IXCANUL

Showings

Ped Mall -Scene 1 Tue, Oct 18, 2016 6:00 PM
Ped Mall -The Screening Room Sat, Nov 5, 2016 2:30 PM
Ped Mall -The Screening Room Sun, Nov 6, 2016 2:30 PM
Ped Mall -Scene 1 Wed, Nov 9, 2016 5:30 PM
Ped Mall -Scene 1 Thu, Nov 10, 2016 5:30 PM
Series Info
Series:New Release Films
Film Info
Rating:Not Rated
Runtime:91 mins
Director:Jayro Bustamante
Year Released:2016

Description

Miss the Bijou Film Board's sold-out screening of IXCANUL for the Bijou Horizons series?
Join us for one of four special encore showings of this stunning film.

Show your Horizons passport for free admission.
U. of Iowa students who see all five Horizons shows in a semester will be eligible to win a study abroad scholarship!

IXCANUL

"More than a fable about the clash of tradition and modernity, IXCANUL is finally a painful illustration of the ease with which those who have can prey on those who don't." -The New York Times

María, a 17-year-old Kaqchikel Maya, lives with her parents on a coffee plantation at the foot of an active volcano. She is set to be married to the farm's foreman. But María longs to discover the world on the other side of the mountain, a place she cannot even imagine. And so she seduces a coffee-harvester who wants to escape to the USA. When this man leaves her behind, María discovers her own world and culture anew.

Director Jayro Bustamante grew up in the region of the Kaqchikel Maya in Guatemala and returned there to make his film. He held workshops, asked people to tell stories from their own lives and examined the current living conditions of the Maya at close range. In doing so, he learnt about the special connection the women there have with the rituals of their mothers and grandmothers. The plot picks up the rhythm of a life defined by ancestral beliefs and traditions. An unfamiliar daily routine awaits the audience, far from the globalised world. Ixcanul is not a film about Indigenous culture but one that was developed from within it.