Obbasa Ain Gállit: We Continue
Extending the Link’s eighth film, Obbasa Ain Gallit: We Continue shows the path of modern indigenous communities, through the lens of the Sámi. The last recognized indigenous group in Europe, the Sámi reside in Sápmi (Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia). Additionally, there is a large Sámi-American population in the United States, specifically in Minnesota, near Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth.
In the fall of 2014, the twelve-member team filmed throughout Minnesota. In December, five members of the Extending the Link team traveled to Norway and Sweden to meet with members of the Sámi community, including Sámi Parliament members, teachers, authors, and artists.
The Sámi have fought to preserve their heritage, language and culture despite heavy pressures from national governments and colonization to assimilate to modern society. The Sámi have combated traditional stereotypes, environmental destruction, and language loss. Through perseverance and pride in their people, they have successfully brought their Sámi culture and values into the 21st century.
The Sámi story illustrates the importance of knowing one’s own heritage, including the history of the land one calls home. These stories inspire tolerance, inclusion, and equality of all life. The Sámi show how indigenous narratives have survived through every wrinkle in earth’s time, and will continue on through the modern pursuit of preserving land and cultural traditions.
(this project contains closed captioning throughout)
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Megan BoettcherDirectorGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Ana NugentDirectorGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Megan TowleWriterGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Bao KhangWriterGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Joe LenczweskiWriter
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Megan BoettcherWriterGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Ana NugentWriterGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Extending the LinkProducerGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Anna CronProduction AssistantsGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Jacob ShawbackProduction Assistants
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Diana ElhardProduction Assistants
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Morgan PotterProduction Assistants
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Megan TowleProduction AssistantsGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Steven PignatoProduction Assistants
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Su NguyenProduction AssistantsGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Bao KhangVideographersGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Christopher BeethVideographers
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Megan BoettcherVideographersGer Kler: A Journey of Untold Strength
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Project Type:Documentary, Short, Student
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Genres:Documentary, Environmental, Indigenous
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Runtime:28 minutes 9 seconds
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Completion Date:April 23, 2015
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Production Budget:27,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Finland, Norway, Sweden, United States
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Language:English
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
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Extending the Link 2015 PremiereCollegeville, Minnesota, USA
April 23, 2015
North American Premiere -
Extending the Link Off-campus Priemere, University of Minnesota DuluthDuluth, MN
April 26, 2015 -
St. Cloud Film FestivalSt. Cloud, MN
November 9, 2015
Best Documentary; Best of Central Minnesota
Megan Boettcher is an emerging artist who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Benedict | St. John's University in 2015. Starting as an outreach intern for Extending the Link in the spring of 2014, she worked toward becoming a videographer for the next year's team.
In 2015, she became a Co-Director, which posed its challenges, but was one of the most rewarding and fruitful experiences of her life; meeting and working with a culture she otherwise would not have had the chance, leading and collaborating with fellow students, and working on a project that yielded such amazing results and friendships was very gratifying. She was also one of the videographers for the 2015 team. Above all, Megan greatly enjoyed her time on the team, will continue to support ETL and its future endeavors, and will cherish everything she experienced and learned from this endeavor.
Ana Nugent is a 2015 graduate of the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, studying both Business and Art. During her time at St. Ben's she was able to live her passion for social justice through involvement with Extending the Link. She Co-Directed the team during her senior year, and the year prior she was a marketer for the team.
She was attracted to ETL because of its mission to expose underreported issues in an art form such as documentary film making. Getting involved with Extending the Link was the perfect way create a project centered on fostering social equality with the ability to share the finished product endlessly.