The Abbe Museum and Reel Pizza Cinerama are partnering to present the region’s only Indigenous Film Festival during the Abbe Museum Indian Market, May 17-20. Each evening will feature films by and about Indigenous peoples, presenting stories often overlooked in the film industry. Tickets are $8 per film and will be available at the Reel Pizza box office.
On the slopes of an active volcano in Guatemala, a marriage is arranged for seventeen-year-old María (María Mercedes Coroy) by her Kaqchikel parents. In this brilliant debut by Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante is a mesmerizing fusion of fact and fable, a dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano. Immersing us in its characters' customs and beliefs, Ixcanul chronicles, with unblinking realism, disappearing traditions and peoples.