BOATMAN
1993, 56’
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Country: Italy
Distributor: 21UNO FILM
Language: OV Hindi, English, and Italian, with Italian subtitles
The story of a day in the life of a boatman in Benares who, as he rows along the Ganges, with humor and poetry brings to the screen the mystery of the simultaneous presence of life and death.
The first medium-length film made by Gianfranco Rosi, Boatman is a journey of discovery of the Ganges and the city of Benares, sacred to Hindus, where worshippers and tourists gather to partake in the funeral rites and ceremonies held to give the final farewell to their deceased loved ones. Shot over four years, the documentary offers images of great visual power, attempting to make viewers part of the scene, and almost making them enter into a dialogue with the boatman and people who pass through the film.
Shown at the Locarno Festival in 1993 and the Sundance Film Festival a year later, it revealed the talent of an unconventional film director.
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