A new documentary, "Low Lies the Land," is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, offering an intimate look at winemaking families in Italy's Piemonte region as they confront climate change and pressure to sell their ancestral land. Directed by Emanuele "Manu" Gerosa over six years, the film captures generations-old vineyards where younger family members are increasingly reluctant to inherit the demanding, uncertain work, even as anonymous foreign investment funds circle with lucrative buyout offers. The documentary matters as both a portrait of a threatened way of life and a broader meditation on how climate pressures and global capital are reshaping traditional rural communities across Europe.

Shot in a wide 2.39:1 format to showcase Piemonte's landscapes, the film blends what TIFF's chief documentary programmer Thom Powers calls an "escapist Italian travel fantasy" with slow-building suspense as families weigh tradition against a broker's offers, reportedly linked to a Chinese investment company. The project is produced by Real Lava and Imagine5, with Dogwoof handling sales, and features cinematography by Alvise Tedesco and a score by Jonas Struck. Following its Friday premiere, the film screens again on 15 and 18 September at TIFF.