YAKONA by Anlo Sepulveda and Paul Collins (2014, HD video, 85 min)
Moderated by Anthony Cefali, Policy and Planning Specialist for Friends of the Chicago River
ANLO SEPULVEDA + PAUL COLLINS are Texas based filmmakers who entered the scene with Sepulveda’s directorial debut, Otis Under Sky, at SXSW 2011, which Collins co-produced. Inspired by the beauty of the San Marcos River and pure cinema films such as "The Qatsi Trilogy" and "Baraka", they came together to create "Yakona".
Yakona, meaning "rising water" in a local Native American language, is a visual journey through the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River and its headwaters at Spring Lake. This film takes the viewer from prehistoric times through the modern era on an impressionistic journey from the perspective of the river. While filming, many extraordinary changes occurred surrounding the springs and river, including the removal of the Aquarena Springs theme park, the restoration of Spring Lake and the uncovering of ancient human remains. Sepulveda and Collins follow the river from source to sea, through the changing seasons, interpreting the river’s time and memory, and documenting the relationship between the natural world and man. Yakona speaks directly to the viewer with its beauty, appealing to humanity’s higher nature, and the viewer begins to understand this is a river that yearns to remain unchanged despite everything that is changing around it.
Programmed by Beckie Stocchetti