Mana - Beyond belief

Directed by

In every culture certain objects have a meaning and power that set them apart from others. An ancient Polynesian belief holds that these objects are inanimated by 'Mana', a power that resides within them. Actually, in the interplay of dependencies and reciprocal influences, an object's importance exists due to a universal process of the human mind: belief. Peter Friedman and Roger Manley accompany us on a fascinating journey from exploring the mysterious link between cult, not only in the religious sense, and the objects of belief.

Genre
Documentary
Country
United States of America
Year
2004
Duration
92'
Production Companies
Strange Attractions Inc., ADR Productions, Egoli Tossell Film, Koppmedia, Scarabees Films Productions
Languages
English, Japanese, Italian, German
Director's Notes
Director's Notes

«The central idea behind Mana - Beyond Belief is that the way people behave in the presence of these power objects and reveals a process of the human mind that is fundamental and universal: belief. (...) Belief is not just religion; it drives the stock market, it determines how we deal with history and our personal memories, it underlies racism and war. Bringing together diverse cultures, characters, visual styles, music and fascinating objects, Mana helps us see the essential, invisible element underlying them all».

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Geographical areas and populations

Geographical areas and populations

A visual environmental guide showing the global health status and the transition of local crises to global emergencies, country by country, area by area, and continent by continent.
Food on Film project
Food on Film
Partners
Slow Food
Associazione Cinemambiente
Cezam
Innsbruck nature film festival
mobilEvent
In collaboration with
Interfilm
UNISG - University of Gastronomic Sciences

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Creative Europe Media Program. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.