There are currently no events scheduled, however interested parties
are welcome to arrange to see any of our previously screened films
or videos by appointment.
Some
recommended videos from our library (viewable by appointment):
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
(Our reference: Cassette: 6)
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.
51 mins. 1991.VHS/PAL (Our
reference: Cassette: 21)
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 (Our
reference: Cassette: 32)
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 (Our
reference: Cassette: 33)
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. (Our
reference: Cassette: 34)
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)
(Our reference: Cassette:
38)
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
(Our
reference: Cassette: 40)
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
(Our
reference: Cassette: 56)
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) (Our
reference: Cassette: 57)
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.
(Our
reference: Cassette: 65ii)
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. (Our
reference: Cassette: 67i)
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. (Our
reference: Cassette: 67ii)
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)
(Our
reference: Cassette: 77)
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)
(Our
reference: Cassette: 84)
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) (Our
reference: Cassette: 95)
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)
(Our
reference: Cassette: 96)
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)
(Our
reference: Cassette: 97)
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.
c. 60 minutes BBC broadcast. Directed by Giselle Portenier 2005.
(Our
reference: Cassette: 106)
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
(Our
reference: Cassette: 107)
RECYCLED
LIFE
(Our
reference: Cassette: 107)
