Judging by its trailer alone, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie seems to approach its mythic subject from an angle that sounds, well, atypical. A documentary portrait of Bigfoot hunters in Applachian Ohio, the doc ties the pursuit of these probably fictional creatures to the area’s decaying economy and a shared desire to transcend the everyday. You can watch that trailer above; director Jay Delaney answers the 4 Questions We’re Asking Everybody below.

Tell us about your movie. Who did you work with, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.
It’s like American Movie meets Grizzly Man! As the title hints, it’s about more than just Bigfoot. Through the experiences of two amateur Bigfoot researchers in southern Ohio, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie provides a look at how the power of a dream can bring two men together and provide a source of hope and meaning that transcend the harsh realities of life. The feature doc grew out of a short doc I made back in 2001 – American Dream – about these two local Bigfoot researchers in my hometown. The short haunted me for years thereafter, and I always wanted to revisit the project in greater depth.

I see a tremendous amount of honesty in Dallas and Wayne’s story, and it raises so many questions in my mind. My connection to the story stems largely from its ability to capture the contemporary state of the American Dream in old Appalachian steel towns like Portsmouth, Ohio. Although the economies there face some real challenges, people like Dallas and Wayne find a way to hold onto their dreams and keep hope and faith alive.

Do you have a day job/a non-filmmaking occupation that raises money for your filmmaking efforts? Tell us about it.

Aside from being a filmmaker, I’m currently in my first year of law school. This makes for some real challenges balancing everything, but my passions for community development and storytelling have never fit neatly into any one box. In terms of this film in particular, my personal financial contribution came from saving money through jobs at a local chamber of commerce and a political campaign.
Have you been to SXSW before? If so, tell us about your funniest story from the experience. If not, what are you looking forward to re: the festival and/or the city of Austin?
This will be my first trip to both SXSW and Austin, and I can’t imagine a better way to make my inaugural visit to Austin. Although I haven’t experienced Austin firsthand, it’s one of very few places that everyone seems to unanimously rave about. Anyone I know who’s lived there seems to shower it with nothing but praise.

In terms of SXSW, I’m thrilled my film is making its world premiere there. Although I haven’t been, SXSW is ingrained in my mind as a beacon for the true indie spirit of filmmaking. There’s something about that spirit of pioneering, entrepreneurial indie filmmaking that really gets me energized. I’m excited about both the festival experience itself – meeting the other filmmakers and interacting with filmgoers in Austin – and also about being part of such a prolific and creative group of alumni.

Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure because even though I watched it more than any other film during my childhood, it never fails to make me laugh and Rushmore for capturing that hunger to bring people together and to be something greater than we are. I never tire of either film, and each time I watch them it seems I walk away with some new insight or idea.