72SSIFF - 20/28 September 2024
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Powaqqatsi

Godfrey Reggio
USA
Not in competition
Synopsis

One moment, two worlds.

Without a storyline, the film communicates directly through its images, developing its own rhythm, opening one's eyes to images of human manupulation and destruction. "Qatsi" is a Hopi-indian word meaning "life". Powaqqatsi follows Koyanisqatsi as the second part of a trilogy by director Godfrey Reggio. 

The first film contasted the untouched American landscape with images of industrial destruction, recording a frigthening ecological imbalance in America, while Powaqqatsi takes a more global approach. The Hopi word "ko yaa nis qatsi" is carged with significance and can best be translated as "a way of life that has lost its balance". "Powaqqatsi" is a concentration of the words "powaqa" meaning "a magician qho lives at the expense of others" and "qatsi", or "life". Images of the thirs world, impressions of the native cultures of Asia, India Africa and South America. Portraits and details of threatened traditions, a confrontation with the cultural achievements and legacies of individual tribes and races. Powaqqatsi is a document of human creativity and fantasy.

Director
Godfrey Reggio (USA)
Running Time
99 m.
Country
USA
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