With a background in activism and religion, director Godfrey Reggio‘s filmography displays a deep concern for humanity, the footprint we leave on the world around us, and our interactions with nature, technology and each other. But his choice of polemic is largely visual, with his revered Qatsi trilogy of films choosing to voice its concerns purely through images, and the haunting scores by Philip Glass. His latest, “Visitors,” once again favors powerful visuals, this time through a feature composed of 74 distinct shots.
While Reggio’s work has long been represented on home video, it’s on the big screen where it can truly be appreciated, and for those of you in New York City, you’ll get a chance to do just that. Starting on January 16th, The Museum Of Arts Of Design is launching “Life With Technology: The Cinema Of Godfrey Reggio.” Running through March 14th, the film series will present the director’s entire body of work, including rarely seen short films “Anima Mundi” and “Evidence,” a master class with the filmmaker and much more. And best of all, we’ve got the ultimate prize pack for the die hard Reggio fan. What’s in it?
- Tickets to “Visitors” opening weekend screening in New York City on January 24th, 7 p.m. at the Landmark Sunshine. Godfrey Reggio and Jon Kane will be in attendance for a Q&A.
- “Visitors” poster signed by Godfrey Reggio, Jon Kane, Philip Glass, and Steven Soderbergh and the soundtrack for the film.
- Tickets to every screening and event that is a part of the Reggio retrospective at the Museum of Arts and Design here in NY.
- The Qatsi Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray box set.
Not bad, right? So, how to do you win? Firstly, you must live in New York City and then you can email us with your full name and the answer to this question: What kind of car is on the assembly line in “Koyaanisqatsi“? Good luck!
“Visitors” opens in limited release on January 24th. The full announcement and events for “Life With Technology: The Cinema Of Godfrey Reggio” is below.
Update: Contest closed, winner will be contacted via email.
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The Museum of Arts and Design presents a full cinematic retrospective of Godfrey Reggio’s work this winter with its latest film series, Life with Technology: The Cinema of Godfrey Reggio, from January 16 through March 14, 2014. The series showcases the director’s career thus far, with six films—all scored by composer Philip Glass—including the complete Qatsi Trilogy, two rarely seen short films Anima Mundi and Evidence, as well as a special screening of his most recent film Visitors. MAD will also host a master class with the director on January 23.
Godfrey Reggio has been a major figure and force in cinema for over three decades; his filmmaking first gained international acclaim with the 1982 release of Koyaanisqatsi, a wordless juxtaposition of moving images and music that traces humanity’s complex relationship with modern technology and the natural world. Deeply informed by Reggio’s roots as a political activist and his years spent as a Christian Brother and Catholic monk, his films challenge traditional cinematic narrative structures and eschew simple interpretations, instead resonating as intensely rhythmic visual poems.
Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002) completed the Qatsi Trilogy and further cemented the director’s cult status. Accompanying the films’ collaged footage of time-lapsed and slow motion images is the extraordinary score of composer Philip Glass, whose haunting and rhythmical composition works in tandem with Reggio’s visceral cinematography to create a deeply sensorial cinematic experience.
In his most recent collaboration with Glass, more than thirty years after the release ofKoyaanisqatsi, Reggio returns to cinema’s forefront with Visitors (2013), a wordless portrait of modern life shot in stunning black-and-white Digital 4K, and presented by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. With only 74 shots, Visitors offers a meditative look into humanity’s trancelike relationship with technology. As part of the series Life with Technology: The Cinema of Godfrey Reggio, MAD will host a special screening of Visitors on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 7pm, in anticipation of the film’s January 24 New York theatrical release through Cinedigm, at the Landmark Sunshine.
RARE MASTER CLASS WITH GODFREY REGGIO
On Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 7pm, Reggio and filmmaker Jon Kane will lead an intimate master class at the Museum and discuss Reggio’s career, collaborations and experiential approach to filmmaking.
Tickets to A Master Class with Godfrey Reggio are $12 for general admission and $8 for members and students with valid ID.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Life with Technology: The Cinema of Godfrey Reggio is a full retrospective presented by The Museum of Arts and Design. Film screenings will be held in the Theater at MAD, at 2 Columbus Circle.
Life with Technology: The Cinema of Godfrey Reggio is organized by Jake Yuzna, Director of Public Programs.
Tickets may be purchased by phone at 1-800-838-3006 or online viahttp://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/531596?date=953176
For more information about the series, visit http://madmuseum.org/series/life-technology-cinema-godfrey-reggio
SCHEDULE
Short Film Works by Godfrey Reggio
Thursday, January 16, 2014, 7pm
Encore screening, Thursday, February 13, 2014, 7pm
Free with Museum Admission
Anima Mundi (1992)
Music by Philip Glass
28 minutes
Commissioned by Italian company Bulgari as part of the World Wildlife Foundation’s Biological Diversity campaign, Reggio’s Anima Mundi works as a powerful speechless-narrative and poetic cinematic essay that explores man’s complex relationship with the natural world. The short film features over seventy animal species and celebrates the variety and beauty of the world’s fauna.
Evidence (1995)
Music by Philip Glass
7 minutes
Filmed in Rome and co-authored by Reggio during his term as director of Fabrica, a school fostering exploration and production in the arts, media and technology, this seven-minute film is a surprising depiction of entranced children watching television, offering an intriguing perspective into the subtle but profound effects of modern life on children.
Visitors (2013)
Music by Philip Glass
Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 7pm
MAD Members only
The fourth collaboration between Reggio and Glass, together with filmmaker Jon Kane and presented by Steven Soderbergh, Visitors is a black-and-white digital 4K projection that reveals humanity’s trancelike relationship with technology. The film is visceral, and provides an experience beyond information about the digitized moment in which we live. Composed of only 74 shots, Visitors creates a meditative journey that confronts viewers with themselves and prompts a reconsideration of what it means to view the world via technology.
MAD is hosting a special advance screening of Visitors on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 7pm, in anticipation of the film’s January 24 New York theatrical release through Cinedigm at the Landmark Sunshine.
Master Class with Godfrey Reggio
Thursday, January 23, 2014, 7pm
$12 General, $8 Members and Students
This seminar-style program will offer the opportunity to hear Reggio speak on the scope of his career and collaborations, and gain insight into his experiential approach to filmmaking. Filmmaker Jon Kane will join the discussion.
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Music by Philip Glass
Friday January 31, 2014, 7pm
Encore screening, Friday, February 28, 2014, 7pm
$10 General, $5 MAD Members and Students
The first film of Reggio’s Qatsi Trilogy illustrating the relationship between humans, technology and nature, Koyaanisqatsi, translating from the Hopi language to “life out of balance,” is a film masterfully collaged from unscripted slow motion and time-lapsed footage. Images ranging from bustling urban landscapes to monumental rock formations are paired with composer Philip Glass’ groundbreaking cinematic score to create an experiential look into the effects of industrialization and modern technology on the natural world.
Powaqqatsi (1988)
Music by Philip Glass
Thursday, February 6, 2014, 7pm
Encore screening, Friday, March 7, 2014, 7pm
$10 General, $5 MAD Members and Students
Powaqqatsi (“Life in Transformation”), released in 1988, literally slows down our trip around the world, focusing on the global effect of industrialization in the Southern Hemisphere. Exploring how spirituality influences and is influenced by the technology of our modern world, Powaqqatsicontinues the Qatsi Trilogy as it focuses our attention on the next generation of humanity as it confronts the rapidly changing landscape.
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
Music by Philip Glass
Friday, February 7th, 2014, 7pm
Encore screening, Friday, March 14th, 2014, 7pm
$10 General, $5 MAD Members and Students
Naqoyqatsi (“Life as War”), the final chapter of the Qatsi Trilogy, is perhaps the most forceful and provocative. Through a variety of cinematic techniques, including slow motion, time-lapse, computer-generated imagery and found footage, the film tells of a world that has completed the transition from the natural to the artificial, depicting a decline in human language and rise of impersonal communication, virtual reality and “civilized violence.” While the film is already twelve years old, viewing it today makes its message all the more profound, since a few of the technological aspects of the film appear charmingly outdated, revealing just how rapidly innovation takes place and shapes our perceptions.
