Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to esteemed Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel’s feature documentary Our Land. The documentary had its world premiere in Venice and was subsequently screened in Toronto, San Sebastian, New York and London, where it won the Best Picture award.
“Our Land” (previously titled “Landmarks”), produced by Ray Pictures, Louverture Films and Piano, also received a mention from the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC).
In his first foray into nonfiction filmmaking, Martel tells the story of Javier Chocobar, a member of the indigenous Chuchagasta community in northwestern Argentina’s Tucuman province. In 2009, she tried to protect herself and her residents from forced eviction from their property by a local landowner and two former police officers. As a result, 68-year-old Chocobar was shot dead and two other local residents were injured. Martel sheds light on the murder trials of the three men, the lives of Chocobar and his fellow Chuchagasta people, and the colonialists’ legacy of centuries of land and property theft across Latin America.
Strand Releasing Co-Presidents John Gerrans and Marcus Hu said: “We are thrilled to be working with Lucrecia again on her new film and look forward to bringing it to theaters across the country to share the urgency of her film’s exploration of the treatment of Indigenous communities.” Mr. Gerans and Jason Ishikawa of Cinetic negotiated the contract. The LA-based organization plans to release “Our Land” in theaters this spring.
The Strand previously distributed Martell’s The Headless Woman and is currently working with MoMA and the UCLA Film and Television Archive on a 4K restoration. The Strand plans to distribute that version in 2026 and the critically acclaimed “Zama” in 2017. “Our Land” was co-produced by Pio & Company, Lemming Films and Snowglobe.
Strand’s current releases include Rohan Kanawande’s “Cactus Pears,” Dag Johan Haugerd’s “Love/Sex/Dreams: The Oslo Trilogy,” and a new 4K restoration of Greg Araki’s “Mysterious Skin,” which will debut at Sundance. Upcoming titles include “Calle Malaga,” directed by Mariam Touzani, Morocco’s official Oscar entry;
