Elle Márjá Eira

Elle Márjá Eira has written, directed and produced several short films and music videos. In collaboration with film composer Christoph Beck, she has made yoiks for The 12th Man (2017), Harald Zwart's film about the resistance hero Jan Baalsrud.

Eira collaborates musically with John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures) and Lucy Parnell (Daughter) in a band project called Snoweye. She has worked as a TV producer, director and journalist at NRK Sápmi from 2009-2015 with kids TV shows.

Work experience as an actress and composer at The Sámi National Theatre Beaivvaš. Eira has been selected for the talent program UP 2.0 (2020-2022) by Norwegian Film Institute, Talent Norge and Norsk Tipping (it is a development program for filmmakers who aspire to make feature films and series). She is now involved in several film and art projects.

She grew up in Máze and Guovdageaidnu. Her family is Sámi reindeer herders and she is also a reindeer owner with her own earmark. She has made a name for herself as a yoiker and singer. Together with the music producer Morten H. Pettersen, she has created a musical expression that mixes yoik, indigenous music and electronics, and with which they have performed in several countries.


She made her directorial debut with the short film Iđitsilba (2015), which depicts the struggle to wear the traditional Sami women's hat (čoarvegáhpir or horn hat) after the church's men have declared it a devil symbol. She was the producer of the short film Sámi Bojá (Sami boy, 2015) directed by Elle Sofe Henriksen.