Koyaanisqatsi poster

Koyaanisqatsi

Life out of balance

7.9(808)19831h 26m4

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

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Status
Released
Budget
$600K
Box office
$3.2M
Language
No Language
Part of Qatsi Collection · 3 films
  • human vs nature
  • technology
  • civilization
  • social commentary
  • rural area
  • nature run amok
  • nature
  • environment
  • environmental destruction
  • lost civilization
  • observational cinema
  • environmental disaster

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Produced in

United States of America

Where to watch

All options

Availability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.

Gallery

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Videos

Release dates

  • United StatesUS

    • PremiereNRTelluride Film Festival5 Sept 1982
    • TheatricalNR27 Apr 1983
  • AustraliaAU

    • TheatricalG27 Oct 1983
  • BelgiumBE

    • Theatrical (limited)AL27 Apr 1983
  • BrazilBR

    • TheatricalLivre25 Dec 1983
  • CzechiaCZ

    • Theatrical (limited)Film clubs only1 Feb 1995
  • FinlandFI

    • TheatricalS21 Feb 1986
  • FranceFR

    • TheatricalU24 Aug 1983
  • GermanyDE

    • Theatrical610 Nov 1983
  • HungaryHU

    • Theatrical167 Feb 1985
  • IrelandIE

    • Theatrical (limited)Earth Rising Festival14 Sept 2025
  • NetherlandsNL

    • Theatrical67 Jun 1984
    • Physical6DVD26 Feb 2003
    • Physical6Blu ray2 Mar 2016
  • PolandPL

    • Theatrical161 Oct 1988

Frequently asked questions

Koyaanisqatsi was released on 27 April 1983.

Audience reviews

3
  • P

    Peter McGinn

    9/20/2020

    5/10

    This is an art film of sorts, eschewing dialogue or narration or a recognizable plot for a visual and musical banquet of images and scenes. So if you are into art films (or want to appear like you are), this is the film for you. The photographic techniques remind me of nature films, which may not be a coincidence since the subject matter seems to Focus on what is seen as being against nature. So it is all here: e…

  • F

    Filipe Manuel Neto

    10/6/2023

    1/10

    **For the general public, this film is uninteresting. However, it will have merits if displayed within the most correct context.** I've heard of this film as a documentary, but I honestly don't know if Godfrey Reggio really wanted to document anything. This was the director's debut, and for a first work we can say that there is quality, even though it is a somewhat strange film because it has nothing more than a s…

  • C

    CinemaSerf

    2/6/2025

    7/10

    In the Hopi language, this means a mess or a melée and that’s a pretty good description of this ultimate in observational documentaries. It starts and finishes showing us some of the most stunning and striking natural phenomena from the North American continent before gradually dipping its toe into the world of human endeavour. From some of the most impressive features nature created over millennia to some almost as …

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