A DOG NAMED GUCCI tells the story of a 10-week old puppy named Gucci who was hung by his neck, doused with lighter fluid, and set afire. Doug James, standing on his porch nearby, heard the puppy’s cries and ran to help. He scared away the thugs and at the request of Gucci’s 15-year-old runaway owner, took the dog in for the night. Thus began a 16-year odyssey of devotion and perseverance. Together with local legislators, Doug and Gucci would see the “Gucci Bill” passed, changing the laws in Alabama, making domestic animal abuse a felony. Gucci would go from being a survivor to a rock star, the face of animal abuse in the south. And together they proved one voice can make a difference and that justice really is a dog’s best friend. Gorman Bechard has directed over 20 feature films including rock documentaries on The Replacements, Grant Hart, Archers of Loaf, Lydia Loveless, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and most recently Wilco's Jay Bennett, plus the three animal-rights films A Dog Named Gucci, Seniors A Dogumentary, and Old Friends A Dogumentary, the horror-comedy Psychos in Love, and Pizza, A Love Story, a film on the 3 most famous pizza restaurants in the world. He has also written 5 novels including the religious satire, The Second Greatest Story Ever Told. He is the executive director/programmer of NHdocs: the New Haven Documentary Film Festival. He lives in New Haven, CT with his wife Kristine and their dog Dylan.