Rockie nominated Sámi/Norwegian Series Shut Up (Oro Jaska) Addresses Issues Often Kept Silent in Indigenous Communities

Indigenous, Sámi Voices Making Waves Globally in Film and Television including at Markets like Banff World Media Festival

KARASJOK, NORWAY, March 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Powerful, timely, and important, the exciting and critically-lauded Sámi/Norwegian series Shut Up (Oro Jaska) explores issues impacting contemporary youth, including sexual assault, queer identity, and those other issues affecting young people in Indigenous communities, where discussions around such topics can often be taboo.

Already acclaimed in its native homeland, the Norwegian production is set to expand its global audience as it celebrates its success with a nomination for Best Limited Series at the 2025 Banff World Media Festival's Rockie Awards, to be held Monday, June 9th, in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Shut Up (Oro Jaska) takes place in a small town in the north of Norway and the heart of Sápmi, the community of the indigenous people of the north, the Sámi. Elli Anne gets her life turned upside down when she gets raped and has to find out who did it and how to get justice in a community bound together by traditions and strong family ties. When the local snow cross champion Issat is accused of the rape, it sets in motion a series of events to silence Elli Anne. And for Issat, the accusation threatens his own taboo, that he is queer.

Shut Up (Oro Jaska) is the first Sámi TV series addressing social issues from within and the first high-quality Sámi TV drama to date. The creators had one main principle for the creation process: "Nothing about us without us." Narrative autonomy and authenticity are hard to achieve for Indigenous storytellers, so the team created a unique writers' room of young, Sámi, queer voices, led by series creators Silje Bürgin-Borch and Vegard Bjørsmo.

It is an exciting time globally for Indigenous Cinema, especially for creatives. International successes have included feature films like past TIFF selections Sámi Blood, Mácchan (Homecoming), My Father's Daughter, Je'vida, and more recently, the 2025 Berlinale Series Selection, A Sámi Wedding (Heajastallan). The International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) is the driving force behind the new Sámi film wave and has supported and has also represented projects at international markets and festivals, most recently at the 2025 European Film Market as part of the Indigenous Cinema Alliance Market Stand.

Shut Up (Oro Jaska) is a Norwegian production written and created by Silje Bürgin-Borch and Vegard Bjørsmo. It is produced by Alfredfilm for NRK, and premiered on NRK, YLE and SVT.

Ry Levey
RBL Films and PR
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