Have mentioned documentary filmmaker Sumner McKane a few times on 10E - he specializes in synthesizing history lessons from archival footage, found and original interviews and photographs, and his own original music scores. The films always reference the great state of Maine. Try In The Blood first.
I gave him a jingle and got a little more info on his latest project, "It Was Only Smuggling - How New Englanders Succeeded During Prohibition". It looks at prohibition era smuggling of whisky and rum (called rum running) that went from Canada into the US - notably by sea via Penebscot Bay in Maine in this case. It also happened across the unguarded 48th parallel all across New England at the time.
McKane: "I am still gathering footage for this project. I have a few archived interviews, but plan on conducting numerous more. It seems everybody has some sort of family connection to smuggling/running!"
McKane: "I don't have any family members who were 'in' the biz but they likely partook in the spoils!
There are a number of stories that can be told about the subject of rum running, and I plan on touching on a few, but mainly I hope to illustrate how everyday Mainers made a living in a not so secretive, although illegal, business. It is just interesting history!"[Agreed - ed].
Check the trailer above, and watch here for release details.
