THE FORBIDDEN SONGS BY VARNA MARIANNE NIELSEN – FILM SCREENING & Q&A

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE

Join us for a special screening of The Forbidden Songs, Episode 1 – a short film that offers a personal and sensory exploration of Greenland’s rich tradition of drum dancing and drum singing.

The film speaks to anyone interested in the intersection of tradition and modernity, as well as those passionate about ethnographic storytelling and artistic expression.

The Forbidden Songs is a performative documentary that delves into Greenlandic social, spiritual, and artistic traditions centered around drum dancing. Told through the eyes of a practitioner, the film traces the historical journey of this cultural practice – from its roots in pre-colonial times, through the colonial period, and into contemporary society.

At its heart, the film is about the revival of a once-suppressed tradition and its vital importance to Inuit communities today. Combining the filmmaker’s ethnographic research with interviews and archival footage, the narrative weaves together personal stories from cultural knowledge keepers, showcasing the strength and resilience of Greenlandic heritage.

Presented in Greenlandic with English subtitles, the film invites a broad audience into a story that speaks of cultural survival, healing, and resistance – themes that resonate far beyond the Arctic.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Varna Marianne Nielsen, offering an opportunity to dive deeper into themes of cultural identity, colonial history, and the role of art in collective memory and healing.