Origins & Inspiration
Director Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken did not travel to Tasiilaq with a script in hand, he returned to the East Greenlandic town where he grew up with only one intention, to make a film that felt genuinely Greenlandic. He began by spending time with local youth, running workshops, doing writing exercises, and simply being present in their everyday lives. A year earlier he had seen a boy standing beside a big white dog on a chain, an image that stayed with him. When he later passed the same boy while driving through town in a rusty car, he stopped and asked if he wanted to talk. The boy didn’t say much, but he picked up a guitar, played a song, and then shared a story that moved the entire team to tears. That moment became the beginning of Anngeerdardardor (The Thief).
Stenbakken’s own memories of Tasiilaq shaped the film deeply. Having grown up there, he says he could draw a map of the town with his eyes closed. He wanted to capture what it feels like to be young in such a small and tightly knit place, and how difficult it can be to stand out. That tension, that being different is hard no matter where you are, became the emotional foundation of Kaali’s journey. Although the story is rooted in very specific local details, Stenbakken believes specificity is what allows the film to resonate globally. He never aimed to make a universal story, he simply tried to make something true.
Authenticity & Representation
For Stenbakken, making a genuinely Greenlandic film meant avoiding the familiar pattern of outsider narratives filmed on Greenlandic soil. He wanted a story created from the inside out, shaped by the people who live there and told in their own language. Filming in Tasiilaq, in East Greenlandic, one of the world’s smallest languages, was essential. So was casting non-professional actors, including a young performer from special education whose quiet sincerity anchors the film.
Working with non-professional actors meant building characters from recognizable emotions. Kaali’s story draws from the real-life experiences of Kamillo Ignatuussen, the boy who plays him, allowing him to perform from instinct rather than technique. Stenbakken rehearsed extensively with the cast and filmed multiple takes to help them feel at ease, letting authenticity emerge naturally.
Improvisation became one of the film’s greatest sources of truth. Scenes such as Kaali singing to his dog or praying alone were not scripted, they surfaced spontaneously during filming. These moments, Stenbakken believes, gave the film a rawness he could never have written. Still, improvisation brings challenges, once an actor senses the director is satisfied, it can be difficult for them to try new approaches. Maintaining flexibility became essential.
This process was made possible by the deep trust Stenbakken built with the community. He spent time with local youth, visited families at home and at work, and became a familiar and welcome presence. In his view, if you spend enough time simply listening, the story will arrive naturally.
Themes & Emotional Core
At its heart, Anngeerdardardor (The Thief) explores loss, belonging, and the fragile attachments of childhood. The bond between Kaali and his sled dog serves as a lens through which these emotions unfold. Although the real dog in the original story had died, Stenbakken knew he did not want to portray that directly. Instead, he rewrote the ending with the children while preserving the emotional truth of loss and connection.
Life in East Greenland is marked by profound geographic isolation, and Stenbakken wanted the film to reflect that lived reality. Being different can be especially difficult in a place where options are limited, a child cannot simply transfer to another school if bullied. Every relationship, conflict, and moment of loneliness carries more weight when there is nowhere else to go.
Despite its emotional depth, the film avoids sentimentality. Stenbakken focused on what he finds most interesting about Greenland, the people. He deliberately resisted the temptation to linger on the dramatic mountains and landscapes so often used to define the region. He wanted the story to stay close to the characters, their silences, their gestures, and their inner lives.
Craft & Collaboration
Cinematographer Philip Peng Rosenthal’s documentary background helped shape the film’s intimate visual language. Stenbakken and Rosenthal aimed to keep the camera grounded in character rather than in scenery, although audiences frequently praise the film’s beauty. Stenbakken admits with a smile that he probably failed at hiding the landscape, mountains, after all, are nearly impossible to disguise.
Editor Laura Skiöld Østerud played a crucial role in sculpting the film from a huge volume of footage, finding the emotional rhythm that now defines it. Sound designer and composer Becca Reyes brought her own artistry to the film’s sonic landscape, weaving sound and music into a quiet pulse that feels inseparable from Kaali’s inner world.
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