A new documentary featuring a Dundee sports team dubbed the “worst American football side in Britain” has been released online.
Amateur side Dundee Hurricanes, who lost every game for almost two years, are at the centre of Bend Don’t Break, by Kirkcaldy-based producer and director Alex Harron.
37-year-old Alex followed the team for the 2013/14 season after hearing of the its struggles.
They had gone a full 22 months without a victory but the documentary tells a ‘Rocky Balboa-style’ tale as the team manages to turn around its fortunes.
The project was partly inspired by Hollywood hit Friday Night Lights starring Billy Bob Thornton, which was later made into a TV series.
It is to be made available soon on streaming giant Amazon Prime but is available for purchase now on the Reelhouse streaming site.
Alex said: “I feel almost like the American football version of the Rocky films.
“While I followed them they won their first game and really started to kick on after that.
“They didn’t quite achieve the success they hoped for that season but it is still a really good underdog tale.”
The documentary shows the team, made up of 70% Scottish players and 30% American, competing in six matches during the season as they seek to end their winless streak.
Among those featured are Jason West, from Arizona, who originally came to Scotland to study.
After returning home for two years, he came back to Scotland to re-join the team and try and help them turn around their fortunes.
Alex said: “I came up with the idea after searching for Scottish American Football teams as I wasn’t sure if there were any.
“I’m a bit of a fan myself and was intrigued to see there were a couple here.
“After looking into the Dundee Hurricanes, I realised they hadn’t won a game for about a year and a half so got in touch with them.
“I see this film as an underdog story of a team that was close to giving up but wanted to stick together and came to realise that having the game, the team and each other was their real success.”
The film had its first screening in private at Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) recently with many of the players attending.
Alex added the reaction was “mostly positive” from the team.
“There were some guys that I think didn’t really like it all being dug back up again,” he said.
“They’ve gone on to do much better since then I guess. But most liked it so that’s the main thing.”
Alex is also working on a new documentary about Scotland’s first female professional boxer Kristen Fraser and has just released a film about Scots female biker Jodie Chalk called The Racer.
