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!Aitsa (2023), directed by Dane Dodds, is an artful and meditative documentary that prods at big existential questions but always has its feet planted on the ground. While exploring grand ideas about the universe, it also focuses on the minutiae of the Karoo and its humble inhabitants, including the Khoisan people.
It juxtaposes modern science's hunger for discovery against traditional knowledge. With the construction of high-tech telescopes like the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) in the Karoo comes tensions with local community members, who voice their concerns regarding land ownership.
The film has a patient pace and poetic tone; its frames linger on all of its subjects, and the interviews are as emotive as they are informative.
