SANGAM | Short Film

On a journey to the mighty river Ganges, a young man tries to find out if happiness is an illusion. 
His adventure uncovers an unexpected answer to his question as he comes face to face with life and death.

This film grew out of a project we started shooting on the Ganges in India in 1998. We had decided to recreate a rafting trip by the well-known Belgian artist Charley Case in the form of a dramatised documentary. Our motley crew consisted of 8 people. None of us was in charge. We were making a film together without a script, and the further we travelled, the less clear the story became. As with so many river stories like Conrad's Hearts of Darkness or Herzog's 'Aguirre' - 'The Wrath of God', we gradually lost touch with reality as we floated down the mighty Ganges together for months. At the end of our journey, none of us knew what would come of it. For 20 years, the footage was kept under lock and key. It was only during the pandemic that the subject slowly crept up in us again and we completed this wondrous journey.