Sunday June 22 2025

Day 1 Nordaførr

On this first day of Nordaførr we will deep dive into this year’s theme “Common Things Made Holy” through panel discussions, artist talks and introductions. In addition, we will get an insight into few of the many arts organisations operating in North Norway.

Program

Initiation

Opening song with Inna Marja Amundsen.

Welcome to NORDAFØRR with festival director, Ragnheiður Skúladóttir

Consulting the oracle

Panel discussion: Common things made holy

The theme for the 2025 Festival is Common Things Made Holy, a challenge to all of us to see the sacred or magnificent in everyday life and even more so, in the festival itself. We humans have used the term festival to mark the seasons, the harvests and to honor the gods for millennia. Perhaps never in recent times has it been more urgent than now, to come together, look in the mirror and celebrate humanity in all its glory.

Ragnheiður Skúladóttir, director for Festspillene i Nord-Norge, leads a panel discussion where the role of art and modern rituals, such as festivals, in a world spinning out of control is challenged.

Contributors:

Stefan Schmitke, managing director of European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025
Máret Ánne Sara, visual artist and profile artist of Festspillene i Nord-Norge 2025
Jacob Wren, maker of literature, performances and exhibitions

Ritual of rebellion

Artist talk with Festspill profile artist Tore Vagn Lid

Tore Vagn Lid is a Norwegian theatre director, playwright, musician, and artistic director of Transiteatret-Bergen. Lid has been a central figure in what is seen as a new political turn in the contemporary Norwegian theater. Besides his own plays, he has written numerous articles, especially focusing on the relationship between theater and music, music-dramaturgy and artistic research. Tore Vagn Lid has been rewarded with several prices and awards for his work in theatre. Among these the National Hedda Award for several of his works and as dramatist he received the National Ibsen Award in 2016.

Contributors:

Tore Vagn Lid is one of two profile artists working with Festspillene i Nord-Norge. His expansive project Triggersystemet is the opening show of the festival and is a unique opportunity to experience his work.
Therese Bjørneboe, journalist, founder and editor for Norsk Shakespearetidsskrift, will in her conversation with Tore explore his artistic journey and motivations behind his work.

The Prosession

PechaKucha: Meet the North

Through the short and snappy Powerpoint format PechaKucha, we will have the opportunity to take a closer look at some of the organizations working with arts and culture in Northern Norway/Sápmi. Each organization gets 20 seconds per slide and a maximum of 20 slides to introduce themselves.

Organizations:

Vinterfestuka

Vinterfestuka (The Winter Festival Week) takes place annually in Narvik. Music accounts for the largest part of the program content. Cooperation with the North Calotte region is one of the goals, which is natural, given the close connection the region has, and has had, to Sweden for centuries. In that context, Vinterfestuka also strives for a stronger degree of internationalization.

Nordnorsk litteraturfest

The Northern Norwegian Literature Festival is an annual literature festival held in mid-September in Harstad. This mighty festival is run by a small group of volunteers who are passionate about promoting and making available literature related to Northern Norway and the North.

Daiddadalu

Dáiddadállu has since its establishment in 2014, become a central junction between Sámi contemporary art and the local, regional, national and international professional community and the public. In a short time, Dáiddadállu has become an institution where artists individually and collectively can show good results. The collective was founded by choreograph Elle Sofe Sara and visual artist Máret Ánne Sara.

Nordlysfestivalen

Based in Tromsø, Nordlysfestivalen (The Northen Lights Festival) has since its beginning in 1988, developed from being a small classical music festival into a grand nine days music fest.

Vårscenefest

Vårscenefest has become an important performing arts arena in the region, and the central meeting place for performing artists from the Northern region. Vårscenefest brings together regional, national and international performing artists. The festival is an arena for all areas of performing arts; theater, dance, performance and musical theater in a broad sense.

To the Temple

Guided tour in Háhtešeatni doali dàdjadit – Festspill exhibition 2025 and excerpt of the performance Čitna Báffa

Máret Ánne Sara is a Sámi visual artist and author residing in Kautokeino. She is from a reindeer herding family and currently works in her hometown. Máret Ánne is the initiator of Dáiddadállu Artist Collective. She has published two novels and was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Children’s and Young Literature Prize in 2014 for her debut book “Ilmmid gaskkas.” Máret Ánne has exhibited visual art since 2003 and often deals with political and social issues, from a Sámi and reindeer-social perspective. She was one of Sápmis representatives at Venice Biennalen 2022 and will be

Sara is one of two profile artists working with Festspillene i Nord-Norge and will premiere her new exhibition during the festival in 2025. During the talk, we will get special insight into her process of making this year’s exhibition and what drivers her artistry.

Following the tour, we will get a special teaser from the upcoming performance piece Čitna Báffa, which takes place inside the exhibition and is choreographed by Alexandra Wingate.