ANNGEERDARDARDOR (THE THIEF) Fiction by Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken I Denmark, Greenland
March 30, 2025
A story of belonging: the radical proximity of "Anngeerdardardor"
By Koumoutsi Soultana
Set against the stark, windswept landscapes of Tasiilaq, East Greenland, Anngeerdardardor (The Thief) is a hauntingly intimate meditation on identity, belonging, and resilience. At its center is Kaali, a young autistic boy whose search for his missing sled dog becomes more than a quest—it is a reckoning with the realities of his community and the unspoken depths of his own inner world.
Guiding this deeply personal story is writer-director Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken, whose profound connection to Tasiilaq infuses the film with an authenticity rarely seen. His collaborative approach—one that embraces lived experience over imposed narrative—allows Anngeerdardardor to unfold with quiet, arresting honesty.
Honored with the Inclusion Award at the 2025 Psaroloco International Children’s & Young People’s Film Festival, the film is more than a work of art; it is a testament to the power of representation and the richness of stories told from within.
Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken
The screenwriter and director was born in Tasiilaq, eastern Greenland in 1987. He currently lives in Copenhagen and works as a freelancer in film and television. As a filmmaker, he seeks to achieve a high level of authenticity in his characters and their environments by means of an investigative approach and a naturalistic style. He has a deep love for eastern Greenland and considers it to be a place that offers far more than its reputation suggests.
Filmography
2017Annas Kamp(Anna’s Fight) - documentary - 2019 Replay - series, 10 episodes -2021Blink - short film 2022 Babymos(Baby Food) - short film - 202412 Minutter(12 Minutes) - short film - 2025 Anngeerdardardor (The Thief) - short film
In Anngeerdardardor, Kaali’s journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about the physical search for his dog. How did your upbringing in Tasiilaq, a place that has shaped your own sense of identity, influence the creation of Kaali’s character, and how did you aim to convey his internal struggle through both narrative and visual language?
I have a special connection to Tasiilaq because I grew up there. I know what it’s like to be a kid in that place—also the challenges that come with it. Since everyone knows me and I know them, I had a kind of natural access to the experiences that shaped Kaali’s character. Through the film, I wanted to see the world the same way that the kids in that town sees it.
The film is rooted in real events and made in collaboration with the youth of Tasiilaq. How did working closely with the local community shape the authenticity of the story, and to what extent did the lived experiences of Tasiilaq’s inhabitants inform both the narrative and its characters?
We worked very closely with the young people in Tasiilaq, spending a lot of time doing acting workshops and having conversations. The story itself comes from a real experience that Kamillo, the boy who plays Kaali, shared with me. Of course, we changed things—he’s not playing himself, but a more exaggerated version of a character inspired by his story. The most important thing for me was that the film felt real, and that’s thanks to the young people of Tasiilaq. They brought their own energy and truth to both the acting and the filmmaking process. This is their film as much as it is mine.
Set against the stark, isolated backdrop of East Greenland, Anngeerdardardor captures the unique essence of Tasiilaq. How did the environment itself—its landscape and its people—inform the mood and tone of the film, and what was your approach to portraying this remote town with such authenticity?
Tasiilaq is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but I didn’t want to make a film about landscapes—about ice and fjords. That’s something people already associate with Greenland. I wanted to tell a story about the people, about life in this place, and that means showing everything—the beauty, the ugly bits, the everyday reality. The town itself plays a huge role in the film, shaping the mood and tone. It’s not just a backdrop; it’s a part of the story.
Kaali’s pursuit of his dog ultimately forces him to confront broader questions of attachment, personal growth, and sacrifice. How did you use this narrative thread to explore themes of independence and belonging, and in what ways does Kaali’s journey mirror the universal challenges of growing up and finding one’s place in the world?
No matter where you are in the world, it’s difficult to be different. Kids can be incredibly kind, but they can also be cruel.
I wanted Kaali’s journey to reflect that reality—the way he struggles with acceptance, how he learns from the experience, and ultimately, how he makes a choice that defines who he is. In the end, it’s not really about the dog; it’s about friendship and about understanding what matters. His journey mirrors something universal—the challenge of finding your place in the world and choosing what kind of person you want to be.