Martin and Margo, had only one dream – to live off the land, far from the constraints and complications of the city. But, when they arrive in the crumbling, Spanish village of Santoalla, the foreigners challenge the traditions of the town's sole remaining family, igniting a decade-long conflict that culminates in Martin's mysterious disappearance. As this once forgotten landscape is thrust into the center of controversy, Margo finds herself searching not only for answers, but for the strength to persevere.

 

PRESS

“'Santoalla' is really concerned with cultures in collision, with what happens when dreams of paradise clash, good intentions become unhinged and the darker angels of our nature gain the upper hand.”

 - THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

“A documentary that had this reviewer wondering if it was a real or faux doc until the very end. Turns out it’s real, but the suspicion that it might be otherwise is a tribute both to the debuting filmmakers’ skills in shaping their story and that story’s innate dramatic power. A concise and well-executed example of smart documentary storytelling.”

- ROGEREBERT.COM

"A quiet, immersive true-crime mystery doc opens with video more terrifying than fictionalized “found footage” horror ever manages...”

- VILLAGE VOICE

“The threads that remain hanging imbue this peculiar story of paradise lost with a tragic resonance.”

- THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Santoalla is primarily a touching portrait of sunny idealism turned dark and a micro-study in souring rural politics, where isolation and neglect has led to a crippling fear of change, especially among those who need to play emperor, even if their empire is nothing but dirt and stones and decline."

- VARIETY

“Quietly absorbing. Handling nearly all key creative duties between them, Becker and Mehrer have crafted a solid, even-handed survey of their chosen material, allowing viewers access to a beautiful, damply verdant, enticingly tumbledown corner of Europe.”

- THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“Directors Daniel Mehrer and Andrew Becker create a compelling portrait of a changing community but focus on how larger cultural trends play out at the individual level.”

- BROOKLYN MAGAZINE

“A masterfully crafted piece of documentary filmmaking, keeping up a level of suspense until the very end.”

- AUSTIN MONTHLY

 

PAST SCREENINGS

New York,NY  - Quad Cinema

Los Angeles,CA - Music Hall

Taos,NM - TCA

Chicago,IL - FACETS CINEMA

COLUMBUS,OH - Gateway

Vicksburg,MS - Stand theatre

Wilmington,DE Theatre N

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THE FILMMAKERS

 

Andrew Becker and Daniel Mehrer are filmmakers from Brooklyn, New York.

Santoalla is their directorial debut.

 
 

NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION

OSCIILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES:

140 HAVEMEYER STREET

BROOKLYN NY 11211  

Tel: 212-219-4029

info@oscilloscope.net

  

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

JOURNEYMAN PICTURES: 

4-6 High Street

Thames Ditton

Surrey KT7 0RY   United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 208 398 4616

info@journeyman.tv 

Lincoln, 11

Barcelona (Barcelona) 08006, Spain

Tel: (+34) 93 539 85 36

info@acontracorrientefilms.com

 

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS