Geopolitical instability and changes in the global security situation activates the militarized landscape in the bordering areas between Russia and Norway.

As a natural consequence subjective and public memories from the second world war and the cold war are reactivated.

How does the dramatic war history of Eastern Finnmark affect today's society?

May 8, 2025 marks 80 years since Norway was liberated from the Nazi occupation. By then, East Finnmark had already been liberated on October 25, 1944, thanks to Stalin's Red Army. Norwegian Partisans lived in caves and earthen huts and together with partisan aides they contributed to mapping troop movements and monitoring shipping in East Finnmark which they reported back to our Russian allies. Over 13,700 Soviet prisoners died in Norwegian prison camps, a number that exceeds Norway's own losses.

After the war, the partisans and their aides were called the winners of the War, but the losers of the peace. While the infamouse "Forest resistence" in southern Norway were honored with medals and hero status in society, it is publicly known that they were massively monitored and harassed by the Norwegian authorities. King Harald's apology to the Partisans in 1992 had great significance for the Partisans who had survived the war and their descendants.

The film also follows  central public memorial ceremonies of East Finnmark's war history and seeks to contextualize the relevance and entangled significance in todays conflict between Norway and Russia.

25th of October 2023, a heated argument took place at the Liberation Monument in Kirkenes between the Russian Consul General Nikolay Konygin and the Mayor Magnus Mæland in Kirkenes. A Russian woman living acted as an agitator. The mayor had asked the Consul General in advance not to participate, while the municipality had chosen to lay a wreath in Ukrainian colors. The incident was broadcast on National Norwegian televison Nrk. The following year, Norwegian authoritis decided to separate the

Russian and the Norwegian ceremonies.

Both National and Military symbols and speaches reveals different ownership to the historical events that has taken place in the region.

The project is in process and consists of HD-film 41. min, photography, sculptural installations, a series of photographies titled Military landscapes from the border area between Norway and Russia. The project is supported by Pikene på Broen and Fritt Ord

SCAR FORMATIONS / ARRDANNELSER

MILITARY LANDSCAPES ON THE NORWEGIAN-RUSSIAN BORDER

The photodocumentary project seeks to render visible the historical passive and contemporary active militarized landscapes in the border areas between Norway and Russia.  

The project focuses in particularly on South Varanger and the Varanger Peninsula, where many of the Norwegian Partisans and their partisan helpers had their homes and where many descendants of the Partisans and the partisanhelpers still live.