Country guide · South America
2 Movies Set in or About Guyana
Guyana on the atlas: the strongest films of its own cinema, and the films the rest of the world has set there. Every list is curated and ranked by hand.
2 Movies Set in or About Guyana
Outside filmmakers looking toward Guyana: optional perspectives for a wider journey.
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1. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
Drawing on rare footage and survivor accounts, this documentary traces the rise of preacher Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple to their isolated settlement in the Guyanese jungle, where in 1978 more than 900 followers died in a mass murder-suicide. A chilling history.
Film notesWhy & details
Curator’s note: A documentary about the Peoples Temple settlement and mass deaths at Jonestown, Guyana.
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2. Mustard Bath
A young Toronto medical student returns to his birthplace in Guyana months after his mother's death, and the vivid, unfamiliar world of the island forces him to confront his idealized memories and his roots. A dreamlike drama of identity.
Film notesWhy & details
Curator’s note: A Canadian drama about a man returning to Guyana and confronting colonial memory and contemporary Guyanese reality.
Selected by the Films Around the World editorial desk
Lists are ranked for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and depth of engagement with place. Native selections require a verified creative relationship to the country; souvenir selections require an outside creative lead and a country-centered story. Read the methodology.
Editorial review: 2026-07-13
Have you seen any of these? Stamp Guyana in the 196 country film challenge.
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