Swamp Dogg Set to Open Lunenburg Doc Fest

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted will open the 2025 Lunenburg Doc Fest (LDF). The documentary festival in Nova Scotia, running September 17 to 21, announced today that the doc directed by Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, and David McMurray will lead this year line-up spanning over 25 features and 33 shorts. The doc profiles the titular American musician and cult icon, Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams, who lives with colleagues, Larry “Moogstar” Clemons and David “Guitar Shorty” Kearney, the latter of whom passed during filming. Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted serves as LDF’s “Sunset Gala” to kick off this year’s festival with Swamp Dogg and Moogstar performing afterwards.

Closing the festival will be the Canadian premiere of Silver Screamers, directed by Sean Cisterna. The tribute to filmmaking goes along for the ride with Cisterna as he endeavours to make a short horror-comedy with a group of senior citizens. Cisterna will attend LDF for an in-person Q&A following the screening.

Also having its Canadian premiere at the festival is Last Ride Home from Nova Scotia filmmaker Joshua Saunders. The documentary follows volunteer medics on the front lines of the war in Ukraine and explores the lives at home they’re protecting. Saunders embedded himself within the volunteers for over 180 days.

Other LDF highlights include The Eyes of Ghana from Halifax native Ben Proudfoot. The two-time Oscar winner’s latest doc tells the story of 93-year-old filmmaker Chris Hesse, who served as the personal cinematographer of revolutionary African leader Kwame Nkrumah. Proudfoot will join for a virtual Q&A.

Hits from the circuit having their Atlantic Canadian premieres at LDF include Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story about the late the Irish writer who broke ground for representing women’s experiences in a conservative Catholic society. Sepideh Farsi’s Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk offers a portrait of late Palestinian journalist Fatma Hassona, who was tragically killed alongside her family when a missile struck their Gaza home. Global conflict also fuels Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters to Andriivka, which takes audiences to the front lines of the war in Ukraine in a gripping follow-up to his Oscar winner 20 Days in Mariupol. And in How to Build a Library, Chris King and Maia Lekow follow two women who endeavour to rejuvenate Nairobi’s public library, while Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman deliver a triumphant take on the competition doc in Speak!, which observes students in a national public speaking competition.

In addition to screenings, LDF includes the West Coast’s top industry summit for documentary. The events include the Launch Pitch Contest, which awards over $20,000 in cash and prizes.