DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Winner of the Audience Choice Award at ALFF 2023
Nominated for Best Sound (Documentary) at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards
Nominated for Best Direction, Best Writing, Best Picture Editing, and Best Sound (Documentary) at the 2023 Leo Awards
Nominated for Best BC Film and Best BC Director at the Vancouver Circle of Film Critics Awards
DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME is a POV documentary following filmmaker Teresa Alfeld’s journey uncovering the story of her childhood best friend’s dad, Doug Bennett, leader of the legendary 1980s Canadian party band Doug and the Slugs. Teresa pieces together how Doug and the Slugs shot from Vancouver cult sensation to national fame in the early 1980s. A who’s who of international and Canadian musicians and industry insiders, including Sir Bob Geldof, Bif Naked, Steven Page, Ron Sexsmith, Ed the Sock, and Terry David Mulligan all help describe just how incomparable the Slugs’ music, videos, and stage show were, and why the cards were ultimately stacked against them.
As Teresa learns more about the band’s rollercoaster career, she also revisits her own memories of Doug and his family. A nostalgia-packed ride down the backroads of Canadian rock history, DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME is a bittersweet, emotional and entertaining film about the pivotal friendships that shape us, break us, and ultimately help us grow.