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The RAI FILM Festival will take place in Bristol (UK) from 11 to 15 June 2025, and online (available worldwide) from 16 June – 16 July, including the online film conference from 1 to 4 July.

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Cakchiquel Maya of San Antonio Palopó

Directed by Bruce MacDonald

1987 – 52'

Synopsis

The documentary shows how Cakchiquel Maya of a village on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala adapted to changes that took place in the decades before the film was made, when the lake became a favoured spot for holiday homes, and the village was filled with streams of tourists. While the filmmakers were officially welcomed and given permission to film, in practice many people hid their faces and did not co-operate. Some even threw stones at the camera crew. The film team tried to find an explanation of the Maya hostility to the camera.