Ixcanul (2015)

Leah, a 17-year-old Kaziger Kaqchiikel Maya, lives with her parents on a coffee plantation at the foot of an active volcano. She was betrothed to a foreman on the plantation. But Maria is determined to discover a world that is completely unknown to her on the other side of the volcano. She seduced a coffee harvester who wanted to flee to the United States. But after the reaper left her, Maria regained her understanding of her world and culture. Director Gero Bustamante grew up in a Kaziger Mayan area of Guatemala, so he chose to come back here to make his own film. He runs a workshop for people around him to tell him stories about his life, and then examines the current living conditions of the Mayans in this area. In this way he learned about the special relationship between the women living there and their mothers and grandmothers. The plot of the film is full of ancient beliefs and traditional rhythm of life. The audience will see a completely different world in the context of globalization and a completely unfamiliar daily life. This is not a film about indigenous culture, but a work really created in such a cultural atmosphere.