Descending the Mountain
Psychiatrist Franz Vollenweider and Zen master Vanja Palmers set up a scientific experiment in a monastery at the top of Mount Rigi, Switzerland: what happens when experienced Zen practitioners, who have never taken drugs before, ingest magic mushrooms (psilocibin)? The magic mushrooms were officially banned 50 years ago, but they are now making a comeback in what is being called the "psychedelic renaissance". Vollenweider and Palmers investigate the medical applications of psychedelics.
Director Maartje Nevejan collaborates with other artists for Descending the Mountain, just as she did for her last documentary Ik ben er even niet. Together they create a visual language for inner experiences. By means of animations and a hallucinating soundscape, they arouse a psychedelic experience in the viewer.