NEW YORK, NY (June 22, 2020) – IFC Films announced today that it is acquiring North American rights to NO MAN’S LAND, the dynamic modern-day Western is set in the Rio Grande Valley along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. IFC Films is planning a release in 2021.
Filmed in Guanajuato, Mexico, NO MAN’S LAND was made by brothers who grew up going back and forth along the border. The film was directed by Conor Allyn (Walk. Ride. Rodeo.) and written by Jake Allyn (The Quad, Sweet Girl), who also stars. Headlined by Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy, Zero Dark Thirty, Prison Break), the cast also includes industry veterans Andie MacDowell (Sex, Lies & Videotape, Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and actor-comedian George Lopez (Real Women Have Curves, ABC’s George Lopez, TBS’s Lopez Tonight), along with Alex MacNicoll (Vice, 13 Reasons Why, The Society) and Jorge A. Jimenez (Narcos).
The script was inspired by the real-life “no man’s land” areas along the Texas-Mexico border. That is where the story begins, as border vigilantes Bill Greer (Grillo) and his son Jackson (Allyn) are on patrol when Jackson accidentally kills a Mexican immigrant boy. Bill tries to take the blame but Texas Ranger Ramirez (Lopez) sees through the lie, spurring Jackson to flee south on horseback across the Rio Grande – to become a gringo “illegal alien” in Mexico. Chased by Texas Rangers and Mexican federales, Jackson journeys across deserts and mountains to seek forgiveness from the dead boy’s vengeful father (Jimenez), as he falls in love with the land he was taught to hate.
The film offers a trenchant examination of the human element at one of the world’s most fraught locations. “My brother and I set out to make a classic Western that asks the audience to cross the border within ourselves,” explains director Conor Allyn.
NO MAN’S LAND was produced by Conor Allyn, Jake Allyn and Rob Allyn under the Allyn’s Margate House Films production banner with a Mexican team, including cinematographer Juan Pablo Ramírez (The Gasoline Thieves, Chicuarotes, I Carry You With Me), production designer Liz Medrano (Paramedicos, Noches de Julio), executive producer Araceli Velazquez (Desierto), co-screenwriter and executive producer David Barraza (Guardia-Garcia).
Victor Almeida and Joel Shapiro also produce, while Luke Daniels, Simon Fawcett, Frank Grillo, and Alan Pao also executive produce. In addition, the skilled team of filmmakers include film editor Curtiss Clayton (My Own Private Idaho, To Die For), and composers Brooke Blair and Will Blair (Blue Ruin, Green Room).
Arianna Bocco, EVP of Acquisitions and Productions of IFC Films said, “With their gripping new film, Conor and Jake Allyn have brought a fresh and complex perspective to the Western. Powered by a brilliant cast, NO MAN’S LAND is a prime example of new voices in filmmaking that we’re committed to supporting.”
Director Conor Allyn added, “In this highly polarized landscape, we focused on telling a more personal, human story with heart and hope – the kind of artistic yet entertaining film that IFC has a rich history of supporting. We’re delighted to have a partner who shares our passion.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ EVP of Acquisitions and Productions Arianna Bocco and Director of Acquisitions Aijah Keith with CAA Media Finance and XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers. Voltage Pictures is handling international sales, which is launching this week at the virtual Marche du Film.
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Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) and digital platforms.
Upcoming releases include THE TRUTH directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu and Shannon Murphy’s BABYTEETH. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.