From the director of Baraka and Chronos comes Samsara, which offers an unparalleled new sensory experience. Sanskrit for ‘the ever turning wheel of life’, Samsara was shot over a period of five years in 25 countries. Without any dialogue or descriptive text, the film will challenge your views of traditional documentary and instead encourage you to draw your own conclusions from the images and sounds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites and natural wonders.

Shot on 70mm film using both standard frame rates and a motion control time-lapse camera designed specifically for this project, Fricke manages to reveal the essence of his subjects, not just their physical presence. Exploring everything from religion (a Buddhist mandala painted in sand, the soaring interiors of a Gothic cathedral, Islamic pilgrims in Mecca) to modern industry (luminous cityscapes, uniformed workers assembling electronics, massive munitions factories) Samsara is nothing short of astounding.

Like Koyaanisqatsi, (on which Fricke served as director of photography), this is a uniquely cinematic experience which gives us all an opportunity to see and experience our world in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Neither a traditional documentary nor a travelogue, Samsara is something of a guided meditation. Through powerful images, the film illuminates the links between humanity and the rest of nature, showing how our life cycle mirrors the rhythm of the planet.