(Germany/Russia/USA/2012—directed by Werner Herzog and Dmitry Vasukov)

The great Werner Herzog takes viewers on yet another unforgettable journey into remote and extreme natural landscapes. Deep in the Siberian wilderness, far away from civilization, 300 people inhabit the small village of Bakhtia at the river Yenisei. There are only two ways to reach this outpost: by helicopter or boat, and there‘s no telephone, running water or medical aid. The locals, whose daily routines have barely changed over the centuries, live according to their own values and cultural traditions. With Happy People, the brilliantly inventive Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Cave of Forgotten Dreams) has completely restructured Russian director Dmitry Vasukov’s original four-hour film (just as Herzog did with the footage he used for Grizzly Man), condensing it to 94 riveting, hallucinatory minutes and adding his own lyrical and highly personal narration as he tells the story of a culture that remains virtually untouched by modernity. In English. (94 min.)

“A mesmerizing, Walden-like ode to wilderness life.” –Peter Debruge, Variety

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