Indie comedy “Canoe Dig It?” coming to Eau Claire and La Crosse in September

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Freestyle canoeing… yes, it’s a real sport, and now there’s a movie about it.

Samuel Dunning’s “Canoe Dig It?” is screening September 13 at the Rivoli Theatre in La Crosse and September 14 at Micon Oakwood Mall.

It’s a mockumentary, similar in style to Christopher Guest’s “Best in Show” or Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap,” following a group of contestants leading up to a regional competition. Samuel Dunning, who wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, says a YouTube video a friend sent him during the pandemic inspired him to start writing.

“It was of Marc Ornstein, who is in the film, doing a set to Chris de Burgh’s ‘The Lady in Red’,” Dunning said. “I encourage everyone to seek out this video because it’s a far better pitch for what the movie is than I could ever do. I saw the video, I was immediately enamored, and I was just like, what is this?!”

“Canoe Dig It?” had its world premiere last year at Cinequest Film Festival. It is Dunning’s feature directorial debut.

You can purchase tickets to the movie’s September 13 screening at the Rivoli in La Crosse here. In Eau Claire, the film will screen September 14 at 7 p.m. at Micon Oakwood Mall. Click here to visit Micon’s page for the film. Dunning is planning to attend both screenings and do Q&A segments. He hopes to add more tour dates in Wisconsin and the greater Midwest in the coming months.

You can watch our full interview with Dunning below.