Event

Dance of the Maize God

WORLD PREMIERE
David Lebrun, USA, 2014, 96 min.

Over the past 50 years, thousands of exquisitely painted ancient Maya vases have flooded into the world's public and private collections. Many have been stolen. These amazing works of art, filled with humor and mystery, have opened an extraordinary window on the Maya past. But because 90% were looted from royal tombs, they also raise profound practical and ethical questions. Dance of the Maize God celebrates the artistry and explores the tangled moral and economic issues involved in the collection and study of ancient Maya art. The story is told by villagers, looters, archaeologists, scholars, dealers, collectors, and museum curators. Filmed on location in Central America by award-winning filmmaker David Labrun, Dance of the Maize God dazzles the viewer with unique interpretive animations of the Maya art on over 100 vases, as well as scenes from the jungle landscapes and ruins of the ancient Maya world.