Tekuanes - Guardianes del Agua

500 Years

April 2017 •Spanish

From a historic genocide trial to the overthrow of a president, the sweeping story of mounting resistance played out in Guatemala’s recent history is told through the actions and perspectives of the majority indigenous Mayan population, who now stand poised to reimagine their society.

Land of the Mayas

January 1946 •English

This Traveltalk series short visits the village of Chichicastenango, Guatemala and emphasizes the influence of the Mayan culture on its people. It shows how the residents intermingle ancient religious practices with Catholic teachings. Narrator James FitzPatrick introduces, and greets on camera, Father Ildefonso Rossbach, a Catholic priest who ministers to the local population in the village and outlying areas.

Cerro del águila

June 2023 •Spanish

Little Birds

June 2023 •Spanish

Through dances and games, migrant boys and girls who live in a shelter in Reynosa, on the US-Mexico border, shared their dreams and stories of hope with us.

Modern Guatemala City

August 1945 •English

This FitzPatrick Traveltalk short visits Guatemala City, touching upon its sights, customs, and history.

Colorful Guatemala

February 1935 •English

James A. FitzPatrick takes a look at colorful Guatemala.

Glimpses of Guatemala

February 1946 •English

We begin this short visit to Guatemala at the port town of Livingstone, then journey up the Rio Dulce. We stop to watch men tap the trees, harvest the sap, and load the product onto small planes. At a local market, we see indigenous life much as it's been for hundreds of years. Then it's back to the coast, to the prosperous Isla de Flores, a trading island.

When the Mountains Tremble

September 1983 •Spanish

A documentary on the war between the Guatemalan military and the Mayan population, with first hand accounts by Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.

Maximón: Devil or Saint

February 2014 •Spanish

MAXIMÓN - Devil or Saint is a documentary about the controversial Maya deity, also known as San Simon or the drinking and smoking saint of Guatemala. He is a mixture of ancient Maya beliefs and Christianity. The movie concentrates on the people who surround Maximón with their strong personalities, opinions and faith. The documentary gives us a rare view into the rituals and fiestas honoring Maximón. The cult of Maximón is flourishing because he performs miracles. He is also feared and despised because he is used to cast curses that can result in death. Ultimately, Maximón transcends the duality of good and evil, reflecting the Maya cosmovision in which everything in the universe co-exists.

A Wrestling Legacy

April 2020 •Spanish

Relámpago Negro is a professional wrestler who lived in his own flesh the golden age of wrestling in Guatemala. 40 years later everything has changed, except his passion for the sport. Relámpago Negro tells us how his passion leads him to keep wrestling alive after so long, building a legacy for professional wrestling until this day.

Bad Hombres

January 2017 •English

A dutch film maker, married to a Nicaraguan, sets himself a goal of finding out what kind of people is risking life trying to emigrate over the borders to USA, and if some of the reach the American dream.

Discovering Dominga: A Survivor's Story

June 2003 •English

Denese Joy Becker, a manicurist living in Iowa, discovers she is indeed Dominga Sic Ruiz, a survivor from a 1982 Guatemalan massacre, when more than 200 people were killed in the small village of Rio Negro, after opposing the construction of a dam, sponsored by World Bank. She then tries to unveil the truth.

Burden of Peace

March 2015 •Spanish

Claudia Paz y Paz is the head of the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor’s Office. We follow her during her four-year mandate as the Attorney General of one of the world’s most dangerous countries. This documentary closely observes her attempts to break the downward spiral of a society where drug cartels, corruption and violence have become part of daily life. She manages to improve the country’s safety and justice issues but is met with much resistance. Her commitment to the rule of law is her strength as well as her destiny. At what price do four years of service as the Attorney General of Guatemala’s murder paradise come?

Sonidos eclécticos de Guatemala

March 2014 •Spanish

Documentary Eclectic Sounds of Guatemala, is a medium-length film about the electronic music scene in the Central American country, in which it emerged in the 1990s with the “Common Graves” parties. Later, over the years, record labels and groups of DJs emerged, such as: Cube Culture, Danzón Pérez, Intu Deep, Disco Rebels, among others. Participating in the documentary: Rod V, Carl nunes, Básico 3, Casta, Mickey Franco, Bruxxas, Mncve, Edu Pretz, Junior Rivera, Dubby Dub, Mario Palomo, Mariano Santolino, Gonzo.

Quiet Type Documentary (Clandestine Parties)

August 2016 •English

The Tipo Tranquilo parties arose from the initiative of three friends (Gabriel, Erick and Alejandro), who were looking for something different in the Guatemalan electronic scene. He realized several factors that affected deejays and true music lovers, for that reason they started this movement of having various parties in different places. Inviting friends in a hidden way, without much publicity, they can only be reached through a map.

Widows ( Viudas de pilotos de transporte público - Avitransp)

August 2017 •Spanish

Widows is a documentary about the wives of pilots, who have been killed while working on the streets of Guatemala City. Being a van or taxi driver in the Central American country is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

Volcanista: El despetar de un ciudadano

April 2021 •Spanish

Jorge Luís Altuve is a young Guatemalan, passionate about mountaineering and a lover of his country. After the COVID-19 crisis and the lack of transparency in the execution of funds by the government of Alejandro Giammattei, he raised a wave of indignation that led thousands of Guatemalans to demonstrate. Jorge Luis attended the central square, when PNC agents began to intimidate the peaceful demonstrators. He and other citizens were arrested without having carried out an act of vandalism.

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

September 2011 •English

A story of destinies joined by Guatemala's past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation's turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present.

The Good Christian

March 2016 •Spanish

In 1979 José Efraín Ríos Montt became a reborn Christian. He was offering a sermon when a group of soldiers burst into his Christian school, and asked him to lead a military coup in 1982. Francisco Chavez Raymundo and his sister were small children when Rios' political actions annihilated their community. In March, 2013 the lives of Francisco Chavez and Rios Montt converge in the same space. Rios is called upon to testify before Guatemalan justice and is confronted by a group of Mayan Ixiles, orphans and widows of the war, Francisco is one of them.

Five Years North

June 2020 •English

Five Years North is the coming-of-age story of Luis, an undocumented Guatemalan boy who just arrived alone in New York City. He struggles to work, study, and evade Judy - the Cuban-American ICE officer patrolling his neighborhood.