The Guatemalan Maya Centre: Film / Video Archive
These titles are available for viewing for educational purposes at The Guatemalan Maya Centre (by appointment only). Please Note that due to © restrictions, we are unable to supply copies of this material. Parties interested in obtaining films should direct their requests to the film makers. If you are a film maker and would like to contribute to our reference archive, we would be happy to add your film to this list and provide a link to your organisation.
AMERICAS IN TRANSITION
The film examines the roots of dictatorship in various Latin American countries, the social unrest, attempts at democracy, communist influences, and the role of the USA.
Directed by Obie Benz 29 mins. OBIE
USA. VHS/PAL.
Icarus Films,
New York
BEFORE COLUMBUS
Brian Mosers epic Trilogy produced to coincide with the 500yr anniversary of Columbus’voyage. Indigenous peoples the length & breadth of the Americas recount VHS/PAL their perception of history.
Directed by Brian Moser.
Central TV, England 1992.
(3 cassettes: 2a,2b,2c) 60 minutes per episode.
Central TV
BROKEN SILENCE: RIGOBERTA MENCHU
A profile of the 1992 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize whose life has become a symbol of the sufferings, not only of theQuiche Maya, but of all theindigenous peoples of the Americas.
Directed by Felix Zurita 1992. CH4 1992
(23 minutes) VHS/PAL
Alba Films
CAMINO TRISTE
The Hard Road of the Guatemalan Refugees.
The story of 125,000 Guatemalans who, largely ignored by world by M. Lucas & N. Peckenham press & international relief agencies fled their homeland for a precarious existence in southern Mexico.
USA. 30 mins. 1983. VHS/NTSC
Icarus Films,
New York
COMALAPA: TRADITIONS & TEXTILES
A short film covering a number of traditional topics including courtship, marriage, village weaving & religious brotherhoods.
Claudia Feldmar, Camara 2; Penn State AV Dept., USA.
26 mins. 1987 (Poor colour rendition.)
Camara 2, Penn State University AV Dept
THE DEVILS DREAM
This Canadian production takes the Dance of the 24 Devils (which predicts evil & the end of Indian civilisation), as its base, juxtaposing dance sequences with scenes from daily life. A fascinating comment on the state of modern Guatemala.
Directed by Mary Ellen Davis
Canada. 1991. 58 mins VHS/NTSC
Productions de Systeme D
DISAPPEARING WORLD
The Cackchiquel Maya of San Antonio Palopo.
Film about the inhabitants of the indian village San Antonio Palopo in Guatemala. The people still live their traditional lives but consumerism and other symbols of modern life are beginning to encroach.
Directed by Bruce Macdonald 52 mins. England. 07/08/91 VHS/PAL
Granada Television
DON GUIDO
This amateur video focuses on the village of Salanga in Ecuador. It documents the changes taking place in this rural community and how the villagers, far from remaining passive, have usedtheir own initiatives to control the changes for themselves.
VHS/PAL Adam Weitzman Anthropology Student. 37 Mins
Adam Weitzman
EIN BAUERNPRIESTER GUATEMALA
A well filmed German language documentary filmed partially around the village of Patzun. Priests of the ‘New Conception’
Germany. 1987 VHS/PAL. 29 mins.
ORF Productions
EL NORTE
A beautifully photographed film telling the moving story of a brother and sister who flee to the US as illegal immigrants after a massacre in their village.
Approx 132 mins VHS/PAL & BETA
FOR EXPORT ONLY: PESTICIDES
Richter Productions
FOR EXPORT ONLY: PILLS
Two documentaries examining the dumping of harmful materials on poorer countries with no regard for the effect such action is having on public health and the enviroment.
By Robert Richter 56 mins each. 1981 USA. VHS/NTSC
Richter Productions
GUATEMALA: A JOURNEY TO THE END OF MEMORIES
Investigation into what refugees could expect upon return to Guatemala after the democractic government was elected in 1986. Scenes of current village life are showed to refugees in Mexican camps for their comments and obervations.
Directed by Ilan Ziv.
Icarus Films. USA.55 mins. 1986. VHS/NTSC.
Icarus Films
GUATEMALA: VIDEO RELEASE
Music video from Pete Sears’ Watchfire Productions first solo album, ‘Watchfire’, which focuses on human rights and environmental concerns. Provocative imagery.
8 mins 1990 VHS/PAL
Watchfire Productions
LAKE ATITLÁN
Silent slide presentation showing scenes of Lake Atitlan and other lakeside villages.
Guatemalan Indian Centre, London.
Photos by K. Deuss 1990. 4 mins. VHS/PAL & BETA (2 copies)
Guatemalan Maya Centre
HOUSES ARE FULL OF SMOKE: GUATEMALA (Part 1)
Series of interviews regardinghuman rights in Guatemala, showing how the indians were persecuted by the military government
The Other Cinema Film & Video Library
53 mins. 1987. VHS/PAL
The Other Cinema Film & Video Library
IXCAN
A short documentary tracing the dispersal of people to refugee camps following the military violence of the early 80’s. Land ownership & environmental degradation are also addressed.
Oxfam/Ixcan productions,
28 mins. 1991. VHS/PAL
Oxfam/Ixcan Productions
LA GUERRE DES MAYAS
French documentary team follows a group of armed Guatemalan resistance fighters.
Poor sound & image quality cassette French Language.
Dir: P. Boffety & J.M. Simonet. Canada. 1983. 49 mins VHS/NTSC
FR3 Cine Teve
LATIN AMERICA – DICTATING TERMS
BBC Television
LATIN AMERICA – DICTATING TERMS. (25 min edit of Guatemalan material)
A documentary in which artists and human rights activists (Asturias & Rigoberta Menchu) describe the plight of the indians at the hands of the military. Interesting scenes showing the cult of Maximon of Santiago Atitlan.
Produced by Julian Henriques,
BBC, England. 60 mins. 1989. BBC. VHS/PAL
Julian Henriques, BBC Television
LEGACY: THE BURDEN OF TIME
A beautifully filmed look at Maya and Aztec civilizations from pre-columbian days to modern times, taking in the influence of the Spanish invasion and Catholicism. Some mention of modern political problems, many interesting (and gruesome) facts about both civilizations, and interesting comparisons with Eastern civilizations, particularly China.
Produced & directed by Peter Spry-Leverton.
Central Independent TV, England (in conjunction with
Maryland Public Television & NHK
51 mins. 1991.VHS/PAL (Copy supplied by Central TV).
Central Independent TV & Maryland Public Television
THE LOST CHILDREN OF BOGOTA
Desmond Wilcox travels to Columbia, to investigate the plight of homeless children living in the city sewers by night and at the mercy of a corrupt and murderous police force by day. NB: This documentary has subsequently been discredited in it’s mis-representation of the true plight faced by Street children in Bogota – it has been suggested there is no evidence that children live in the sewers & named individuals are currently under investigation for their part in this misadventure in an attempt to boost fund raising.
BBC TV, London (BBC1 12/06/1991) Bogata, 50 mins VHS/PAL
LOS VOLADORES DE PAPANTLA. NA BALOM
Slide illustrated documentary of the Flying Pole Ceremony,Papantla, Mexico. Followed by the story of Casa Na Balom, an institute dedicated to the Mayan peoples of Chiapas.
Mexicolore, London. 23 mins total (8 & 15 mins respectively) VHS/PAL. Mexicolore
MIGUEL ANGEL ASTURIAS
Coverage of Miguel Angel Asturias and his receipt of the Noble Prize for literature
B&W, 14 mins. 1967.
VHS/PAL & UMATIC (Erratic sound quality).
Swedish narration.
NOTHING TO CELEBRATE, 1492-1992
The indigenous people of Guatemala and Nicaragua give their version of history. The video shows that marginalised Maya peoples are still being killed in Guatemala.
C.A. Trade Productions Acorn Video Ltd. , Bradford, England
23 mins. 1991. VHS/PAL
C.A. Trade Productions.
Acorn Video
PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE
First programme from a series on human rights abuses focuses on Guatemala (hosted by John McCarthy. Launch programme entitled ‘Fight for Freedom.’ (5mins) Followed by discussion (25 mins)
Prod. by Rex Bloomstein VHS/PAL.
BBC TV, London BBC2. 11/92.
QUEST FOR THE MAYA: (In Search of the Rain God)
A pleasant, well-photographed account of Rosie Swales’ trip through Belize, Mexico and Guatemala, looking for Mayan ruins.
Directed by Simon Normanton. 1990. 52 mins. VHS/PAL
Lighthouse Productions
SENDEROS
Documentary in two parts about the Indians of Central America. The first part tells the story of Juan, an Indian from Patzun, who on his journey through Guatemala in search of work, encounters the discrimination suffered by the Indians. His experiences lead him to increasing political awareness. The second film centers on Lucia, a Miskito who returns to Nicaragua with her family to rebuild her life after the oppression suffered at the hands of the Sandinistas.
Produced by Leo Gabriel & Michael Vetter Aichholzer. Austria
87 mins. 1989. VHS/PAL
Leo Gabriel & Michael Vetter Aichholzer Film Produktion
SPOT Y TOMAS DE REFUGIADOS DE AMACHEL
Guatemalan TV programme filmed in the Ixil region of Guatemala. Displays of military power & interviews with army personnel & local villagers from model villages around Nebaj.
Guatemalan TV production. 36 mins 1988? VHS/NTSC (Poor quality production; with interruptions)
Guatemalan Television Broadcast
THE STRANGER IN OUR MIDST
A film about the atrocities perpetrated on the populations of Central American countries by US-backed military juntas,and the US’ subsequent refusal to be bound by the terms of the Geneva Convention with regard to the refugees from those countries. Features Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
Prod. & Directed by Andrea Primdahl.
95 mins. London. 1991. VHS/PAL.
Channel 4 & SEA Change Inc
MAYA LAND: WHERE ARE YOU GOING ?(Terre Maya Ou Va Tu ?)
Overall English narration with subtitled Spanish commentaries by Rigoberta Menchu & others on various aspects of Indian life & problems. Features president, Jorge Serrano, URNG guerilla leader, Mayan rites in Santiago, garbage tips, street kids being beaten up by police, refugees in Mexico etc. Good for students specialising in Indian rights etc. Reasonable photography but colour badly bleeding reds.
Sparks, L. Montanaro
Evatel, Paris, France 1992. VHS/PAL
Evatel, Paris
THEY SHOOT CHILDREN DON’T THEY?
Good quality film about Englishman Bruce Harris’s efforts to help the homeless children of Guatemala City
Judy Jackson
BBC TV, London BBC1 First broadcast Jan ’91.
48 mins. VHS/PAL
Judy Jackson,
BBC Television
TODOS SANTOS CUCHUMATÁN
A documentary about the Mam Indian village of Todos Santos Cuchumatan showing both daily life, the colourful fiesta and subsequent departure to the cotton plantations.
Directed by Olivia Carrescia.
Icarus Films, USA. 42 mins. 1982 VHS/NTSC (also 16mm film)
Icarus Films
TODOS SANTOS: THE SURVIVORS
Sequel to “Todos Santos Cuchumatan” this documentary looks at life in the village in the aftermath of the civil war
Directed by Olivia Carrescia.
Icarus Films, USA. 58 mins. 1989 VHS/NTSC.
Icarus Films
TRIANGULO IXIL
Propaganda film distributed by the public relations office of President Vinicio Cerezo. Shows scenes from village life in the Triangulo Ixil and President Cerezo’s visit to the area.
Guatemalan TV, 11 mins VHS/NTSC.
Guatemalan Television Broadcast
UNDER THE GUN: DEMOCRACY IN GUATEMALA
Focuses on developments in the country after the so-called introduction of democracy in Guatemala in 1986.
Robert Richter Productions, USA. 40 mins. 1987. VHS/NTSC
Robert Richter Productions
VOICES FROM THE MOUNTAIN
Amateur/University production about highland life and customs in the lakeside village of San Antonio Palopo, Guatemala. (NB Poor quality transfer to video cassette.)
England. Fred de Falbe/Ben Summers 1988/9. 60 mins. VHS/PAL (from Super-8)
Fred de Falbe / Ben Summers. Manchester University AV Dept.
WHEN THE MOUNTAINS TREMBLE
Narrated by Rigoberta Menchu (subsequent 1992 Nobel Prize winner), this documentary covers Guatemalan history from the overthrow of the democractically elected government in 1954 to the civil war of the early 1980s.
Directed by Pamela Yates & Newton Thomas Siegel, 83 mins. 1983. USA. VHS/PAL (2 copies)
ALSO UMATIC copy on 2 cassettes & 16mm film copy on 2 reels
Concord Video & Film Council
THE WIDOWS AND THE GENERALS
Three women share their experiences of terrorisation in Guatemala.
(Slightly wobbly film quality and colour.)
Concord Video & Film Council, USA. 29 mins 1981. VHS/PAL
Concord Video & Film Council
WINDS OF MEMORY
Beautifully photographed account of Indian resistance to both Guatemalan military dictatorships and the discrimination of the ruling classes. Moving scenes of massacres compliment scenes from daily life and fiestas.
Directed by Felix Zurita, (UK) 60 mins.
Critical Eye. VHS/PAL c.1992
Critical Eye: Alte-Cine Inc, Alba Films & Channel 4
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO GUATEMALA & BELIZE
Up-beat Travelogue on Guatemala and Belize for would-be travellers.
BBC TV, London
BBC2, UK. Broadcast: 27/10/93 40 mins. VHS/PAL.
Rough Guide/BBC
1.CH4 NEWS REPORT
Report on President Serrano’s suspension of the Guatemalan Constitution.
CH4, UK. 7mins. Broadcast: 3/6/93. VHS/PAL.
2.THE WORLD THIS WEEK
Report on human rights in Guatemala followed by an interview with William Spindler
CH4., UK. 24 mins. July 1993. VHS/PAL.
3.THE CHRISTIANS: CONQUEST OF SOULS.
Part of a series of religious programmes tracing the path of Christianity.
The last 15 mins looks at Chichicastenango.
Dir: Baz Taylor. Presented by Bamber Gascoigne. Granada TV.(UK) 50 mins. 1977. VHS/PAL.
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Granada TV
EVERYMAN: THE BODY PARTS BUSINESS
Bruce Harris investigates the disturbing allegations that in developing countries, including Guatemala and Honduras, children have been murdered, & their organs used for transplants
Directed by Judy Jackson,
BBC TV, London BBC1, UK Broadcast: 21/11/93.
50 mins. VHS/PAL
Judy Jackson,
BBC Television
BIG SCIENCE: Indigenous People Oppose the Human Genome Project
Short programme discussing the opposition by Mayan Indians in Guatemala to the plan by scientists to systematically plot the genetic characteristics of the world’s ingigenous peoples.
Wall to Wall Production (UK)
BBC TV, London BBC2. 1/94. (10 mins) VHS/PAL
Wall to Wall Production
MAYAN COFRADÍA FIESTA
Short video focusing on the fiestas that the Mayan cofradias sponsor to honour their saints. Footage from various Guatemalan towns.
Friends of the Ixchel Museum, Guatemala City
1993 VHS/NTSC (15 mins).
Friends of the Ixchel Museum
LA RUTA MAYA
Five minute audio visual presentation. Stills of Guatemalan Indian life with soundtrack and narration.
Helen Ward,
Plymouth Polytechnic (UK) 1994 (5 mins).
Final Yr College project. VHS/PAL
Helen Ward, Plymouth Polytechnic
1.MAYA CARACÓL
Leading archaeologists discuss Maya civilisation, and excavate the site of Caracol, Belize. (60 mins)
2.LOST KINGDOMS OF THE MAYA
National Geographic look at the ancient Maya. Scenes reconstructing the life of the ancient Maya.
Produced & Directed by Christine Weber.
USA 1993 (60 mins) VHS/PAL (from NTSC)
National Geographic
OPENING SHOT Out of the Dump
A photography project for kids initiated by Nancy McGirr on Guatemala City’s municipal rubbish tip. Episode 1 focuses on the project, the kids & their photos. Episode 2 concentrates more on teaching the art of photography to kids.
London Weekend TV, UK. June 1994.
2 programmes on 1 cassette (25 mins X2) VHS/PAL
London Weekend Television
THE INFINITE VOYAGE:The Search for the Ancient Americas
This excerpt from a documentary examination of pre-Columbian American Indians focuses on the Maya
BBC TV, London Broadcast on BBC1 TV (10 mins) U.S. June 1994 VHS/PAL
MAN ON THE RIM: THE FEATHERED SERPENT
Australian documentary of cultures living on the Pacific rim looks at Mesoamerica and Quetzalcoatl (The Feathered Serpent)
Discovery Channel. 11/7/94 (35 mins inc. ads) VHS/PAL
Discovery Channel
BELIZE: JASON PROJECT V
Interactive broadcasts of fairly repetitive material on the rain-forests, coral reefs and Mayan archaeological sites of Belize including Xunantunich
3/94 Three cassettes: 51A, 51B, 51C
(60 mins each) VHS/PAL
WATER OF THE GODS
Underwater exploration of the Maya cenotes of Yucatan.
Deep Water Probe Series,
Discovery Channel Interesting.
8/94 (60 mins) VHS/PAL
Discovery Channel
1.MAYAN CLOTHING OF GUATEMALA
Short video focusing on contemporary Mayan dress in Guatemala.
Guatemala City. 1994. 13 mins VHS/PAL
2.MAYAN CLOTHING OF GUATEMALA
VHS/NTSC version of the above.
Friends of the
Ixchel Museum
GUATEMALA FRIENDS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
Ten minute video outlining the Scholarship Loan Programme which helps indians gain access to higher education
Guatemalan Friends Scholarship Programme 1994 10:42 mins VHS/NTSC
Redwood Forest Friends
QUETZAL CLOUD FOREST
Natural History documentary. The Chiapas region of S. Mexico is one of the few places where virgin rainforest still exists and is home to tree foxes, spider monkeys & the resplendent quetzal bird. Includes rare footage of an Azure Rump Taliger one of the world’s rarest birds.
Dir: Mike Linley
CH4. Anglia production (UK) 23:36 mins VHS/PAL
Anglia TV Productions
OUT OF THE PAST
Fascinating doc. examining the collapse of the Maya. Over-population & over-exploitation of resources are considered the prime factors for their demise. The valley of Copan yields supporting evidence.
Penn. State University 1992/3
CH4 Broadcast 55 mins (adverts cut.) VHS/PAL
Penn State
University
AV Dept
THE POPUL VUH
Animated film depicting the central myth of Maya culture, The book of the Quiche Maya.
Directed by Patricia Amlin, University of California 1988 VHS/PAL (60 mins)
University of California
TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN CONDOR
Feature film partially filmed in Guatemala. Interesting scenes of Santiago Atitlan and San Antonio Palopo showing village costume of the early 1950’s.
Director: D. Daves. (90 mins)
U.S. 1952 VHS/PAL
LA RUTA MAYA
Lonely Planet: Yucatan, Belize & Guatemala.
Travelog of Guatemala. Fairly informative albeit for a few basic errors that could have easily been avoided if they’d used their book to guide them !
Pilot Productions (UK) / Lonely Planet
7/95. 30 mins. VHS/PAL
Pilot Productions / Lonely Planet
CHICHICASTENANGO: SHRINE OF THE LIVING MAYA
Documentary of Chichicastenango and the Quiche people. Great footage of inside Sta Tomas church & of syncretic rituals.Focuses on costume, cofradias, market life & the threat of Evangelism to tradition.
Dir: Steven Carey, Viva Foundation,
INGUAT, Guatemala Official Souvenir
1994 25 mins. VHS/NTSC
VIVA Foundation
& INGUAT
CHANNEL 4 NEWS ROVING REPORT: MAYA POLITICS
Report on Presidential elections due to be held (11/11/95) and the country’s appalling record of human rights abuses. Features Santiago Atitlan.
Victoria Bridges,
WTN Prod’n. (UK) 8th/9th Nov 1995 6.5 mins
VHS/PAL (Guatemalan Maya Centre consultation)
OUT OF THE PAST MAYA SPIRIT WORLD
Another Out of the Past documentary dealing with how the Maya perceived death. Interesting comparisons with ancient Rome, recent unearthings at Copan and a look contemporary shamanism in the Momostenango region of Highland Guatemala.
Dir: L. Wisniewski.
Penn. State Uni., QED Comm’s Inc.
1992, 48 mins. VHS/PAL
QED Communications Inc. Penn State University AV Dept
WEAVING COLOR AS CULTURE THE MAYA TODAY
Museum produced video of the extraordinarily large exhibit of contemporary Guatemalan weaving
National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan
14 Sept-30th Nov 1995 30:46 mins VHS/NTSC
National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka
DIVINE MAGIC: THE WORLD OF THE SUPERNATURAL: THE AZTECS
Documentary tracing the rise of the Aztec empire and the catastrophic events of the Spanish conquest which led to its sudden demise. Dramatised scenes of human sacrifice.
Director: Howard Reid, Ch4 (UK) Feb 96. 42:32 mins VHS/PAL.
1.WISH YOU WERE HERE: ANCIENT & MODERN
Popular Holiday feature introduced by Judith Chalmers. The Highlands & jungles of Guatemala.
ITV, UK: Jan 96. 9:33 mins VHS/PAL.
2.TRACES OF GUILT: DEAD WITNESS.
Disturbing yet fascinating documentary following forensic anthropologists as they unravel the secrets of the Plan de Sanchez massacre of 1982 & i.d. the victims and their killers
Director: Isabelle Rosin BBC2/A&E Network.
Jan.96. 49:22 mins. VHS/PAL.
Independent Television (ITV)
BBC Television
& A&E Network
THE OTHER AMERICAS “The Price of Miracles”
Mexico’s economic crisis -Why a region that has the same legacy of ‘discovery’ as the US has failed to fulfil the same golden promise.
Channel 4 (UK) 1992 58 mins (incl. ad’s) VHS/PAL.
1.CLASH OF THE MAYA KINGS
Epigraphers Nicolai Grube and Simon Martin look at the evidence for political warfare amongst the ancient Maya.
The Learning Channel 24 mins (excl. ads) VHS / PAL.
2.CRACKING THE MAYA CODE
Deciphering the Maya Hieroglyphs with epigrapher, David Stuart.
Tomorrow’s World (edit) BBC TV, London BBC1 1996. 8 mins. VHS / PAL.
The Learning Channel
BBC Television
1.THE BABY BANDITS
Roger Cook reports on the prosperous adoption trade in Guatemala and highlights serious flaws in proceedure.
The Cook Report Carlton TV, UK.
25 mins (excluding. adverts) VHS / PAL. (14/5/1996).
2.BABY BANDITS: UPDATE
How the authorities have reacted to the allegations
The Cook Report , Carlton TV, UK.
5 mins. VHS / PAL. (4/6/1996)
Carlton Television
Carlton Television
IM SCHATTEN DES DSCHUNGELS
Die Ruckkehr Der Jaguarieger
German anthropology documentary. (In German Language).
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehan 1995. VHS/PAL.
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehan
MYSTERY OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS
Scientists and spiritulists explore the mystery of the carved crystal skulls. Genuine or fake ? Inconclusive findings
BBC TV, London Everyman BBC / A&E 1996. 49 mins . VHS/PAL.
BBC Television & A&E Network
THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD: MUNDO MAYA
Part of Open University’s Imagining New Worlds series – looks at the Maya world.
Open University 1995. 25mins VHS / PAL
Open University
BBC Television
1.SPIRITS OF THE JAGUAR
BBC Natural History Unit Series looking at Central America and the Caribbean – from fiery origins to great civilisations. Superb Photography The Guatemalan Maya Centre provided contacts & info. for the Maya episode.
a) Forging of a New World
b)Forests of the Maya
2.SPIRITS OF THE JAGUAR
a) Hunters of the Caribbean Sea tography; Alan Ereira narrates.
b) The 5th World of the Aztecs.
Bristol (UK) 1996. Each episode c.50 mins. VHS / PAL (2 cassettes)
BBC Television: Natural History Unit
MUSICA MAYA
This audio-visual programme is a compilation of images & sounds which traces the importance of music in Maya society.
Casa K’OJOM, Antigua, Guatemala. 35mins. VHS / PAL.
Casa K’ojom
SUENOS Y PALABRAS SABIAS – CHIAPAS (“Dreams and Wise Words”)
A documentary examining the culture & art of the Tzotzil & Tzetzal communities of Chiapas. The story highlights to what extent keeping cultural traditions & religious beliefs have been a key factor in the survival, strengthening and unification of contemporary Maya society & how Maya communities, after a long silence, formed the Zapatista army to assert their rights.
Consejo Nacional para la cultura y las artes.
Mexico. 8/95. 62mins Spanish lang. VHS / PAL
Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y Las Artes
LOST CIVILISATIONS – THE MAYA: BLOOD OF KINGS
Time Life/ Windfall Films
Time Life /
Windfall Films
INNOCENTS LOST
A hard hitting documentary (in 2 parts) which exposes crimes and injustices committed against children in all parts of the world. Part 1 deals with the streetkids of Guatemala and looks at the work of Casa Alianza.
VHS / PAL (1997)
TIMEWATCH – THE MAYA
Superb documentary produced by award winning documentary film-maker Alan Ereira focusing on recent developments in the archaeology of Mesoamerica and the fascinating site of Copan which is revealing its secrets and age-old links with the Mexican site of Teotihuacan in the valley of Mexico.
Producer: Alan Ereira.
VHS / PAL (1997)
MAYORDOMIA – Ritual, Gender & Cultural Identity in a Zapotec Community.
This is the first film which tries to convey the social significance of a mayordomia and to emphasise the work, planning, and sacrifice which make the ritual possible … A strong point of this film is the extent to which the filmmaker allows the mayor-domia family to speak for themselves anout the importance of the sponsorship (Latin American Anthropology Review)
University of Texas Press. Director: Lynn Stephen
22 minutes. VHS / NTSC (1990)
University of Texas Press
PAPER PEACE
Short but informative documentary plotting recent developments in the Guatemalan peace process.
Director: Ana Lucia Cuevas
11 minutes. VHS / PAL(1997)
RUB’EL KURUS (BENEATH THE CROSS)
During the 1980’s the Guatelmalan army launched ruthless counterinsurgency campaigns against indigenous communities, killing or displacing thousands. This film documents the struggle of a group of Maya-Q’eqchi’ villages to reconstruct their violent past.
47 minutes . VHS PAL (1998)
Ak’Kutan AADP Productions
CORRESPONDENT: GUATEMALA
Correspondent report on Guatemala after the Peace Accords.
BBC TV, London. BBC2: ‘Correspondent’
22 minutes(full programme: 1 hr). VHS PAL (20/2/99)
BBC Television
THE LONG ROAD HOME
Award winning documentary about Guatemalan refugees
Produced and Directed by Andrea E. Leland
New Day Films Inc.
30 minutes VHS NTSC (1993)
New Day Films Inc.
IF THE MANGO TREE COULD SPEAK
A Documentary about children and war in Central America.
An intimate portrait of ten boys and girls growing up in the midst of war in Guatemala and El Salvador. The children talk about war and peace, justice, ethnic identity, friendship and marriage. In a series of touching vignettes, they share their dreams and hopes as well as their pain and loss.
Produced and Directed by Patricia Goudvis
New Day Films Inc.
58 minutes VHS NTSC (1993)
New Day Films Inc.
DIRTY SECRETS: Jennifer, Everardo & the CIA in Guatemala.
Follows Jennifer Harbury’s struggle to determine the truth about what happened to her husband Everardo, a Guatemalan rebel leadr, and her efforts on behalf of all disappeared people in Guatemala. It tells how her courage and determination brought forth disturbing revelations about the CIA in Guatemala.
Produced and Directed by Patricia Goudvis
New Day Films Inc.
56 minutes VHS NTSC (1998)
New Day Films Inc.
1.MILLENNIUM: THE MAYA
A section of this episode from the 10 part series looks at Maya Civilisation
Produced and Directed by
56 minutes VHS PAL (12/1999)
2.HARD TALK: BRUCE HARRIS
Tim Sebastian puts Bruce Harris of Casa Alianza under the spotlight.
BBC World (10/99)
BBC Television
BBC World
MYSTERY OF THE MUMMIES
Archaeologists discover the remnants of Mexico’s ‘lost’ Zoque civilisation.
VHS PAL (1999)
GUATEMALA: NATURAL & DIVERSE
Glossy Guatemalan Tourist Commission / INGUAT production extolling the virtues of Guatemala as a tourist destination.
Produced by Rolando Urrutia
Guatemalan Tourist Commission
30 minutes VHS PAL (1999)
INGUAT
BACKSTRAP WEAVING: Traditional Weaving in Guatemala & Mexico
Filmed entirely in Guatemala & Mexico, this programme provides a record of the skills and techniques employed by hip-strap loom weavers in various communities.
Produced by Janet Willoughby
Ends of the Earth Ltd.
59 minutes VHS PAL (1998)
Ends of the Earth
Quest for The Lost City
A team of explorers set out to locate a long lost city in the depths of the Peten rainforest.
Channel 4
c.55 minutes VHS PAL (2000)
Discover Guatemala: ‘Official Souvenir’ video – ‘Folklore / Traditions / Adventure’.
Viva Foundation
30 minutes VHS PAL (2000)
VIVA Foundation
Treasure Seekers: Code of the Maya Kings
National Geographic documentary examining how it took more than a century to unlock the secrets of the ancient Maya. Includes material on the life and work of reknowned Mayanist Tatiana Proskouriakoff.
Produced and Directed by Graham Townsley & Ann Carroll
National Geographic
53 minutes VHS PAL (2000)
National Geographic
Secrets of the Ancients: The Olmecs
Exploring ancient techniques of stone masonry and megalith transport.
BBC
55 minutes VHS PAL (1999)
Fodor’s Video: Mexico
A video travelogue from Fodor’s, the Guidebook publishers
83 minutes VHS PAL (1991)
Fodors
Qa Loq Laj Ilaaj (Our Sacred Seed)
A collaborative exercise between a Maya Q’eqchi’ community, local indigenous video-makers and anthropologist, this documentary records ancient rituals relating to the planting of maize – one of the most important annual activities for the Maya of Guatemala – in their own words.
Film-maker / anthropologist: Carlos Flores
Televerapazc.53 minutes VHS PAL (2002)
Carlos Flores
Discovering Dominga
A powerful and award-winning documentary tracing the return of an Iowa housewife to the Guatemalan village where she was born. Dominga was nine when she became her family’s sole survivor of the Rio Negro massacre. Inexorably, she is drawn into the ongoing struggle of the surviving Rio Negro community to find justice, and decides to become a witness in a landmark human rights case brought against the Guatemalan military.
Directed & Produced by: Patricia Flynn
Berkeley Media, California
c.57 minutes VHS NTSC (c.2003)
Berkeley Media
Haunted Land
Two paths cross on a descent into Guatemala’s past: that of Mateo Pablo, Maya survivor of one of many massacres that took place during the country’s civil war, and Daniel Hernández Salazar, Guatemalan artist and photographer whose work grapples with human rights issues. Together they travel to where the community of Petanac once stood – a place where Mateo lived until 1982 when his family and neighbours were murdered by the Guatemalan army. As forensic experts excavate, the bones tell their own mute story of agony and terror …
Directed & Produced by: Mary Ellen Davies
Productions B’alba, Montreal, Canada
c.74 minutes VHS NTSC (c.2003)c.50 minutes VHS PAL (2002)
Productions
B’alb
Tierra Madre (Sacred Earth)
In Guatemala, property ownership is restricted to a minority: most peasants possess no land, endlessly seeking new areas to cultivate. Despite arrests, threats and destruction of their crops, a Q1eqchi Maya community defends its ancestral rights in the knowledge that such actions have, in recent history, resulted in the massacre of entire communities. Will hope triumph over violence? Sacred Earth tells of courage and faith, within the quest for peace and stability.
Directed & Produced by: Mary Ellen Davies
Productions B’alba, Montreal, Canada
c.54 minutes VHS NTSC (1996)
Productions
B’alb
Hospitalito Santiago Atitlán
A short film by Andrew Weeks looking at the community clinic of Santiago Atitlán and the devastating effects of the landslide that swept through the community in October 2005.
puebloapueblo.org / Andrew Weeks c.15 minutes DVD PAL (2005)
Andrew Weeks
Pueblo a Pueblo
Mountains of the Maya
A natural history documentary30 minutes VHS PAL (c.2002)
Secrets of the Maya Underworld
BBC / Discovery
48 minutes VHS PAL (2004)
What the Ancients Did for Us: Aztecs, Maya, Inca
BBC
60 minutes VHS PAL (2004)
The Aztecs: Blood & Flowers
c.50 minutes VHS PAL (2002)
Edgewalker: A Conversation with Linda Schele
c.45 minutes VHS PAL (1999)
Home Life Productions
GOODBYE BABY
An interesting documentary looking at the process of adoption in Guatemala and the trials, tribulations and issues surrounding it
70 minutes. DVD format
1.UNREPORTED WORLD: GUATEMALA
A shocking exposé of how areas of Guatemala City have degenerated into violent lawlessness in a three-way battle between gangs, vigilante groups and the security forces, and where disappearances, torture and bloody death have become a daily occurrence.
Director: Ramita Navai. 25 minutes VHS PAL (Nov. 2006, CH4)
2.THE LAST AZTEC
Booker prizewinner for Vernon God Little, DBC Pierre is of English and Australian descent but grew up in Mexico City. As a young man he discovered a book that purported to reveal the resting place of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma and his treasure. And so began Pierre’s lifelong obsession withthe Aztecs, researching their history, meeting a rogues gallery of Mexican explorers, hustlers and Aztec descendants.
130 minutes VHS PAL (Nov. 2006, CH4)
Quicksilver Media
THIS WORLD: KILLERS PARADISE
Murder Mystery in Guatemlala. Documentary looking at the high murder rate of women in Guatemala. Olenka Frenkiel investigates as Claudina Velasquez’s father tries to find out about her violent killing in a country where 665 women were murdered in 2005, yet not one killer has been imprisoned. With no fingerprint or DNA database, no crime or victim profiling, no forensic science, and witnesses keepoing quiet, killers go free. Frenkiel asks if this is a legacy of 36 years of Civil War, when security forces murdered with impunity.
60 minutes BBC broadcast. Directed by Giselle Portenier 2005.
This World / BBC Television
SIPAKAPA NO SE VENDE
In 2005, Montaña Exploradora, subsidiary of Glamis Gold the Canadian/US transnational corporation, received 45 million dollars from the World Bank to develop an open-pit gold mine in the Dept of San Marcos, Guatemala. In accordance the legal framework for such a development, the local community were consulted for approval, and the result was a resounding rejection of the proposed mine. This documentary analyses the debate on mining exploitation and demonstrates the dignity of the Sipakadan people as they fight to defend their autonomy.
English Subtitles, 55 minutes, Guatemala, 2005
Caracol Producciones