The Mayan Calendar Portal Hosts Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2012 Discussion
Mayan author and activist Rigoberta Menchú Tum to discuss latest film on 2012
Sunnyvale, CA—April 13, 2011—On April 16, leading Mayan Calendar site the Mayan Calendar Portal is set to host a special live online event with Rigoberta Menchú Tum, the only Mayan woman ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, to discuss her latest collaborative effort, a film titled “2012: The True Mayan Prophecy,” to educate the public about the real meaning and significance of the infamous 2012 date from the perspective of her people.
This special “Meet the Filmmakers” event, part of the Mayan Calendar Portal’s “Meet the Artist” series, will take place online Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm Pacific time. Joining Ms. Menchú is Dawn Engle, Executive Director of the non profit organization PeaceJam, who works with Ms. Menchú on various issues related to empowering youth around the globe, and who also directed the film.
Birgitte Rasine, producer of the Mayan Calendar Portal and moderator of the upcoming discussion with Ms. Menchú, said, “We are delighted to host a personality as strong and vibrant as Rigoberta in our Meet the Filmmaker event, and expect to have a lively discussion on the very topic that has generated so much panic and fear around the world. It’s critical we help to dispel the anxiety surrounding 2012 and focus on the positive, action-oriented steps each one of us can take to ensure a more equitable world that our children can enjoy for years to come.”
Produced by PeaceJam, “2012: The True Mayan Prophecy” presents a lively, alternative view of 2012 and features serious voices and conversations about current topics impacting our world while poking fun at the hype and hysteria surrounding end-of-the-world, apocalyptic scenarios so often associated with the December 21, 2012 end date of the Mayan Long Count calendar. Other well-known personalities interviewed in the film include His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, as well as climate scientists and other experts.
"So many people are claiming that they are speaking for the Maya right now,” said Dawn Engle. “It was an incredible honor to be asked by Rigoberta Menchu Tum and her Mayan Elders to create a film where they could speak for themselves, to set the record straight."
“Meet the Filmmakers with Rigoberta Menchu and Dawn Engle” is open to the public for a nominal fee of $9, and free for MCP Members. For information on how to register please visit
www.maya-portal.net/marketplace/artists/meet-filmmakers-rigoberta-menchu.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Journalists and bloggers interested in covering this event can attend for no charge. Please email info@maya-portal.net with your credentials (full name, media/publication/blog affiliation and web link, and your email).
Film Summary:
2012: The True Mayan Prophecy is a 49-minute documentary that has been described as part History Channel lesson, part man-on-the-street footage and part expert interview. Featured are interviews with Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Rigoberta Menchú and a group of Mayan elders to discuss what they think the 2012 end-of-days scenario means; the film incorporates footage shot over fifteen years of working with Nobel Prize winners during PeaceJam events.
Presenter Biographies:
In 1992, Rigoberta Menchú Tum was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work for the rights of the Maya of Guatemala and native people everywhere. She was the first Indian ever to receive the award and one of only a handful of women. In 1996, Rigoberta’s non-violent work, along with the efforts of many other activists, helped lead to a peace accord in Guatemala. This agreement ended Guatemala’s 36-year civil war and gave many rights back to the Mayan people.
Dawn Gifford Engle has a background in public service. She worked for the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. for twelve years. In 1994, she founded the Colorado Friends of Tibet, a statewide non-profit organization. In 1996, she and Ivan Suvanjieff launched the PeaceJam program, which she serves as Executive Director. The recipient of dozens of awards, Dawn was the co-director of the award-winning documentary film, ‘PEACEJAM’, produced four hours of programming for BBC World, and co-authored the book ‘Simple Acts of Peace’. “2012: The True Mayan Prophecy” is her first solo directing effort.
About the Mayan Calendar Portal
The Mayan Calendar Portal is the world’s leading portal web site dedicated to the sacred Mayan Calendar. The Portal features an original Tzolk’in birthday calculator, organizes a variety of educational events online, including webinars and Meet the Artists, posts daily Tzolk’in energies on its Facebook page, features blogs by a variety of personalities working in or with the Mayan world, and offers a free events calendar where individuals and organization can post their events, among many other features and functionalities. An award-winning web site, the Mayan Calendar Portal is produced by LUCITA Inc. For more information about the Mayan Calendar Portal, please visit http://www.maya-portal.net.
