Maximón: Devil or Saint (2014)

2014-02-061h 6m

MAXIMÓN - Devil or Saint is a documentary about the controversial Maya deity, also known as San Simon or the drinking and smoking saint of Guatemala. He is a mixture of ancient Maya beliefs and Christianity. The movie concentrates on the people who surround Maximón with their strong personalities, opinions and faith. The documentary gives us a rare view into the rituals and fiestas honoring Maximón. The cult of Maximón is flourishing because he performs miracles. He is also feared and despised because he is used to cast curses that can result in death. Ultimately, Maximón transcends the duality of good and evil, reflecting the Maya cosmovision in which everything in the universe co-exists.

Related Movies

265672-thumbnail

Fight Church (2014)

A documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbor as yourself and then punch him in the face?

264803-thumbnail

The Hutterites (1964)

A look at the Hutterites, an Anabaptist religious community similar to the Amish or the Mennonites in rural Alberta.

449085-thumbnail

First Daughter and the Black Snake (2017)

The “Prophecy of the 7th Fire” says a “black snake” will bring destruction to the earth. For Winona LaDuke, the “black snake” is oil trains and pipelines. When she learns that Canadian-owned Enbridge plans to route a new pipeline through her tribe’s 1855 Treaty land, she and her community spring into action to save the sacred wild rice lakes and preserve their traditional indigenous way of life. Launching an annual spiritual horse ride along the proposed pipeline route, speaking at community meetings and regulatory hearings. Winona testifies that the pipeline route follows one of historical and present-day trauma. The tribe participates in the pipeline permitting process, asserting their treaty rights to protect their natural resources. LaDuke joins with her tribe and others to demand that the pipelines’ impact on tribal people’s resources be considered in the permitting process.

448707-thumbnail

Warrior: The Life of Leonard Peltier (1991)

An intimate exploration of the circumstances surrounding the incarceration of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, convicted of murder in 1977, with commentary from those involved, including Peltier himself.

448746-thumbnail

Stonehenge Empire (2014)

For centuries, Stonehenge has been cloaked in mystery. Who built it? How did they do it? Why did they do it and what is its significance? Now, a team of archaeologists takes a high-tech approach to find out, and their discoveries will exceed all expectations. Learn the full story of the world's most investigated prehistoric site, featuring a forgotten people who were meticulous planners, profound believers and true warriors. It's a 10,000-year-old tale, pieced together by state-of-the-art survey equipment and compelling archaeological evidence.

267379-thumbnail

Keep Up the Good Work (2013)

It is a fetish, a mantra, a secret religion to modern man: work. In times of the financial crisis and massive job reductions, this documentary movie questions work as our 'hallow' sense in life in a way that both humors and pains us.

1403013-thumbnail

Les dents de la mer: Un succès monstre (2024)

In the summer of 1975, the young director Steven Spielberg set new standards for cinema worldwide with an oversized shark bite, a plastic shark fin and an unmistakable two-note main theme composed by John Williams. With the horror from the deep, a man-eating, gigantic great white shark, the film of the same name became a similarly traumatic reference as Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho": it triggered lasting primal fears across generations. On the beaches of the world, there was clearly a "before" and an "after". Steven Spielberg, who was only 28 at the time, not only set new standards for the thriller genre, but also hid his biting criticism of US capitalism in the 1970s behind it.

635100-thumbnail

Jesus Is King (2019)

Filmed during summer 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turrell’s never-before-seen installation in Arizona’s Painted Desert. This one-of-a-kind experience features songs arranged by West in the gospel tradition along with new music from his forthcoming album.

636679-thumbnail

Rudy Coby: The Coolest Magician on Earth (1995)

High-tech magician Rudy Coby aka (Labman) and his sidekick Atom serve up a strange brand of Magical science, as they cut off their limbs with a chain saw, shrink themselves, and fix their robot girl.

1020850-thumbnail

The Red Queen (2022)

A look at Palenque's best kept secret: The Red Queen.

1401136-thumbnail

We Exist Triply (NaN)

A sock puppet explores a family history told from the perspective of a mother and father.

449748-thumbnail

Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock (2017)

The Water Protectors at Standing Rock captured world attention through their peaceful resistance. While many may know the details, this film captures the story of Native-led defiance that forever changed the fight for clean water, our environment and the future of our planet.

823295-thumbnail

D'un Céline l'autre (1969)

Passers-by, those who knew him in his youth, René Barjavel, witness of his beginnings, his wife, his doctor, writers ... By questioning them Michel Polac tries to better understand the troubled personality of Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Notorious anti-Semite and genius writer.

482408-thumbnail

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic (2017)

A thrilling journey through legends, belief and folklore, this film goes behind the scenes with the British Library as they search to tell that story through objects in their collection, in an ambitious new exhibition: Harry Potter: A History Of Magic. J.K. Rowling, who is lending unseen manuscripts, drawings and drafts from her private archives (which will sit alongside treasures from the British Library, as well as original drafts and drawings from Jim Kay) talks about some of the personal items she has lent to the exhibition and gives new insight into her writing, looking at some of the objects from the exhibition that have fired her imagination.

1434559-thumbnail

Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality (2025)

In a world losing itself to screens, teenage mystic Carlo Acutis saw beyond our social media-addicted society and offered an answer—if we’re willing to listen. Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality explores the life of the first millennial saint while following teens on a phone-free pilgrimage to his tomb, immersing them in his story, his passion for Christ, and a search for meaning in a digital age.

483961-thumbnail

Indefensible: The Troubling Legacy of Edward Cornwallis (2017)

The history of Edward Cornwallis, the founder of Halifax, and the modern day controversy surrounding his statue.

679208-thumbnail

One Man and His Shoes (2020)

'One Man and His Shoes' tells the story of the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business.

642226-thumbnail

Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story (2018)

This documentary chronicles the inspirational story of a man who would not accept "no" for an answer. Born with cerebral palsy, Cordell Brown faced many challenges and most believed he would amount to nothing. Despite the odds stacked against him, Cordell proves that with heartfelt determination he can make a difference in the world.

1406379-thumbnail

Les scandaleuses (2024)

Béatrice Dalle, Lio, Brigitte Fontaine, Corinne Masiero, Aïssa Maïga, Virginie Despentes, Maria Schneider, Gisèle Halimi, Juliette Gréco, and Adèle Haenel—these women lived on their own terms, defying conventions and embracing lives often deemed "scandalous." Labeled frivolous, hysterical, or simply too free and too loud, they faced criticism yet used controversy as a force for change, challenging norms and advancing women's rights. This documentary retraces seventy years of their bold and unconventional journeys, telling the story of the fearless women who shaped history and fought for a more equal world.

642036-thumbnail

No Lye: An American Beauty Story (2019)

A documentary that chronicles the rise and decline of the black-owned ethnic beauty industry in America.