Dogwoof acquires Locarno winner Manakamana

Distributor Dogwoof has acquired acquisition of all UK rights to documentary Manakamana, directed by Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez.

The film follows a group of pilgrims who travel to Nepal and take cable cars high above the jungle to worship at the Manakamana temple.

The deal was brokered between Oli Harbottle, head of distribution for Dogwoof, and Houston King on behalf of the filmmakers.

The film debuted at the Locarno Film Festival in August where it won the Golden Leopard special jury prize in the Filmmakers of the Present strand. It also played at Toronto, New York and AFI Fest.

It is the latest film feature Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab, following Sweetgrass (2011) and Leviathan (2013), both of which have been released in the UK by Dogwoof.

Harbottle said: “It’s a great pleasure to continue our relationship with the Harvard Sensory Ethnology Lab with the acquisition of MANAKAMANA, one of the highlights of Toronto this year. The lab continues to produce uniquework, finding an increasing audience both here and abroad – with this and their previous film LEVIATHAN, there is a new force to be reckoned with in the documentary world.”