Did you know that well before Columbus landed in North America, Vikings had laid claim to what later became the state of Minnesota? They have the ancient artifacts to back it up too…With “Lost Conquest,” Director Mike Scholtz set to tell an oral history of the discovery of the mysterious Kensington Runestone, and how many residents of the state of Minnesota believe it was left there by exploring Vikings.
“Lost Conquest,” is mostly devoid of too much archeology and science. Scholtz said during the Q&A that followed the screening at IFFBoston that he very much wanted to keep it to the people local to the legends – and it works! We the audience are served the story probably not dissimilar to how most people hear the stories growing up there. Just like them, we are left to make our own decisions. Did the Vikings actually land there? Did they write that runestone? Or was this all a century spanning hoax?
The film goes from interview to interview, and also intercuts a very goofy reenactment shot on actual film. This adds to the overall relaxed tone of the film.
“Lost Conquest,” is fun and very lighthearted, from its storytelling to the on screen tags for its subjects – it takes a region specific history and organizes it in an extremely entertaining fashion. I was pleasantly surprised by Scholtz film and definitely recommend seeking this one out.