Topic summary

Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 American non-narrativedocumentary film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio, featuring music by Philip Glass, cinematography by Ron Fricke and presented by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Described as an "essay in images and sound on the state of American civilization", the film comprises a montage of stock footage, slow motion, and time-lapse visuals of natural and urban environments across the United States. Following its premieres at the Telluride and New York Film Festivals in 1982, it began a limited theatrical release the next year. Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, the film grossed $3.2 million at the box office, and was one of the highest-grossing documentaries of the 1980s.

The title comes from the Hopi word , meaning "life out of balance". It is the first film in the Qatsi trilogy, which was followed by Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between humans, nature and technology. Koyaanisqatsi is the best known of the trilogy and is considered a cult film.