Ancient Mayans subject of locally produced film

From OnlineAthens (GA):  Ancient Mayans subject of locally produced film

The key to understanding Mayan creation mythology resides in Athens.
Well, sort of.
Standoff Studios, an Athens-based film production company, just finished work on a film called “Mayan Blue” that literally dives into the ancient history of the Mayan civilization in present day Guatemala.
Deep beneath the waters of Lake Atitlan in the Central American country, a lost city of Maya has hid submerged for about 2,000 years. A local diver discovered the ruins in the 1990s, but the Guatemalan government kept his discovery quiet for many years.
The discovery, the film’s writer/producer Hamilton Craig said, was “pretty hush-hush down there.” Most people hadn’t heard of it, he said, as Guatemalan authorities wanted to prevent looting of the historical site.
“We lucked into finding out about it,” Craig said.
About five years ago, the Standoff Studios team were busy producing a TV show about diving. Filming took them regularly down to Guatemala, where they met the site’s discoverer, Roberto Samayoa.
Work on “Mayan Blue” began in earnest in 2010 and continued through 2011.
“Mayan Blue,” directed by Rafael Garcia, features the academic work of American and Guatemalan archaeologists. The resulting film, featuring underwater cinematography as well as explorations into many dry Mayan historical sites, unveils this found city’s place in the ancient Mayan’s creation myth.
Spoiler alert: It’s rather important.
“It’s without a doubt a unique site,” Craig said.
He feels they’ve made an important contribution to the archaeological canon concerning the Mayan civilization.
“It’s archaeological. So the archaeologists can hypothesize,” he said. “Can they prove anything definitive? No. But we can create some strong possibilities through ancient texts and murals.”
As the end of the world, per the Mayan calendar, approaches, Craig said they aren’t rushing the film out to audiences to capitalize on the apocalyptic hubbub. The film’s findings, Craig said, are tied to the calendar, which stops on Dec. 21, but represents the opposite end of the cycle.
Standoff Studios is currently entering “Mayan Blue” in film festivals across the world, and is also in negotiations with TV companies for the rights.
“Mayan Blue” will screen in Athens “as soon as the opportunity arises,” Craig said.