BAAM at The Gem Presents ‘Canoe Dig It?’ with filmmaker Sam Dunning
- Fri, May 8
Midnight weekend screenings happen on Friday & Saturday nights (meaning arrive on Friday and/or Saturday night by 11:45pm for seating, the movie starts after midnight)!
Director: Samuel Dunning Run Time: 78 min. Release Year: 2025
Starring: Greg Dorchak, JF Davis, Kelsey Lea Jones, Samuel Dunning, Sarah Baskin
Join BAAM at The Gem on Friday, May 8th at 6:30 pm for a screening of ‘Canoe Dig It?‘ with writer, director, and actor Sam Dunning.
A comedic glimpse into the eccentric world of freestyle canoeing, following some of the country’s top “canoe dancers” as they travel to northern Maine for the Moosehead Lake Regional Finals to compete for the ultimate title: Top Paddler.
The film tracks a handful of quirky and curiously relatable competitors vying for the blue ribbon at the Moosehead Regional Finals. We follow our cadre of diverse canoeists’- a cutthroat perfectionist, a backwoods natural, an aging underdog, a squabbling couple of summer camp owners, and a hard rocking bartender- as they prepare for the big stage (lake), seeing glimpses into their personal lives, their eclectic preparation methods, and learning what it takes to make it to the top of the Freestyling world.What does it take to bring home the “Top Paddler” ribbon? Athleticism? Technique? Core Strength? Song choice? These and all your other burning questions will be answered!
Watch the trailer here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2129380107920592
Originally from Brunswick, Maine, Samuel Dunning is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and model based between New York City and Los Angeles.
Most recently, Sam wrote, directed, and stars in the comedy mockumentary Canoe Dig It? (2025), which premiered at Cinequest and continues its festival run. The film follows freestyle canoeists competing in rural Maine. He previously co-directed and performed in The Ones You Didn’t Burn and created the award-winning short horror comedy Rick and Ruby.
Sam has also appeared in Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox (2025), CBS’s FBI, Dead Whisper, Blue Bloods, and series including For All Mankind, The Gilded Age, and Monster. He trained at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and continues to work as a print and runway model for brands including Ralph Lauren and Stetson.
5:30 pm Social Hour with live music from Kale Churchill
6:30 pm Introduction by filmmaker Sam Dunning
6:45 pm Canoe Dig It? Screening followed by a Q&A with Sam Dunning
Pay What You Can tickets benefit future BAAM programming.
