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2021

international competition

Gaia

Bouwer Jaco

South Africa, 2021, 96', Swiss Premiere

The movie

A park ranger bumps into two survivalists while on patrol. If they want to survive the forest beings that threaten them after nightfall, they must rely on their ingenuity and strange beliefs.

* Jaco Bouwer, director and Tertius Kapp, writer, online, 07.07

A forest ranger ventures deep into ancient woods during a routine reconnaissance mission. After losing track of her colleague, she bumps into an odd pair: a completely paranoid father and son who are living in the wild. The two men seem to have developed their own religion based on their mysterious relationship with mother nature. Gaia is a striking exploration of South African pagan myths. A radical, bone-chilling proposition of eco-horror that makes the game The Last of Us look like a walk in the park. Not sure Rousseau would have ever come up with the “noble savage” if he had seen Gaia.

writers :

Tertius Kapp

cast :

Monique Rockman, Carel Nel, Alex van Dyk

Crew :
  • Cinematographer : Jorrie van der Walt
  • Music : Pierre-Henri Wicomb
  • Editor : Leon Visser