Called "An important film of staggering genius that needed to be made," Pizza, A Love Story
has been selling out film festival screenings from Washington State to
Alabama. Work on the film began in 2008, when Bechard and longtime
friend Dean Falcone, both self-acknowledged pizza snobs, decided it was
time to turn the camera on the only pizza that matters.
The film sets out to
prove its tag line: "Pizza wasn't invented in New Haven. It was
perfected there," by combining history, comedy, and some of the most
mouth-watering footage you will ever see, into a film that also features
cameos from actor Henry Winkler, musicians Lyle Lovett and Michael
Bolton, Senator Chris Murphy, legendary concert promoter Jim Koplik, and
dozens more. The film also includes the last known interview with Flora
Consiglio of Sally's, filmed shortly before her passing in 2012.
"I learned long ago the
best films are driven by passion," Bechard says, "and if there's one
thing I truly believe it's that New Haven has the best pizza on this
planet." And for the prolific filmmaker, it was nice to know, in
interviewing so many food celebrities including Dave Portnoy of Barstool
Sports, that he was not alone in this belief.
Rounding out the
pizza-loving duo is local historian Colin M. Caplan, who came on as a
co-producer mid-way into the project, and has since written the
acclaimed book Pizza in New Haven. "Colin was able to find a lot of the
historical images that seemed to be out of our reach," explains Falcone.
"He has a great knowledge of the early history of pizza."
The DVD, coming from the
MVD Entertainment Group, features numerous extras, including the
Q&A from opening night in New Haven with Bechard and his two
producers.
On the same day, the prolific Bechard's newest animal documentary Seniors, A Dogumentary
will also be released on DVD and VOD platforms. The documentary 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.
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.PizzaALoveStory.com
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