Markku Lehmuskallio has devoted a large part of his documentary work to the indigenous people of the Arctic Circle. In this latest film, co-directed with his son Johannes Lehmuskallio, he composes a fascinating poetic ethnography inspired by the singing, dancing, forms of contemporary existence and, above all, the vital breath of these nomad communities mistreated by History.

A documentary on the experiences of the Nubetya Yaptiks nomadic family in the Yamal Peninsula, Eastern Siberia, from 1992 to 2001.

An anthology of stories about the indigenous nomadic people of the Russian tundra under modern Communist rule. Finland's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2000

A close and passionate look at the art of arctic peoples from the earliest findings to the beginning of the 20th century. “There are no talking heads, there is no dramatic lighting or sharp focus in these two long movies. Rather, each object is lovingly filmed, as if inviting the artwork to converse with us. Lehmuskallio has discovered how to let his camera speak to the art, and how to let the art reply, and thereby this northern art can speak with us as well.” (Kathleen Osgood, in Uralic Imaginations on Film)

An elderly Nenets woman in teepee on northern Russia's Yamal Peninsula recounts her early life betrothed to a deity for the entertainment of a blind young girl. In the Nenets culture, a girl child can be married to holiest of holies, Num, before or after her birth. Lonely old Numd' Syarda (which means, literally, 'tied to Num') entertains the blind young Ilne ('giver of life') with stories of how she became one of these chosen few.

This Finnish documentary film directed, written, produced and shot by Markku Lehmuskallio is the first part of a documentary trilogy about the Nenets people. It's a folkloric documentary describing the traditional nomadic life of the Nenets on the Yamal Peninsula. It includes Nenets songs sung by Anastasia Lapsui and her mother Maria Lapsui. The film was the first film collaboration of Markku Lehmuskallio and Anastasia Lapsui.

Travelling is a documentary that explores the lives of indigenous peoples in Nenets, Russia. It provides a deep insight into their culture, traditions, and way of life, showcasing their struggles and triumphs in a changing world.

Anna tells the story of a woman of the Nganasan, a severely endangered people of the Taymyr Peninsula.

In the 1860’s Alaska and Finland are simultaneously parts of the Russian Empire. A Finnish mining engineer Simon buys a Tlingit girl named Tsamo and decides to bring her to Finland. The child, Tsamo, is baptized and Simon starts to teach her European manners. Tsamo thinks she’s married to Simon and acts accordingly, but when Simon marries a lady of his own age and class, she gets confused. Simon is forced to send the girl away and the battle over Tsamo’s identity takes complicated turns.

The history of Finland through traces of the past.

With a keen sense of visual beauty, director Markku Lehmuskallio has created a thought-provoking, aesthetic film about a married couple and an old man living in a remote part of Finland. The young husband goes out hunting but only to support himself and his wife, not to kill off hordes of animals. He sets traps, and that gets him in trouble with the police who proceed to ticket him for using the devices. The forest cycles themselves are intimated when an old tree is shown falling to earth -- perhaps a reflection on the old man's passing years. In contrast to these few people living off the land and basically keeping the ecological balance intact, a highway construction crew is shown at work felling trees. Soon the antagonism grows between encroaching civilization and the quiet life of the young couple and elderly man.

A little Nenets girl Neko is taken against her will from her home to a boarding school in a remote Russian village. Forced to adapt to a foreign culture and new customs, Neko rebels and decides to flee, hoping to get back to her family and old habits.

A look into the recent history of the Chukchi people.

Deaf artist Joel lives with his parents on a small farm, where he and his paintings are not appreciated.

A waterfall, a moose, a marsh. Graceful swans, owls and woodpeckers. A change of season and, finally, the invasion of human civilization, the sound of chainsaws and gunfire. From the perspective of the animals, the film explores the ecological disaster and man's conception of nature bent to the sole purpose of serving him.

A hunter brings a feathered bird as an offering to the goddess of his ancestors. Tapiola is a film-poem in defense of nature and humanity. It is also a documentary that tells the story of modern man's loss of contact with the environment and its transformation into a commodity.

Film about natives in the north.