A chance read of a Rolling Stone article took documentarian Matthew Heineman from New York to the Arizona-Mexico border where citizen vigilantes working on both sides, were fighting the deadly Mexican drug cartels. Heineman gained extraordinary access to the Minutemen in Arizona, the ordinary citizens in Mexico who decided to take the law into their own hands and even the meth cooks who work under cover of night in the desert. The result is a film that feels like a report from a war zone, giving the viewer a fascinating insight into a situation that is a long way from solution.

We’re pleased to welcome Matthew Heineman to Film Independent to share his experiences of the making of the Oscar®-nominated Cartel Land, including gaining the trust of his subjects, the preparation necessary for such an undertaking, shooting in uncontrollable conditions such as gun battles and the relatively simpler challenges that filmmakers face when releasing a film into the world.

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