This story of an artist living in solitude in the wilderness of northern Sweden goes beyond showing the unique heritage of a Sami indigenous person. It captures a lifestyle that inspires a freedom we rarely get to experience anymore.
-Linda Blomqvist, Director

The Story

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION is a 14-minute documentary about Roland Pantze, a Sami artist living alone in the untouched wilderness of Lapland in northern Sweden. Remote living allows him the undisturbed space for his philosophies on life and a continuous source of inspiration for his art.

Roland: The Scandinavian landscape with its muted midwinter atmosphere, and the summer nights with their enchanting light intensify the feeling of being one with nature…

Roland represents a generation that in its time has transitioned from the ancient to the modern world; kåtor (Sami alternatives to tipis) have become houses, skis have become snowmobiles, and oral tradition the Internet. In this new world he has found his own oasis, and through him we explore the possibility to live a life in another pace and rhythm, in which convenience has been replaced with an unbroken connection with nature.

The Project

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION produced in Stockholm, Sweden, has so far has been screened from February to April ‘08 at Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle in combination with an exhibition of Roland’s paintings.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION was also also chosen to represent Sweden in the EuroDocs festival in Los Angeles, where it opened the festival at “The Aero Theatre” of “The American Cinematheque” in Oct. ‘08.

Kirsten Olsen, Exhibitions Coordinator, Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, May 2008: The Nordic Heritage Museum was proud to have been a venue for your short film, SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. The film was premiered at the preview reception of the exhibition, Roland Pantze: Painter of Sami Life, and then ran continuously in the exhibition galleries, from February 15 through April 20, 2008. The film was an integral part of the exhibition, contributing greatly to the context of the paintings. It was very well received by visitors to the exhibition. The Nordic Heritage Museum is very interested in screening your full-length documentary when it is completed. There is great interest in Sami culture among Museum members and visitors. The film will further the Museum’s mission to share Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds through educational and cultural experiences.

Nina Ersman, Consul General, Consulate General of Sweden, Los Angeles. Nov. 18 ’08: Director Linda Blomqvist’s short film SOURCE OF INSPIRATION was a valuable addition to 2008 EuroDocs Festival in Los Angeles. As a supporter of this year’s EuroDocs festival, the Consulate General of Sweden highly appreciates that SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, an example of the high quality of Swedish films, was this year’s opening film.

James Koenig, President of American-Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles and Founder/Director of Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. Nov ‘08: Linda Blomqvist invites us to go with her to the Sami people. Her keen eye and her cultural sensitivity to her Sami subjects take us into the tempo and temperament of Europe’s oldest indigenous people at the top of the European continent in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. It’s an important journey. Already, her short film SOURCE OF INSPIRATION which I saw recently at the EuroDocs Festival here in Los Angeles has left us wanting more.