STATE — The Camden International Film Festival hit stops in Portland, Bethel, Waterville & Rockland, supported by Q&As with the filmmaker. In Underdog, a Vermont dairy farmer risks losing the only home he’s ever known to chase his dreams of dog mushing in Alaska. Revealed in intimate vérité, Doug at first presents as a modern Quixote, but then finds to his delight that sometimes the world can be as he imagines. The resonance of the journey extends to all who have faced loneliness, isolation, and the struggle to make sense of forces beyond their control.
The breakout documentary feature debuted at the 2021 Camden International Film Festival and secured a limited theatrical release with First Run Features. After a run of sell-out screenings around the film’s home state of Vermont, the filmmakers are bringing the film back to Maine in anticipation of a home entertainment release on April 2. The fly-on-the-wall production is in the cinema vérité tradition, and has gained traction in part because of its intimate depiction of the rural mental health issues facing many of our communities around America. The curiously optimistic spin the film’s protagonist Doug puts on the story has left audiences both laughing and crying—and in the process sparking meaningful dialogue around life in rural communities and farm policy.
The film’s director, Tommy Hyde, will be attending several of the screenings for Q&As and is available for interview requests. Underdog is his directorial debut.
Tour Dates:
March 4 | Nickelodeon Cinemas, Portland
March 5 | BAAM at The Gem Theater presents, Bethel
March 6 | Maine Film Center, Waterville
March 8 & 9 | The Strand, Rockland
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