Noumenon
Noumenon is an experimental short film reflecting on the relation between reality and perception from a neuroscience perspective, and its parallels with the Hindu concept of maya, or cosmic illusion. Neuroscientist Anil K. Seth narrates his concept of controlled hallucination – how all perceptions are active constructions, brain-based best guesses at the nature of a world that is forever obscured behind a sensory veil. Through story and classical South Indian temple dance, Bharatanatyam, the film weaves in the Hindu philosophy of ‘maya’ – the powerful force sustaining the cosmic illusion of the phenomenal world as real.
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Maya TheresiaDirector
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Janna KyllästinenDirectorOut of Nothing, Along the Winisk River
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Maya TheresiaWriter
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Janna KyllästinenWriter
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Maya TheresiaBased on a concept by
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Anil K SethNarration byThe Most Unknown, The Search: Manufacturing Belief
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Maya TheresiaNarration by
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Janna KyllästinenCinematography & Editing by
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Nigel DaoScientists at NYU Center for Neural Science
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Maya TheresiaScientists at NYU Center for Neural Science
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Bharathi PenneswaranOriginal choreography by
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Bharathi PenneswaranDancers
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Shwetha RavishankarDancers
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Shreyaa SureshDancers
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Sarah FazendinOriginal Music by
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Noah GolubOriginal Music by
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Christopher MadisonOriginal Music by
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Anand SookbirOriginal Music by
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Dhruv Shiva RaoSound mix by
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Janna KyllästinenProduced byOut of Nothing, Along the Winisk River
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Maya TheresiaProduced by
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Project Type:Documentary, Experimental, Short
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Runtime:8 minutes 45 seconds
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Completion Date:October 25, 2024
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Production Budget:2,500 USD
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Country of Origin:United States, United States
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Country of Filming:United States, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Science New Wave FestivalNew York City
United States
October 25, 2024
North American Premiere
Symbiosis Award
Distribution Information
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LabocineDistributorCountry: United StatesRights: Video on Demand
Janna is a documentary filmmaker in New York originally from Finland. In her films, she examines stories at the intersections of art, science, myth and memory, imbuing her experimental works with a distinct sensitivity for the abstract and metaphysical. Her works have screened at film festivals around the world, and published on platforms such as The Criterion Collection and The New York Times, among others.
Maya Theresia is a writer, director, and producer, who challenges convention. Born to Indo-Guyanese, African-American, German parents, and raised between the U.S. and Australia, Maya brings a fresh voice and a unique vision to her work. As a neuroscience researcher and artist, Maya explores the intersection of science and belief, of story and culture, and of experiment and cinema in her filmmaking. She made her directorial debut with Noumenon in 2024.
In 2024, Janna and Maya's film NOUMENON won the Symbiosis Award at Science New Wave Film Festival.