HEART OF SKY, HEART OF EARTH

by Eric Black, Frauke Sandig
  • (c) UMBRELLA FILMS
  • 2011 Umbrella Films
  • 2011 Umbrella Films
  • 2011 Umbrella Films

    Synopsis

    The great cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar will end on December 21st, 2012.
    How does the story end? Do the oceans collapse? Does the sky fall as the last tree is cut? The remote homelands of the present day Maya in Mexico and Guatemala present a perfect microcosm to show how unhindered globalization is already destroying the Earth and indigenous cultures now under attack for their natural resources from all sides. Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth presents another worldview, following six young Maya into their daily and ceremonial life, revealing their determination to resist the destruction of their culture and environment. They put forth a wholly indigenous perspective in their own words, without narration. Each touches upon a
    facet of the current global crisis. Beautifully filmed, the intimate accounts and experiences of the protagonists interweave with images associated with the fragile beauty of nature and the sacred creation myth of the Popol Vuh. The stories and the cosmovision of the Mayan protagonists are juxtaposed with our shortsighted exploitation of the Earth.

    “It is quite possible our great corporations will succeed in finishing Nature off … and expel the Indigenous from their lands. On the other hand, resistance is growing. Many young Maya say the world will not go under. It will start anew, but we all have to fight for it, here and now. If one is searching for impressive evidence of this tenacious determination, Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth is it.”
    DIE ZEIT

    Festivals

    IDFA Amsterdam, Masters Section
    DOK Leipzig
    Best International Feature – Planet in Focus, Toronto, First Prize in North America’s largest environmental film festival,
    Muestra de Cine Internacional Memoria Verdad Justicia, Guatemala,
    First prize, the Pukañawi Award – Festival Internacional de Cine de los Derechos Humanos, Bolivia,
    Nature Film Prize, Germany, Audience’s Favorite Award
    Special Jury Mention – International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva
    Special Jury Mention – Festival Int. de Cine de Derechos Humanos, Buenos Aires, Special Jury Mention
    Special Mention – DocsDF, Mexico City,
    Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, 2nd Teueikan Prize – First Peoples Festival in Copresentation with RIDM, Montreal:
    Silver Chris Award and Central Ohio Green Education Fund Award, Columbus IFF
    Best Directors Award – Baikal International Film Festival PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT
    Vancouver International Film Festival
    Margaret Mead Film Festival, New York
    Mill Valley International Film Festival
    Thessaloniki DFF
    Dreamspeakers Festival, Canada: Best Documentary
    Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, Havana, Cuba
    Festival de Cine Verde de Barichara, Colombia, Closing Night Film
    Taiwan International Documentary Festival
    Rassegna International Archeological Film Festival in Italy: Special Mention
    Planete Doc, Warsaw
    Guanajuato International Film Festival, Mexico
    FICMA Barcelona, Spain
    ZagrebDox
    Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse
    Cinema Planeta, Mexico, Closing Night Film
    Cinema Politica, Canada, Divine Interventions
    Chicago Latino Film Festival, Runner up for Audience Award
    Cambridge Film Festival
    Documentarist, Istanbul
    Cowichan International Aboriginal Film Festival, People’s Choice Award
    Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital, Washington D.C.
    Native Spirit Film Festival, London Opening Film
    Addis International Film Festival, Ethiopia
    San Francisco Green Film Festival
    ECOcine, Portugal
    Cine Las Americas, Texas
    Festival Internacional de Cine de los Derechos Humanos, Mexico City
    Cinema Ambulante, El Salvador
    Amnesty International Reel Awareness Human Rights Film Festival, Toronto
    San Francisco Latino Film Festival
    Mic Genero, Mexico
    Sydney Latino Film Festival
    Arlington IFF Opening Film
    Boom Festival, Portugal
    Tofino Film Festival, Vancouver Island, Canada
    Borneo Eco Film Festival
    World Community Film Festival, British Colombia, Canada
    Semana de los Derechos Humanos, Costa Rica
    Cleveland Film Festival
    Todos Santos Film Festival, Baja, California, Mexico
    Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival
    Nonfiktionale
    Nepal Indigenous Film Festival
    Hamilton IFF
    Festival internacional de cine Barranquilla, Colombia