Directed By David Byars And Produced By Morgan Spurlock, The Documentary Is Set For An October Release
Gravitas Ventures has announced the acquisition of all U.S. video on demand rights to No Man’s Land, the story of a right-wing militia whose occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge ended in a bitter confrontation between them and the federal government. The film premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and will also show at the Hot Springs Doc and will have its on demand launch at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 31.
In January of 2016, armed protestors in Oregon occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to call attention to what they felt was an intrusion by the federal government into their right to make a living. In a larger sense, the “patriot community” introduced itself as disgruntled American citizens with grounds for airing their grievances against a federal government that didn’t have their best interests at heart. The federal government begged to differ.
From producer Morgan Spurlock, Warrior Poets and first-time feature director David Byars’ No Man’s Land offers a detailed account of the impasse, displaying unprecedented access to the protagonists of this incident, and culminating in a thrilling climax that resulted in the arrest of occupation leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy and left another man dead. The film presents an unbiased snapshot of a crisis that ultimately proved a foreshadowing of our current political climate, and what may turn out to be a blueprint of future domestic encounters between our government and civilians.
“In making No Man’s Land, David Byars has brought a complex and provocative story to the screen, easily allowing the audience to witness the action with unprecedented access,” stated Gravitas Ventures Founder and CEO, Nolan Gallagher.
“Nuanced and clear-eyed dialogue is more important than ever in today’s environment, and I’m incredibly excited to partner with Gravitas to bring this story and discussion to a wider audience,” stated Byars.
David Byars, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Jeremy Chilnick (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold), David Holbrooke (The Diplomat), David Osit (Thank You For Playing), Rachel Traub (The Pistol Shrimps) and Stash Wislocki (Dear Governor Hickenlooper) produced; Thom Beers (“Deadliest Catch”), First Look Media’s Michael Bloom & Adam Pincus (Nobody Speak), and Impact Partners’ Dan Cogan were the Executive Producers on No Man’s Land, which is Byars’ directorial debut. Byars is currently working with Suzan Beraza as a Producer and Director of Photography on her upcoming film, Massacre River.
The deal for No Man’s Land was negotiated by Gravitas Founder and CEO, Nolan Gallagher, and Matt Burke from Submarine Deluxe on behalf of the filmmakers. Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets produced the film along with First Look Media’s Topic studio and Impact Partners co-produced and co-financed the film.