Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to the documentary feature Hockeyland. The film is about rival high school hockey teams in Minnesota's North Country, one of the breeding grounds for collegiate and professional level hockey players.

Greenwich Entertainment has set a September 9 theatrical release for the film, starting in Minneapolis and other Midwest cities, before expanding in the U.S. and Canada. A digital release will follow in October.

Hockeyland was directed by Tommy Haines, produced by Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne, and JT Haines, and executive produced by Carson Kipfer. The film has played documentary film festivals including DOC NYC, where it held its world premiere in 2021.

Northern Minnesota is felt in the bones. The deep chill of a long winter, the toll of a day in the mine, bruises from the hockey rink. But times they are a changin', and toughness is no longer the only measure of a man. In this unforgiving country, senior boys in rival communities—one emerging dynasty, one with a fabled past—skate for a last chance to etch their names into local lore. Lightning fast on-ice action is paired with a patient observational approach to examine these two communities and their teen heroes through debilitating injuries, off-ice troubles, family health concerns, and the expectations of being a future star in the NHL. These boys must keep small-town pressures, adolescent distractions, and rising testosterone under control to pursue glory with the help of their coaches' traditional fiery speeches and new mindfulness techniques. In America's far reaches, this is a portrait of young men on the brink. This is Hockeyland.

"Tommy and Andrew are Minnesota natives and as their debut doc Pond Hockey amply demonstrated, they know their way around hockey! With the keenly observed celebration of what high school hockey means to Minnesotans, they further enhance their growing reputation as chroniclers of midwestern America life," said Greenwich co-president Ed Arentz.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Greenwich on the release of Hockeyland," said Tommy Haines, director of Hockeyland. "Their proven track record with action-oriented documentaries and art house audiences is a perfect combination for an observational coming-of-age hockey story."

Hockeyland is a production of Northland Films, a Midwest-based nonfiction film company. Their debut feature Pond Hockey (2008) has been seen by over 1 million viewers.  Greenwich Entertainment is a distribution company based in New York.

Here's the trailer: