In Let Our Mountains Live, director Håvard Bustnes chronicles the years-long efforts of Sámi reindeer herders and an army of young activists to uphold their Indigenous rights and protect critical grazing land from overdevelopment by Norwegian power companies. We posed our Qs à la mode to Havard, and here’s what he shared!
If I had to describe my film using only three adjectives, they would be: Moving, shocking, and beautiful.
I wanted to make this film because: I became curious when I read that the Supreme Court had ruled that Europe’s largest wind-power plant was a violation of Sámi human rights. This wind farm supplies energy to the city where I live, and I saw a compelling dilemma between the need for renewable energy and the rights of the Sámi Indigenous people. The central question was whether the wind turbines, which were found to violate the human rights of the local reindeer herders, would have to be dismantled — and that was the story I wanted to explore in the film.
The thing that surprised me most while making my film was: That the Norwegian state was not willing to acknowledge that the wind turbines constituted a violation of human rights, even though the Supreme Court ruling clearly stated this.
My favorite moment/scene/sequence in my film is: When the Norwegian Minister of Energy is questioned in court and struggles to explain why the government refused to acknowledge the human rights violation. For the first time, he cannot rely on political language but is forced to answer directly.
My most invaluable piece of doc-making equipment was/is: My Sound Devices recorder.
My must-have snack to get me through hours in the editing room is: Crispbread.
One piece of documentary-filmmaking advice I’d like to share with aspiring documentarians is: Always start developing your next film before you finish the current one. It’s already difficult to come up with a new idea, but it’s even harder right after finishing a film. If your film is a success, you may fear the next one won’t live up to it. If it fails, you may fear repeating the same outcome.
Want to check out Håvard’s film or just learn more about it?
Get the scoop, and your tickets, here!
