“As there is light, so there is darkness.”

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Our documentray about MAXIMON, the controversial Guatemlan spiritual figure, is now free (for a limited time) on YouTube. ENJOY!

Nuestro documental sobre MAXIMON, la polémica figura espiritual guatemalteca ya está gratis (por tiempo limitado) en YouTube ¡DISFRUTA!

MAXIMÓN - Santo o Diablo (2014, 66 min.) is a documentary about a controversial Maya deity who personifies good and evil simultaneously. Maximón, also known as San Simon, or the drinking and smoking saint of Guatemala, is a mixture of ancient Maya beliefs and Christianity. Life-size figures of Maximón can be found in temples throughout Guatemala. The movie concentrates on the people who surround Maximón with their strong personalities, opinions and faith. Maximón is honored and loved because he performs miracles, but he is also feared and despised because he is used to cast curses that can result in death. Giving us a rare view into the rituals and fiestas honoring Maximón, the documentary leads us on a journey that is both joyous and terrifying. Ultimately Maximón transcends the duality of good and evil, reflecting the Maya cosmovision in which everything in the universe co-exists.

The film was shot entirely in Guatemala and is in Spanish with English subtitles.

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MAXIMÓN – Santo o Diablo (66 min.) es una película documental sobre una deidad Maya muy controversial. Maximón es honrado y querido porque él hace milagros pero al mismo tiempo él es temido porque puede ser usado para hechizar e incluso causar la muerte. Finalmente Maximón trasciende la dualidad del bien y el mal, reflejando la cosmo-visión Maya en la cual nada en el universo es independiente, todo es una coexistencia. Este película nos da una vista rara adentro de las fiestas y costumbres en honor a Maximón.
La película es en español con subtítulos inglés.

SCREENING HISTORY

Mar. 2018 - Queens World Film Festival, New York, USA

Mar. 2018 - Mesón Panza Verde, La Antigua, Guatemala

Aug. 2017 - USAC television, Guatemala

Nov. 2016 - 9º Edición del Festival Latinoamericano de Cine Indígena,

Resistencia, Chaco, ARGENTINA

Nov. 2016 - XXVIII edición de la Bienal Internacional de Cine Científico (BICC), Ronda-Madrid, SPAIN

Nov. 2016 - BICC, Quito, ECUADOR

Nov. 2016 - BICC, Mexico City, MEXICO

Oct. 2016 - Bloomingdale School of Music, New York City, USA

Sept. 2016 - Festimal de Ojo, Quito, ECUADOR

Sept. 2016 - Central American International Film Festival CAIFF,

University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

Sept. 2016 - 10º Muestra Cine+Video Indígena, Curicó, CHILE

Sept. 2016 - 10º Muestra Cine+Video Indígena, Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Santiago de Chile, CHILE

April 2016 - IX Encuentro Hispanoamericano de Cine y Video Documental Independiente CONTRA EL SILENCIO TODAS LAS VOCES, DF MEXICO

April 2016 - ESPIELLO XIV, Festival Internacional de Documental

Etnográfico de Sobrarbe, SPAIN

April 2016 - Cooperación Española, Antigua, GUATEMALA

Mar. 2016 - Central American International Film Festival CAIFF,

Teatro Nacional de San Salvador, EL SALVADOR

Feb. 2016 - The Archaeology Channel (awarded films screening),

Bend, Oregon, USA

Jan. 2016 - Casa Herrera, Antigua, GUATEMALA

Jan. 2016 - The Archaeology Channel (awarded films screening),

Portland, Oregon, USA

Nov. 2015 - Central American International Film Festival CAIFF,

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Nov. 2015 - Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale, New Haven, CT, USA

Nov. 2015 - The Archaeology Channel (awarded films screening)

Ashland, OR, USA

Oct. 2015 - The Archaeology Channel (awarded films screening), Eugene, OR, USA

July 2015 - Belize International Film Festival, Belize City, BELIZE

July 2015 - Belize International Film Festival, Placencia, BELIZE

May 2015 - The Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival, Eugene, OR, USA

Honorable Mention in the Audience Favorite Competition

Aug. 2014 - Galeria Panajachel, GUATEMALA

Aug. 2014 - Centro Cultural Casa No’j, Quetzaltenango, GUATEMALA

April 2014 - Cooperación Española, Antigua, GUATEMALA

March 2014 - Centro Cultural de España en Guatemala, Guatemala City

Feb. 2014 - Casa del Rio, Antigua, GUATEMALA

Feb. 5th, 2014 - Cooperación Española, Antigua, GUATEMALA (PREMIERE)

Sept. 26th, 2013 - (Work in Progress) Festival ÍCARO, Guatemala City


LIBRARIES AND COLLECTIONS

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Portland Community College

Front Range Community College