Today, Pasvik Folk High School in northern Norway aims to produce a similar life-changing effect on its students. FOLKTALES tells the timely and emotional story of teenagers who choose to spend an unconventional “gap year” learning to dog sled and survive the Arctic wilderness, in hopes of finding connection and meaning in the modern world. Guided by patient teachers and a yard full of Alaskan huskies, they discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them.
For nearly two centuries, Scandinavian folk high schools – some of which are rooted in the lessons of Norse mythology – have emphasized the power of nature, simplicity, and community to transform young lives. “We hope we can wake up your Stone Age brain,” Pasvik instructor Iselin tells her students.
Through intimate verité storytelling and exhilarating cinematography, Academy Award®-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady examine humans on the cusp of adulthood, finding themselves at the edge of the world.

Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Cast: Diane Axford, Frank Dillane, Murat Erkek