Fact sheet
Title
"Sculpting This Earth"
Genre
Poetic documentary
Duration
95 minutes
Language
English
Image
Colour • 16:9 aspect ratio • UHD 4K: 3840 x 2160 • 24 fps
Sound
Stereo
Country of production
South Africa
Short synopsis
Over four consecutive seasons artist Strijdom van der Merwe travels to remote locations in the southern African interior to make beautiful land art works in a striking range of spectacular natural settings. The first feature-length documentary about land art from the southern hemisphere.
Tagline
The timeless beauty of ephemeral artworks in nature over four seasons
Director
Victor van Aswegen
Studio
CineSouth Studios, Cape Town
Starring
Artist Strijdom van der Merwe
Featuring
25 artworks made by the artist in nature
Locations
South Africa: Stellenbosch • Churchhaven • Tankwa Karoo • Boland • Gordon's Bay
Production
15 Dec 2020 to 27 May 2022 – filmed over the course of more than a year, starting in the southern-hemisphere midsummer and including consecutive seasons for the film to end again in midsummer
Music
21 tracks, of which 11 composed for the film and 10 licensed
Premiere status
World premiere (South Africa): 26 Aug 2022; international premiere (Germany): 28 Jan 2024; North American premiere (Canada): 21 Mar 2024; premieres available: continental (excluding Africa, Europe, North America), national (excluding South Africa, Germany, Canada), regional and city premieres
Completion date
Final edit completed 31 Jul 2023
Release status
Not released yet
Project website
Film owner
Land Art Film Partners SPV (Pty) Ltd
Principals
Mike Spittal, Victor van Aswegen, Strijdom van der Merwe
Main target territories
Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Israel, Australia, Japan. The film is intended for a global audience: both the art in the film and its manner of presentation have universal human appeal. Artist Strijdom van der Merwe works internationally: he has made land art on invitation in more than twenty countries over the past three decades.
Subtitling
The film lends itself to subtitling for non-English territories as it contains minimal spoken language, consisting solely of on-camera and voice-over presentation by the artist
Versions
Alternative 60-minute version is feasible
Festivals
Snowdance Independent Film Festival • Essen, Germany • Jan / Feb 2024: Official Selection, Nominated for Best Documentary
Le Festival International du Film sur l'Art (Le FIFA) • Montreal, Canada • Mar 2024: Official Selection
Sales and distribution enquiries
Victor van Aswegen, CEO CineSouth Studios, Cape Town