The Wilderness Diva (Vildmarksdivan)

Storyline

In this documentary portrayal, in the Swedish minority languages Meänkieli and Sami, we get to follow how the opera singer Carina Henriksson, who has lived and worked in several world metropolises and performed on the big opera stages, brings fine culture to sparsely populated areas, and even into the Lapland wilderness. And once there, the desolate nature and the majestically magnificent landscape, with its magic, power and spirituality, become the photogenic scene for Carina's musical creations. With tenderness and warmth, we get to follow Carina in a close portrait during the most eventful period of her life. Carina is a double minority, Meänkieli and Sami, and comes from the village of Lainio with 54 inhabitants in the multicultural Tornedalen or Meänmaa, a cultural region in the borderland between Sweden and Finland that boasts eight seasons. We meet a tireless multitasker with a big heart and commitment to his rich linguistic and cultural heritage. Carina has become a role model for those interested in opera, theater and music in northern Sweden, for both young and older generations. Her repertoire is extensive, with both newly written and rewritten works that focus on revitalizing three of Sweden's minority languages; Meänkieli, Sami and Finnish. The content is often expressed in a slightly avant-garde and provocative way, and is always performed in close collaboration with local and world-renowned artists. In flashbacks from Carina's upbringing and early stage performances, through archival material in the form of films, photographs, cassette tapes, LPs and CDs, the story around the main character's enormous will and great need to sing is deepened. And specifically to sing opera from an early age in one of the minority languages she grew up with. When Carina returned home to rediscover her cultural heritage, a purpose was developed to produce and deliver urgent, relevant performing arts with regional roots. In this, the viewer is offered an exclusive entry into Carina's desire to create content that tells about the rich language and culture of Swedish minorities, but also works in solidarity to generate job opportunities for cultural workers in the northern counties. Carina is the founder and artistic director of the non-profit association Opera Vildmark, which works to make opera more accessible, and to elevate minority languages to a cultural arena where they are rarely heard and never performed. The TV series and the film follow Carina's demanding, outreach work with broadening the audience base, finding new audiences, reaching completely new target groups, leading productions where the audience themselves participate, as well as spreading information and arousing curiosity about the minority groups from which she herself originates. Everything takes place at a time when the pandemic is lurking around the corner with all kinds of restrictions on cultural events. In a sequence of scenes, we also get to see how Carina tries her hand at how the minority languages can be used in various productions, in order to best communicate with the audience. Her ambition is that the content creates strong experiences with its own, unique sound. This is precisely a charged topic as knowledge and understanding of the minority languages can differ markedly from village to village, especially in Tornedalen. Carina is faced with the difficult task of finding a balance around this with diplomacy and tact so that no one gets in trouble. On February 27, 2022, on Meänkieli Day itself, we will follow the premiere of Carina Henriksson's major production "A Northern Requiem" with text by Tornedals writer Bengt Pohjanen and compositions by Fredrik Sixten. The piece is performed in the technically advanced Studio Acusticum in Piteå with Erik Westberg's world-renowned vocal ensemble conducting. And on June 12, 2022, we get to join another world premiere, in the Tornedal Wilderness, with newly written music by the Sami Parliament's head of office, the former director of Helsingborg's city theater and symphony orchestra, Fredrik Österling. The script and libretto are written in five languages, of which four are Swedish minority languages, Meänkieli, Finnish, Northern Sami and Lule Sami. The set is entitled "Poetissan från Aareavaara - Paradisets barn" and is produced by Carina Henriksson and the music is performed by the national chamber orchestra Norrbotten Neo. In addition to her involvement in musical theatre, we are given the opportunity to follow Carina as a teacher at Framnäs Folkhögskola in Öjebyn outside Piteå. The teaching is about writing on meänkieli for the stage, and thus provides the opportunity for continuing education in creative writing in Norrbotten. In addition, the Renaissance woman Carina Henriksson is the Swedish champion in reindeer sled driving.