America Reframed

Dog Days

Dog Days is directed and produced by Laura Waters Hinson and Kasey Kirby, a filmmaking duo based in Washington, DC. After losing his job in 2009, Coite Manuel sets off to build his dream business with the help of two unlikely women: Deane, his harp-playing aunt, and Siyone, an East African hotdog vendor and single mother of four. Staking his meager life savings on a vision to revive Washington, D.C.'s dwindling hotdog vending community, Coite faces bewildering challenges, from hostile city regulations to an entrenched local monopoly to the sudden popularity of food trucks. Even though success doesn't come easily, the characters fight to maintain hope in the face of adversity. Filmed over the course of four years, Dog Days follows its colorful characters as they navigate the contentious underworld of street food in the nation's capital. A captivating portrait of American entrepreneurship, Dog Days explores themes of immigration, vocation, and the power of perseverance. Featuring original songs by indie artists such as Sleeping at Last, Zach Williams, Andy Zipf, and others, Dog Days journeys to a world where the top dogs of big business meet the underdogs of street food in a comically serious caper about the promise and struggle of the American Dream.