About the film

A unique and audacious film that took ten years to complete, "Gambling, Gods and LSD" is an experimental documentary that defies easy categorization. Described by visionary director Peter Mettler as being about “the human quest for transcendence and meaning, the denial of death, the illusion of safety and our relationship to nature”, the film encompasses a range of styles and approaches, from travelogue to music video, from essay to video art. The film takes us on a journey of discovery to various parts of the globe, observing the different ways in which people seek transcendence. Mettler interviews heroin addicts, gamblers, born-again Christians, and ninety-seven-year-old Albert Hoffman, the inventor of LSD, each of them seeking to express the meaning of their life. Everywhere along the way, the same themes continue to emerge: thrill-seeking, luck, destiny, faith, expanding perception and the craving for security in an uncertain world. Fact joins with fantasy as the search for meaning and the quest for ecstasy begin to merge. Blending documentary observation with lyrical camera work and location sound with aural sculpture, Mettler combines arrestingly beautiful imagery with richly textured soundscapes. The result is an audio-visual composition whose movements challenge our preconceptions.

Wybrane festiwale i nagrody / Selected festivals and awards: 2002 – MFF Toronto / Toronto IFF, 2002 – Visions du Réel Nyon: Nagroda Główna / Visions du Réel Nyon: Grand Prix, 2002 – MFF Vancouver: Najlepszy Film Dokumentalny / Vancouver IFF: Best Documentary, 2002 – MFF Montreal: Najlepszy Film Dokumentalny / Monteral IFF: Best Documentary, 2003 – MFF Amsterdam / IDFA

Attend the masterclass by Peter Mettler. Tuesday, May 14, Kinoteka.