Documentary on Indigenous Activist Javier Chocobar Wins Top Prize at London Film Festival

A powerful documentary examining the murder of Indigenous activist Javier Chocobar has taken the top prize at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival, offering a stark and poignant exploration of land rights, justice, and historical neglect in Argentina. The jury described the film as delivering “a measure of the justice” long denied by formal courts, highlighting its resonance both as cinematic art and social commentary.

A Singular Achievement: Landmarks

Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in Spanish-language cinema outside Latin America, made her documentary debut with Landmarks. The film examines Chocobar’s life and murder in Tucumán province, unpacking the systemic struggles faced by the Chuschagasta Indigenous community in defending ancestral land against eviction and violence.

Chocobar, a prominent community leader, was killed in 2009 after serving eviction orders on the Indigenous residents of a patch of ancestral land. The documentary centers on the trial of three men nine years after his murder, providing a meticulous, unflinching account of events leading up to and following the killing. Through candid video footage, Martel captures the fatal confrontation, underscoring the deep injustices faced by the community.

The jury praised Martel’s empathy and extraordinary journalistic and cinematic rigor, noting that her approach foregrounds voices and histories often neglected in mainstream narratives. By shining a light on both historical oppression and contemporary struggles, Landmarks serves as both a cinematic achievement and a tool for social awareness.

Martel’s Cinematic Vision

Lucrecia Martel has long been celebrated for her distinctive cinematic style. Known for films such as La Ciénaga, The Holy Girl, The Headless Woman, and Zama, she blends intense visual storytelling with nuanced social commentary. Her work consistently interrogates power, inequality, and societal complacency, particularly within Argentina.

In a 2018 interview, Martel reflected on the entrenched social hierarchies in Argentina, likening the middle class’s disconnection from history to “looking at a wooden boat and not realizing that it was made from trees.” This sensitivity to the intersections of history, privilege, and injustice informs Landmarks, allowing viewers to understand the context of Chocobar’s activism and tragic death.

A Jury-Endorsed Measure of Justice

The BFI London Film Festival jury, which included acclaimed producer Elizabeth Karlsen, emphasized that the film delivers a sense of moral accountability absent from formal legal proceedings. “In foregrounding present-day voices and neglected histories, Martel emerges with a portrait of – and for – an Indigenous community, and grants them a measure of the justice the courts have long denied them,” the jury stated.

This recognition underscores the broader societal relevance of Martel’s work. By blending documentary rigor with empathetic storytelling, Landmarks illuminates the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities in Argentina and beyond.

Other Notable Documentary Winners

The London Film Festival also celebrated several other impactful documentaries:

• David Bingong’s The Travellers won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary, telling the harrowing story of migrants journeying from Cameroon to Europe and highlighting the perils faced along the way.
• Said Zagha’s Coyotes received the Short Film Award, chronicling the life of a Palestinian doctor whose commute home is disrupted by Israeli military encounters.
• Vincho Nchogu’s One Woman One Bra took the Sutherland Award for First Feature, a humorous yet deeply moving story about a woman’s fight to retain her ancestral land. The jury praised it as “at once funny, life-affirming, and deeply moving; its emotional journey stayed with us and will continue to do so.”

Together, these documentaries reflect a festival deeply attuned to stories of resilience, justice, and the human experience across global contexts.

The Broader Impact

Landmarks demonstrates how documentary cinema can serve as both art and advocacy, providing visibility to communities whose struggles are often ignored or marginalized. By centering Indigenous voices and meticulously documenting the events surrounding Chocobar’s death, Martel not only commemorates a life cut short but also contributes to a broader conversation about land rights, justice, and historical accountability.

The film’s win at a prestigious festival like BFI London signals both the artistic merit and societal relevance of storytelling that amplifies underrepresented perspectives, reaffirming the critical role of cinema in shaping cultural and political discourse.

Conclusion

The London Film Festival’s recognition of Landmarks marks a milestone for documentary filmmaking and social justice cinema. Lucrecia Martel’s powerful debut documentary underscores the capacity of film to confront historical injustice, honor communities’ resilience, and foster meaningful dialogue. For audiences worldwide, Landmarks is a reminder that storytelling can illuminate the past, challenge the present, and inspire the future.

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