middle of Sápmi where the forest meets the mountain. It is midwinter. Through the northern lights, the siblings Bräjta & Aanta travel to the parallel world Saajve, where it is always summer. Here the young heroes are given a mission: they must save Saajve by retrieving the sacred wooden figure, the Goddess Uksahka. It is the crow Voerhtje that has stolen the wooden figure from Saajve and brought her to the human world to fulfill her own plan. Voerhtje thinks Uksahka can transform her from a crow into a human being. As a human she can gain real power! But, the goddess Uksahka has a much bigger task: to protect the Forest of Knowledge in Saajve by making sure the two realms are separated. Now, when she is not in her place, a rip begins to form between the two worlds.

Bräjhta & Aanta´s mission is very dangerous because the crow Voerhtje is friends with the evil, but gullible, giant Staaloe. He loves to destroy things with his big club. And they must hurry, if Staaloe discovers the rip between the worlds he surely will go crawl through and destroy everything. Including the forest of knowledge.