Vuoiŋŋat Wins Best Nordic Art Film at Minimalen Short Film Festival 2026

The video artwork Vuoiŋŋat by Marja Viitahuhta, Ánnámáret, Ilkka Heinonen and Turkka Inkilä has been awarded Best Nordic Art Film at the Minimalen Short Film Festival 2026, held in Trondheim, Norway from January 13–18, 2026.

Minimalen is one of the major short‑film festivals in Scandinavia, celebrating its 38th edition in 2026. The festival presents more than 250 international and Nordic short films over six days at Nova Cinema and Cinemateket Trondheim. The Nordic Competition highlights key works from across Nordic countries, making the Best Nordic Art Film distinction a significant honor.

Released in 2025, Vuoiŋŋat (Spirits) is a cameraless animation by Marja Viitahuhta that brings to life 1839 drawings of the northern lights by French illustrator Louis Bévalet. The soundscape is built around the powerful yoik of Sámi musician Ánnámáret, accompanied by Ilkka Heinonen’s jouhikko and electronic music by Turkka Inkilä.

The work is dedicated to Sámi ancestors whose remains were removed from burial grounds 100–150 years ago for racialized research and only recently reburied in Sápmi. Through its evocative imagery and sound, Vuoiŋŋat reflects on memory, spirituality and Sámi cultural resilience.

Vuoiŋŋat represents the ongoing collaboration between the four artists, who together have produced a series of moving‑image works, music albums and live performances exploring themes rooted in Sámi worldview and contemporary artistic expression.

“This feels truly amazing — that our shared work has been recognized by the Minimalen festival. The theme of the piece is important, and bringing it forward at this moment means a great deal to us. We are also happy that the visuality of the work has resonated with the audience and the jury,” comment Viitahuhta and Ánnámáret.

Vuoiŋŋat has also been selected for the 29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in autumn 2025 and was included in the programme of DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2026.