GALO: Your cinematography is spellbinding in its beautiful starkness. With each seasonal shift, the landscape becomes more exaggerated than the last, to the point where one might think — particularly during the winter when snowfall creates surreal art forms out of trees, cars and manmade structures — that it couldn’t possibly be Earth. In essence, the Finnish Lapland becomes the third main character. Was this your original intent?

JO: Yes. The film isn’t about Aarne and Lasse. It’s about the way they live their lives. It’s about their relationship with their families, the reindeer and the landscape. What I wanted to come across in the film is this very complex and interwoven network of humans, animals and nature that work together. I remember very clearly the first time I got there during winter. I just couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. It felt like I had woken up in a fairy tale world. You take the overnight train from Helsinki, and it’s a beautiful city with snow, but you wake up in this place that is just magical. It was mind-boggling. That first winter, I literally couldn’t stop catching my breath. Every time we crested a hill on a snowmobile I would gasp in awe! They got very sick of me gasping. The only word for it is magical. I feel my camera doesn’t do it a bit of justice. Just the aura of the place, the quiet; it felt like a different universe.

GALO: For thousands of years, the indigenous Sami of the Arctic have been herding reindeer. Today, the Sami of Finland do not have secure lands rights because the government owns 90 percent of their land. According to your companion interactive Web site, the Aatsinki herd is the last group of wild reindeer in all of Finland. Is there any collaboration between the Sami and the North Salla Cooperative of Reindeer Herders, of which the Aatsinki are members, in terms of land rights and predator management?

JO: Finland is the only country in northern Europe where non-Sami, proven-heritage people can herd reindeer. Everywhere else you have to prove a certain percentage of your Sami heritage, so there is some conflict in Finland. Though to divide by race, makes it very, very complicated. There are Sami people that are part of different cooperatives, but the North Salla cooperative doesn’t have people who are outspoken about their Sami heritage. The North Salla cooperative is isolated in that way. In 2011, there was a forum where cooperatives came together to talk about the predator problem, and Sami people attended. Everyone is trying their best to make reindeer herding sustainable in the modern world, but there are a lot of politics that aren’t so nice. For the most part, everyone gets along, because they want to make it work in a world where it doesn’t make sense anymore.

GALO: In one scene, a herder tracks what he believes to be a wolverine and discovers that the missing reindeer used snowmobile tracks to get away. Although not directly discussed in the film, it seems predator management is an issue you wanted to raise for discussion on your interactive companion site. It’s a hot button issue for the modern American cowboy as well. The reintroduction of wolves — as well as an effort to protect the plains prairie dog (whose burrowing can injure herds of livestock) — has divided communities throughout Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. There is never one simple answer, but have you formed an opinion based on your year with the Aatsinki as to what is best for the ecosystem as a whole?

JO: There is no simple answer. I think one of the biggest things for me is that the E.U. and the American government need to listen to farmers more closely. Reindeer herders are herding wild reindeer. Their impact on the environment is actually much lower than an American farmer raising cattle. The reindeer are not eating food that we compete for; they eat moss during the wintertime. It’s very different than raising cattle for the most part. A bureaucrat in Brussels has to trust the fact that the farmers know the land better than they do. Aarne and his family have been herding for an incredibly long time, and they know the land unlike any other human would who is coming into the region or even living there for a lifetime. Their knowledge is innate, and I already see it in their little girls. Of course, there need to be regulations, but there’s a reason that those people are reindeer herders and not politicians. And there’s a reason those politicians are politicians and not reindeer herders. The conversation needs to be a conversation and not a didactic, one-way speakerphone. I think that’s the most important thing. There is no right answer. Of course predators need to be protected, and of course reindeer herders need to sustain their lifestyle. The way to have that happen is to have the conversation be two-directional.

GALO: There are wonderful scenes with European tourists participating in what could be called eco-tourism — Spanish families taking reindeer drawn sleigh rides through the thick, white snow — leaving little impact on the land. There is a global movement, particularly in remote, economically challenged regions, to attract tourists interested in experiencing not another five-star resort but the actual life and landscape of a place. Do you see this type of tourism increasing in the region, as the economics of traditional reindeer herding dwindles?

JO: It’s another complicated issue. There are lots of downsides to the tourism. It interferes with the reindeer herding. Salla is sort of its own little space. It is the highest unemployment rate in all of Finland. They live right on the Russian border and struggle. Tourism goes up and down. It’s an amazing experience to go and meet these people and fall in love with their landscape and way of life. It’s a good way for the herders to make extra money, and a good way for the town to make money. It would be great if it could increase more. But like anything, when things go from small scale to large scale, there are lots of complications. There are always two sides to the story.

GALO: You note on your blog that Aarne and his wife Raisa made it to the film’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere. Had they ever been to New York before? Did they enjoy their time?

JO: It was their first time to North America. Part of the reason I made this film is because I fell in love with the families. I learned so much about myself and the world and the way we think about other people. To me, they were going to come no matter what, so I put their tickets and hotel on my credit card. It was a very small thing I could do to repay them for that year and a half. I think they had a good time, but they’re very stoic. They’re cowboys. They’d see the Statue of Liberty or Time Square and they’d say, “Oh yes — lovely. Lovely.” I tried to get them to be more enthusiastic, but they’re Finns. I hope Lasse and his wife can come for the theatrical premiere.

GALO: You raised over $40,000 on Kickstarter for the making of this film. Some of the goodies you offered included wooden mugs, Finnish ground coffee, cloudberry jam, reindeer salami and reindeer skins (which sold out!). What suggestions would you give to other inspiring filmmakers, particularly if they don’t have such good swag to offer?

JO: Kickstarter was probably the hardest thing about the film for me. I’m not very good at asking people for things and advertising myself. That’s a huge part of Kickstarter. I literally reached out to every person I have ever met. I sent emails to guys who hit on me on an airplane four years ago; I sent emails to every business card I had in my drawer. You get a lot of push back, but if you’re not asking you’re not going to get it. It’s a huge commitment of time, and you have to be prepared. It was a lot of difficult work. But that being said, the people that gave to the film are people that will care for the film. Kickstarter is an interesting platform but emotionally challenging.

“Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys” opened on April 20 at the Tribeca Film Festival, with its last public screening on April 26th.

Featured image: Film Director Jessica Oreck. Photo Credit: Joanna Eldredge Morrissey.

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