A young girl from a remote Arctic village must decide the fate of an outsider who has committed a terrible crime

SEVEN occupies the liminal space where wilderness and culture, tradition and modernity collide. The film unfolds in a surreal and stunning Arctic landscape of rearing cliffs and vast seascapes at the edge of civilization. SEVEN tells the story of a young girl from a remote Arctic village. who must decide the fate of an outsider who has committed a terrible crime. The choice she makes will change her life and determine the future of her community. Directed by James Morgan, who’s background in photojournalism naturally draws him to stories from the margins.

What inspired the story?

Seven is an exploration of how a community metes out justice without access to state-sanctioned legal systems. Whether that access is limited by ethnic tensions, corruption or, as in the case of SEVEN, geographical distance, I’ve seen this phenomenon manifested in many different ways from complex systems with checks and balances to more brutal ‘jungle justice’ situations which often end in the killing of innocent people. I hope the film invites the audience to imagine themselves in Yohana’s position, to assess the stakes and come to their own conclusions as to what decision, if any, is right.

But beyond all that, I hope Seven will play as a tense, archetypal story of a young woman in the moments before she’s forced to make a near impossible decision a small, intimate and human story, but set against the vast silence and majesty of the Arctic’s summer landscape.

The film’s stunning landscape firmly takes on a persona of its own. But the cast certainly raises a memorable performance from its shadows. Lead by Dagny Backer Johnsen who swiftly takes us on the emotional ride with her, and Nicholas Boulton & Trond Teigen who marvellously support the contained story.