Woolly is about life on a small sheep farm in arctic Norway—the last one in the village—as it passes on to the next generation, from father to daughter.

Woolly, director Rebekka Nystabakk follows her sister Rakel as she becomes the fourth generation to run the family farm. Together with her wife Ida, Rakel is enthusiastic but aware that they have a lot to learn. Rakel’s father, a farmer for 40 years, knows what lies ahead: years when spring never arrives, summers of significant losses to predators, poor harvests, and sheep on the run. Every day is full of surprises, both frustrating and awe-inspiring, as they navigate their way in this new life. Many might claim that this way of farming belongs to a bygone time. Parts of the hayfield are too steep for tractors; consequently, these parts of the field are still mowed with a scythe. But when we ask our main character, Rakel, if she could really see this kind of farming as a part of the future, she says: “This is the future. Because I know how to make food by using the resources I have around me. That will never be old-fashioned.”

Rebekka Nystabakk grew up on a sheep farm Nystabakkan in Nordland county, Norway. She is an actress, and has studied acting at The Norwegian Theatre Academy and Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Since her graduation, Rebekka has worked in both theatre and film. In addition to acting, she is also writing, directing and developing new ideas for film and stage. Woolly is her first film as a director.