El monstruo y el sheriff

Territorios extraordinarios is a documentary that delves into the heart of Northern Neuquén. Crossing the peaks and valleys of the imposing Cordillera del Viento, we will get to know some of its ancient settlers, breeders and gold prospectors. Marcelina Aguilera, Ananías Retamal, Felipe Méndez and Conradino Contreras will accompany us on an exploratory journey where, in their stories and experiences, we will see reflected some of the landmarks, myths and rites of these lands.

As it tends to happen in almost every field in Argentina, the official film history is still far from having a federal representation. Its heroes are either from Buenos Aires or have developed their career there, and until recently, no one asked themselves what happened beyond it. This documentary brings back one of those ignored fragments through the figure of Carlos Procopiuk, a man who inhabited, like nobody else, the ethics and aesthetics of a cinema made in a rabidly independent way. An all-terrain character who acted, wrote, produced, edited, directed and taught his community, in Neuquén between the 1950s and the 1990s, how to make films. With the memory still fresh and the eloquent images from his works, the documentary by Diego Lumerman settles a small part of that inestimable debt that Argentine film has with its history.