Let Our Mountains Live: Documenting Sámi Struggles @Hot Docs 2026

Let Our Mountains Live is a deeply grounded portrait of Sámi resistance, centering on the ongoing fight to protect ancestral land from green development in Northern Europe. The film follows members of the Sámi community as they confront government policies and energy projects—particularly wind turbines—that threaten reindeer herding traditions and cultural survival. As director Hårvard Bustnes shared with FERNTV, the intention was not to explain the Sámi struggle from a distance, but to place audiences directly within it, allowing the story to unfold through lived experience rather than commentary.

That approach is embodied through voices like Sámi leader Sissel Stormo Holtan, whose presence in both the film and our interview underscores the urgency behind the movement. The documentary captures protests, quiet moments on the land, and the emotional toll of defending a way of life under pressure. Stormo spoke about the generational weight of this fight, and the film reflects that by showing how identity, livelihood, and environment are inseparable. The mountains themselves are not passive scenery—they are sacred, contested, and essential to the story being told.

By avoiding traditional documentary devices like archival footage or sit-down interviews, Bustnes crafts something that feels immediate and immersive, almost like a narrative feature unfolding in real time. The result is a film that doesn’t just inform—it situates the viewer of the struggle, asking them to witness rather than be guided. For FERNTV, Let Our Mountains Live is a powerful example of how documentary storytelling can align form with purpose, amplifying Indigenous voices while respecting the space and reality they inhabit.

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