NEPAL / USA – 2013 – 118 MIN – COLOUR - FEATURE - IN NEPALI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
A FILM BY STEPHANIE SPRAY & PACHO VELEZ
PRODUCED AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S SENSORY ETHNOGRAPHY LABORATORY
High above a jungle in Nepal, pilgrims make an ancient journey by cable car to worship Manakamana.
"Directors Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez create a gently immersive world with their documentary, MANAKAMANA, inviting us to be observers in the purist form, inviting interpretation by leaving the narrative to the audience.”
- THE TORONTO STAR
“... in the hands of Spray and Velez, the journey is far more important than the destination.”
- THE NATIONAL POST
Rating: 4 Ns
"These people [Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab] are showing us how to understand our place in the world, one project at a time.”
- NOW MAGAZINE
“As the majestic scenery of the valleys of Trisuli unfurls behind them, the film’s human subjects transform their tightly confined quarters into highly personalized space."
- THE GRID
“...MANAKAMANA is less like a film and more like a moving piece of poetry.”
- EXCLAIM!
"In addition to catching glimpses of the beautiful landscape in the background, this is a literal and real movie-version of people watching."
- DIGITAL JOURNAL
"It takes about a trip or two to get acclimated to the surroundings, but once viewers find their footing they might be surprised by what they see."
- DORK SHELF
"As simple as the conceit sounds, the rewards are many."
- TORONTOIST