Dwarf Neon Mayfield
Director(s): Leland Nally
Film description: A kaleidoscopic portrait of a place and its people, Dwarf Neon Mayfield travels the Kentucky countryside following a twin set of storms of historic intensity. Humans and animals alike traverse the new contours of their world while left to live amongst the wreckage. Elemental images of the living and the dying form an intimate panorama of the rural imagination in upheaval; what of the old world remains?
Preceded by “A Derailment”
ERIC SAYS From its very first images, there are moments in Dwarf Neon Mayfield—named for three towns in Kentucky beset by natural disasters—where you’ll wonder if you’re watching Gummo. Like that film, Leland Nally’s striking debut portrays people living on the margins in Middle America, in the wake of massively destructive storms. But this isn’t fiction, and it’s not exploitative. Rather, this is a raw and unfiltered (but ultimately highly humanistic) documentary by a journalist and road-crew worker from Indiana that just happens to deliver one of the most visceral viewing experiences of the year.
Dwarf Neon Mayfield has played two other festivals thus far, and won awards at both: the Jury Award for Best Cinematography at Atlanta Film Festival, and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Mimesis Documentary Festival. It’s Baltimore audiences’ turn to take in this stunning first feature, a singular experimental documentary that belongs alongside other great works like Alexander Nanau’s Collective, Theo Anthony’s Rat Film, and Roberto Minervini’s The Other Side.
Writer(s): Leland Nally
Producer(s): Leland Nally
Editor(s): Leland Nally
Country of origin: USA
Principal cast: N/A
Language: English
Year: 2026
Duration: 81 min
Premiere status: Maryland Premiere
