It was the usual scene outside the Roxie during a film fest -- odd groups of people clumped in odd places on the sidewalk, frantic-looking pedestrians just trying to get into Truly Med, people with official badges and clipboards walking around -- is it the love of indie film that drives them? What makes people act so oddly around things they love?
Well, we thought you'd never ask! Kicking off the 2005 SF DocFest is , an experimental documentary exploring the power of material things to inspire belief. Or, in other words: fetish objects. Not necessarily sexual objects (though there's a funny scene with a man wearing a codpiece), but tangible things that have power over people -- like Elvis. Or the shroud of Turin. Or funeral rituals in Asia. Or tuna fish in Japan. Mana is defined as "the power that exists in things" -- Check out the filmmakers' website for more information.
Picture from Mana: Beyond Belief, (c) Strange Attractions, Inc. and ADR Productions. Camera: Van Carlson. Thanks to Chris from Larsen!
