Seniors, A Dogumentary, the newest feature-length animal documentary from filmmaker Gorman Bechard is set for release on DVD and Video-On-Demand on September 29, 2020.
The film is a passionate portrayal of the vitality of senior dogs, and the people who cherish and protect them. Featuring the beloved Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary of Mount Juliet, Tennesse and Chaser the Border Collie, known as “The Smartest Dog In the World,” their stories converge through the keen lens of famed photographer Jane Sobel Klonsky, author of the book Unconditional: Older Dogs, Deeper Love.
Director Bechard, creator of A Dog Named Gucci, winner of the 2015 ASPCA Media Excellence Award, wanted to make an animal welfare film which would highlight a need yet make people smile. “We see so much animal abuse on a day-to-day basis,” he explains, “especially on social media. I wanted to make an animal film that would bring a smile to everyone’s face. It’s hard not to fall in love with these dogs!”
The film follows Zina and Michael Goodin, the Old Friends founders, as they relocate into their current facilities, and introduces us to Leo, social media star and the most popular dog in the sanctuary’s history. We also meet Chaser and her owner Dr. John W. Pilley Jr, who spent his final years working to show just how much a dog was capable of learning, even into her senior years. Not only did Chaser learn the names of over one thousand toys, she was able to differentiate between nouns and verbs, understand full sentences, and mimic Pilley’s actions after observing them just once. Seniors, A Dogumentary also features a song from Nashvillle musician Matthew Ryan.
The DVD, coming from the MVD Entertainment Group, features numerous extras, including the World Premiere Q&A from Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre in March, with Bechard and most of the film’s participants.
That one and only screening brought 31 user reviews to IMDb, with the film averaging a rating of 9.7, and eliciting comments like: “A great uplifting movie,” “Best documentary of the year,” and ” Heartwarming, happy, and inspiring!”
Bonus Materials
- Q&A at World Premiere in Nashville
- Watching the Total Solar Eclipse at Old Friends Senior Dogs Sanctuary
- Jane photographs Leo and Friends
- Michael’s Thoughts on Senior Dogs
- More about Leo
- Springsteen VS. the Paper Towel Roll
- Jane’s photographs of the dogs at Old Friends Senior Dogs Sanctuary
- Behind-the-Scenes photographs
- Director’s Commentary
- Trailers
On the same day, Bechard’s 11-years-in-the-making Pizza, A Love Story will also be released on DVD and VOD platforms. The documentary is an illuminating history of pizza in American, as told through the familial stories behind three of the most iconic pizza restaurants in the world, New Haven, Connecticut’s Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern.
Gorman Bechard has directed 18 feature films including rock documentaries on The Replacements, Grant Hart, Archers of Loaf, Lydia Loveless, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and soon Wilco’s Jay Bennett. He has also directed the animal-rights film A Dog Named Gucci, which won the prestigious and rarely awarded ASPCA Media Excellence Award in 2015. He is the author of 5 novels, including the religious satire, The
Second Greatest Story Ever Told. He is the executive director/programmer of NHdocs: the New Haven Documentary Film Festival. He lives in New Haven, CT with his wife Kristine and their two dogs, Springsteen and Dylan.
For more information please visit: www.SeniorsDogumentary.com
