Cartel Land
Riveting stories of two modern-day vigilante groups.
In this Sundance award—winning film, Director Matthew Heineman and Executive Producer Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”, “Zero Dark Thirty”) gain unprecedented, on—the—ground access to the riveting stories of two modern—day vigilante groups and their shared enemy —the murderous Mexican drug cartels.
In the Mexican state of Michoacan, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small—town physician known as “El Doctor,” leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel. Meanwhile, in Arizona’s Altar Valley — a narrow, 52—mile—long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley — Tim “Nailer” Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border. Heineman embeds himself in the heart of darkness as Nailer, El Doctor, and the cartel each vie to bring their own brand of justice to a society where institutions have failed. The film is a chilling, visceral meditation on the breakdown of order and the blurry line between good and evil.
Director
Matthew Heineman
Producer
Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
Runtime
80 Minutes
Rights Represented
Educational Rights
Captions Available
English Closed Captions
Language
English
Press
“Astonishing.”
- Los Angeles Times Critics Pick
“One of the best documentaries of the year! Feels like Breaking Bad in real life.”
- Newsweek
“Grade: A. Remarkable.”
- Entertainment Weekly
“Delivers the narrative propulsion and satisfaction of a first-rate fiction thriller”
- Chicago Tribune
Festival & Awards
Best Director – US Documentary – SUNDANCE Film Festival
Special Jury Award – Cinematography – SUNDANCE Film Festival
Oscar-nominated – 2016
WINNER – George Polk Award for Documentary Film
DGA Award for Documentary Filmmaking