ZDF Studios’ Off the Fence Acquires Worldwide Rights to Rainforest Documentary ‘We Are Guardians’

ZDF Studios’ Off the Fence, the company behind Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher, has acquired worldwide rights excluding North America and Latin America to rainforest documentary We Are Guardians.

About the Documentary

We Are Guardians is executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions and produced by Highly Flammable, co-founded last year by Oscar winner Fisher Stevens whose credits include Beckham, The Cove and Tiger King.

The documentary centres on Indigenous forest guardians in the Amazon Rainforest fighting to protect their ancestral lands from invasions and deforestation.

It is the feature debut of directors Edivan Guajajara, co-founder of Mídia Indígena, the leading Indigenous-led investigative journalism collective in Brazil, and environmental filmmakers Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman.

Acquisition and Release

We Are Guardians was acquired earlier this year by Netflix throughout Latin America and the producers are in negotiations for a theatrical release across North America in the first quarter of 2025.

The doc has already scooped numerous awards on the festival circuit, including the Cinema for Peace Green Film Award, the Jackson Wild impact award, the best documentary award at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival, and the audience award for best documentary at the Mostra São Paulo International Film Festival.

Sales and Future Plans

OTF will kick off sales at international content market Mipcom this October.

Production Team

A veteran producer, Fisher Stevens came to We Are Guardians following work on the Oscar-winning conservation documentary, The Cove, and after having collaborated with Appian Way on several other documentaries, including And We Go Green and Before the Flood.

“We look forward to amplifying the urgent message of this documentary and the crucial role indigenous peoples play in preserving our communities’ biodiversity. Their environmental stewardship is so important for our collective future,” said Stevens.

Executive producers of We Are Guardians include tribal members of the Guajajara people and Mídia Indígena founders Erisvan Bone Guajajara, Flay Guajajara, and co-director Edivan Guajajara.

“We are Guardians is a film about extraordinary people, who are passionately fighting for their home. A home which the entire world is reliant upon being protected. The team behind the film have created a beautiful, expertly crafted, intimate and profoundly powerful film and we expect a lot of interest at Mipcom,” said Loren Baxter, head of acquisitions and co-productions at Off the Fence.

Conclusion

ZDF Studios’ Off the Fence has acquired worldwide rights to the rainforest documentary We Are Guardians, which highlights the struggles of Indigenous forest guardians in the Amazon Rainforest. The documentary has already received numerous awards and is set to be released in various territories.

FAQs

Q: Who is the production company behind We Are Guardians?

A: The production company behind We Are Guardians is Highly Flammable, co-founded by Oscar winner Fisher Stevens.

Q: Who are the directors of We Are Guardians?

A: The directors of We Are Guardians are Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman.

Q: When is the documentary set to be released in North America?

A: The documentary is set to be released in North America in the first quarter of 2025.