Trailer for Sundance 2016 Documentary 'The Land of the Enlightened'

"We have to make a decision." The first trailer for a Sundance 2016 documentary has premiered, thanks to our friends at The Film Stage for the tip. It's a doc called The Land of the Enlightened, a "creative documentary" made by Pieter-Jan De Pue shot over the course of seven years in Afghanistan. He follows a group of Afghan kids in a gang who dig up old Soviet mines and sell them. It's another unique perspective on the wars in the Middle East, this time from the angle of a group of young kids growing up. There is some incredible footage in this. The Land of the Enlightened looks like a doc worth seeing if you're at Sundance.

Here's the first trailer for Pieter-Jan De Pue's documentary The Land of the Enlightened, on YouTube:

A gang of Afghan kids from the Kuchi tribe dig out old Soviet mines and sell the explosives to children working in a lapis lazuli mine. When not dreaming of the time when American troops finally withdraw from their land, another gang of children keeps tight control on the caravans smuggling the blue gemstones through the arid mountains of Pamir. The Land of the Enlightened is directed by documentary filmmaker Pieter-Jan De Pue, produced by Savage Film, Fastnet Films & Submarine. This premieres at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in January, playing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition category. This doc is also still in search of US distribution, so we'll have to wait for updates on release plans.