Jayro Bustamante premieres “Cordillera de Fuego” in Guatemala and chooses Santiago Atitlán to screen it for the first time in the country

Bustamante is a Guatemalan who has stood out on the national and international film scene. Additionally, he has been recognized by multiple global entities due to films such as Ixcanul (2015), Tremors (2019), The Llorona (2019) and Rita (2024).

According to the national film director, he considers that Fire Mountain Range It gave him the opportunity to unite science with art and in recognition of the cast and communities that supported the film, it premiered in the country in Santiago Atitlán.

A new volcano is forming in Guatemala’s Cordillera de Fuego, which It represents both business opportunities and threats for the local population.

For many, it means losing their homes and way of life.

Paula, a dedicated volcanologist, is determined to fight corruption in her country to evacuate at-risk communities to safety.

The Production House emphasized the historical context of the country that was integrated into Fire Mountain Range.

“In Guatemala, the Fuego Volcano released a pyroclastic flow on several villages on its slopes in 2018, thousands of people died and the loss of property was absolute,” said La Casa de Produccion.

“The evacuation efforts were scarce and lacked long-term solutions. There was some media coverage, but above all we witnessed numerous videos recorded in real time by victims and survivors,” he added.

The Chukmuk Community Mixed Official Rural School was the venue that Jayro Bustamante chose with La Casa de Produccion to premiere his fifth film in Guatemala.

According to the national film directorin that educational establishment several scenes of Fire Mountain Range and according to the communities of Santiago Atitlán and San Lucas Tolimán, the production united the Kaqchikel and Tz’utujil kingdoms through art.

On Saturday, May 16, there was a green carpet with part of the cast and its director. In addition, pine predominated in that color that is used in film releases linked to nature.

During that activity, the cast was applauded by the community that attended the screening of the film and the conversation with the director.

After the screening of Fire Mountain Range, Bustamante and the cast spoke with the attendees and gave details of several scenes from the film, the challenges they faced and the satisfaction of screening their fifth production in the country.

“Fire Mountain Range It was not born just from the desire to make a film, but from collective work and what we wanted was to finish creating the feelings that one has when one understands what happens in communities in the face of social catastrophes and natural phenomena,” said Jayro Bustamante.

“There is a very important detail in Fire Mountain Range. The film has no ending because it is a story that keeps happening. Indigenous peoples in the world continue to be displaced, their lands continue to be valued and this is a story that we did not want to end just to give it a dramatic twist, but we did want to show reality and at the same time represent a resistant people capable of facing these problems,” added the local film director.

Regarding the collective work and initiative to project history, representatives of the University of Edinburgh expressed the excitement of what was achieved with Fire Mountain Range.

“This is a dream we had many years ago and we are very proud that it became a reality with the film. A disaster, a volcanic eruption is never born with a vacuum, it is born in a social, political and cultural context and if we want to reduce the risk of people who live in places with active volcanoes, it is very important to understand them, connect with them and with the social reality of the country,” said Julie Cupples, from the University of Edinburgh.

“To whom I have to thank, first, my God, the entire team present here, and Jayro Bustamante as the director of said film… First I had a character and then there was a change with more responsibility. The script was a little difficult for me, but not impossible to do. I put my Guatemala, my department of Sololá and my beloved town of Tz’utujil, Santiago Titán, very highly first,” said Noé Robles.

“I play a shepherd which is a very important role for me because I did not imagine his dialogues. I had to work a lot and I am very proud to work with Jayro because he is an incredible director,” added Willian Toc.

“My character is the teacher Anita. It was very important to give her life because I identified a lot, because she is a very dedicated teacher and committed to her community. They were like mixed feelings because I had an experience because near my house seven people died due to a landslide, because they are realities that are experienced in the towns,” added María Ester Cojtín.

“I feel very happy and excited to see the fruit of the work and effort of many people. Fire Mountain Range It has produced a very strong production and I dare say that it is one of the most ambitious and risky in Guatemalan cinema. Furthermore, working with Jayro Bustamante is always a challenge because he always demands that we exceed our limits and his vision is very clear with what he seeks and wants to achieve,” said Alejo Maldonado.

“I play Donaldo in Fire Mountain Range and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be in the community where we shot a large part of the movie. Being back in touch with the people who made it possible is a dream come true, a great honor and privilege. Furthermore, what I like most is that cinema is completed with those who see the film and there is nothing more beautiful than making films in the community and for the community,” emphasized El Guie Cuyún Figueroa.

According to Jayro Bustamante, Fire Mountain Range It will hit movie theaters in the country starting next July. In addition, it will be screened in other cultural venues in various departments.

“In Guatemala a new volcano is being born and it is called Fire Mountain Range and I hope everyone can see it at some point. Now I celebrate its national premiere in Chukmuk, a community in Santiago Atitlán where we filmed the film and today we saw it with all the people who worked on it. I hope you can see it and comment on it in any corner of Guatemala, we are going to try to move it starting in July so stay tuned,” concluded the national film director.

According to Sara Curruchich, breath of fire was specially composed for Fire Mountain Range at the request of Jayro Bustamante and agreed, convinced to contribute to the film with her sound proposal.

The Guatemalan artist stated that the theme was born from the pulse of the earth and from that fire that lives in the towns and that never goes out.