Ixcanul

Directed by Jayro Bustamante
Year: 2015
Country: Guatemala, France
Language: Kaqchikel, Spanish

The 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, a disappearing tradition and a disappearing people.

**** (Four stars) "A fascinating blend of modernity and ritual." -The Guardian

"A powerful and highly accomplished debut deserving recognition. Moreover, with its social realist focus on Guatemala’s contemporary Mayan population, it offers a portrait of a largely unseen community refreshingly free of exoticism (the remarkable unprofessional cast helped co-write the script). -Filmmaker Magazine


"Jayro Bustamante’s Ixcanul was a genuine discovery, as this is not only the director’s first feature, but also the first film made in the Kaqchikel Mayan language..." -Senses of Cinema


"Bustamante’s film is downright Herzogian (far more than Herzog’s own “Queen of the Desert”) in its surfeit of physical detail, observed ritual and looming clash of civilizations." -Variety


Cast
Marvin Coroy
Justo Lorenzo
Manuel Antun
Maria Telon
Maria Mercedes Coroy

Crew
Directed by Jayro Bustamante