Event

In The Blood

In The Blood, by filmmaker and composer, Sumner McKane, is a documentary film and multimedia presentation that illustrates the life, history and character of turn-of-the-century Maine lumbermen and river drivers by creating a virtual journey into the historic Maine woods.

Lumbermen began living in logging camps in the Maine woods in the early 1800s. They were the pioneers who created a successful self-contained working community in the woods, and on who's backs the state's economy and history were largely established. They were unique in their character, ethics, morals, strength, and skills, and they symbolize Maine's gritty and resilient reputation.

In The Blood takes the audience into this rugged environment- into the camp, onto the haul roads, landings and yards, rivers and lakes. By combining archived films, photographs, oral histories told by the men themselves, and live music by Sumner McKane and Joshua Robbins, In The Blood creates a vivid world and brings the lumberman's 19th century reality to life.

Sumner McKane is a filmmaker and composer based in Wiscasset, Maine. He records instrumental music, film scores, and music for media. He produces historical documentaries along with companion live presentations to his films. In a few short years, Sumner has built a reputation for innovative historical storytelling using multimedia, combining various mediums to tell a historical story in a live setting. His work has been featured on MPBN and NPR and he was the 2014 Maine Arts Commission's Media & Performing Arts Fellowship award recipient.