Matthew Heineman’s intimate documentary following the brutal Mexican drug cartels made its international premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Cartel Land follows the criminally intertwined violent networks of drug cartels and law enforcement in the Mexican state of Michoacán and American border towns. Heineman navigates the world of vigilante groups in Mexico and Arizona and their formidable opponent, the Mexican drug cartels responsible for a vast global economy of narcotics. His principle subjects are Dr. Jose “El Doctor” Mireles, a Michoacán physician who commands the Autodefensas against the cartel and Tim “Nailer” Foley, an Arizonan veteran whose objective is to stop the spread of the cartel across the border.

Heineman navigates the world of vigilante groups in Mexico and Arizona and their formidable opponent, the Mexican drug cartels.

A physician in Michoacán, Mexico leads a citizen uprising against the drug cartel that has wrecked havoc on the region for years. Across the U.S. border, a veteran heads a paramilitary group working to prevent Mexico’s drug wars from entering U.S. territory.

The documentary’s cinema verite stylings lend a narrative feel to the frightening reality of injustice and violence stemming from an international network of narcotics distribution. Heineman embedded himself deep within the lives of the individuals he depicted, and was put into some incredibly risky circumstances in the process (be sure to ask him about the meth labs he’s seen and the shootouts he’s been in). Heineman acted as his own cinematographer, director and producer and filmed Cartel Land over two years spent in Mexico and border towns.

Cartel Land was awarded the Cinematography Award and the Directing Award for Feature Documentaries at Sundance Film Festival and receives its theatrical release in select theatres this July.