THE BELIEVERS

SYNOPSIS

In the documentary THE BELIEVERS, the disciples of an ancient tattoo ritual believed to offer supernatural powers gather for a sacred day, where forces known and unknown erupt.

SHOWTIMES

Prior and upcoming exhibitions:

MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL, NJ, OCTOBER 19, 2024 LINK

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL, TX, OCTOBER 26 2024 LINK

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL, TX, OCTOBER 29 2024 LINK

[COMING SOON], NYC, DEC 5 204 LINK

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FIRST LOOK CLIP

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

"With this film, I wanted to take viewers on a surreal and cinematic journey under the cultural structures and communal memory of the magical tattoo known as Sak Yant and into the universally transformative power of faith and rituals... as experienced through the eyes of several devotees, a skeptical monk, and a tattoo master for this one divine day...

By forming a distinct visual, sonic, and temporal language of dreamlike slow motion, intimate and visceral vérité, and sweeping human vistas... we hoped to make discoveries of our human nature otherwise obscured. The microcosm of this liminal world bubbled with big questions, providing an opportunity to reflect at the blurring crossroads of our physical and spiritual selves... the individual and the community... faith and doubt... order and chaos... the mythic past and the tangible present...

Ultimately, we ask how what we hold most sacred bestows belonging, meaning, and strength to our everyday lives."

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TEAM

Director, Producer, Editor

EVAN NEWMAN

Evan is an Emmy-winning editor, producer, and emerging director who served icons like David Bowie and Kings of Leon before making documentaries telling human stories central to contemporary issues and cultural movements worldwide. Recently, the feature Game Change Game premiered in competition at Tribeca, now on Starz.

Cinematographer

BILL KIRSTEIN

Bill is a Camerimage nominated DOP and 2024 ASC rising star whose diverse work includes HappyEnd (Venice, TIFF, NYFF), Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus (Venice - Janus Films), Mean Girls (2024, Paramount), So Pretty (Berlinale - Janus Films), and music videos for Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Alicia Keys.

Producer

MANUEL LAVALLE

LA-based Argentinian producer Manuel Lavalle is a trusted, fearless investigative producer for documentary television. He is currently producing the multi-Emmy-winning TRAFFICKED With Mariana van Zeller, a Hulu/Nat Geo docuseries on global black markets and criminal syndicates.

Music by

ANDREW HOLLANDER

Andrew is a veteran indie composer and music producer who’s indelible scores include Waitress (Sundance), now a Broadway play, Words on Bathroom Walls, My Friend Dahmer, Adrienne (Doc NYC - HBO), Once Upon a Time in Uganda (SXSW), and more.

Co-Producers/Production Managers

RAWEEWAN CHANTAPRIDA & PARTHIV MAVANI

Raweewan and Parthiv are a Thai power duo who produce some of the leading commercial and film projects in Thailand under their banner With Us, assembling local talent and coordinating access for the most demanding international co-productions.

Color & Finishing

ALAN LOUIS GORDON

Alan has worked in finishing and color from Oscar-nominated blockbusters like Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon to innovative documentary cinema such as Faya Dayi.

Sound Supervisor & Mixer

THOMAS RYAN

Tom’s resume of sonic achievements runs hundreds of films and TV shows long, including Hereditary, In the Heights, and I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Co-Executive Producers

EVAN NEWMAN,

ANDREW HOLLANDER,

ALEJ NAVIA

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WHAT IS SAK YANT?

SAK YANT is an ancient Thai tattooing practice with roots in Animism now intertwined with Theravada Buddhism, believed by many to grant magical powers to its disciples. These powers range from good fortune to invincibility against accidents and harm—provided the wearer leads a moral life, following certain precepts.

Every year, over ten thousand disciples gather for WAI KHRU at Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple and monastery, to participate in a ceremony honoring their tattoo masters (ajarns and monks), renewing their faith, and recharging the powers of their Sak Yant. As the event reaches its peak, the collective potency erupts into mass spirit possession, or KHON KHUN (roughly translating to: a thing rising), with many entering altered states taken over by the deities and animals in their tattoos.

Tattoos aside, the extraordinary culture of Sak Yant is largely unwritten. This oral history is passed down from tattoo masters to students in lineages, each with unique designs and practices. Participatory communal traditions such as the annual Wai Khru events ensure the legacy continues.