Åsa Simma

Åsa Simma, Director, Actor, Yoiker and Scriptwriter, CEO of Giron Sámi Teáhter

Åsa Simma was born into a nomadic reindeer herding family, migrating between north Sweden and Norway depending on the season. She was taught the traditional Sami singing called “yoik”, during the time when yoiks was forbidden. She was part of the movement to diminish the yoiking ban. She left for Denmark where she took an actor’s education. Simma has been very active in the global indigenous peoples’ movements. She has toured among Australian Aboriginals and lived with Inuits from Greeenland and North American Indians. She has worked as a film dramaturgist and script developer at the International Sami Film Institute. Presently she is the CEO of the Sami Theatre.