.

Just in time for the December 21, 2012 end of our existence predicted by the Mayan calendar, directors Frauke Sandig and Eric Black embark on a cinematic journey to explore the Mayan culture and its spirituality.  Visiting some of the millions of contemporary Mayans living in Mexico and Guatemala, the film looks at how they’re valiantly attempting to preserve their culture and fight the eventual (and ever-nearing) destruction of the earth through the stories of six young Mayans who share what their daily ceremonial life looks like. Each of them filled to the brim with determination to tell their stories, each of which touch on an aspect of the current world ecological crisis. Maybe the fear surrounding the conclusion of the Mayan calendar is just the wake-up call people need to recognize and do something about the short-sighted exploitation of our planet?

This beautifully-shot film (seriously, the cinematography is breathtaking) does exactly what a documentary is ideally meant to do. It offers a window into a world that someone living in Toronto would never, ever get a chance to see or experience. People can joke about the end of days and go see John Cusack navigate various epic disasters in a Roland Emmerich blockbuster, but it’s hard to relate it all back to a culture that still exists for millions of people and in turn to the fact that our planet is in serious trouble environmentally. Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth takes a look at the issues through a very different lens and that’s quite frankly, pretty darn refreshing… even if you’re sure to leave the film spitting mad at the ways that greed and industry are swallowing up the last vestiges of Mayan history and tradition.

Is Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth Essential Planet in Focus Viewing?

It may be a little arty in its execution for those used to watching more traditionally-structured docs, but it’s definitely a film that will thrive on the big screen experience and stay with you after you leave.

Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth Screening Times

• Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 5:00pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox

More about This Film

Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth Trailer

Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth Production Gallery

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Kristal Cooper

Editor-in-Chief

Kristal Cooper has been a film buff since the age of two when her parents began sneaking her into the drive-in every weekend. Since then, she’s pursued that passion by working for the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Film Centre as well as spending many a happy hour inside Toronto’s wonderful theatres (she still mourns the loss of The Uptown). She currently acts as Toronto Film Scene’s Editor-in-Chief, is a freelance writer specializing in pop culture and feminist issues, and continues to slog away at her day job as a small cog in the giant machinery of the Toronto film community.

Latest posts by Kristal Cooper (see all)

• Review: Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s – May 17, 2013
• Review: Star Trek Into Darkness – May 16, 2013
• Review: Room 237 – May 10, 2013