Director, actor and Milbridge native Katie Aselton quietly shot an independent film in Bangor last month.
“Their Town,” a teen romance movie starring Aselton’s daughter, Ora Duplass, and actor Chosen Jacobs, was shot on location in Bangor for a few weeks in November. The film isn’t expected to come out until later in 2025 or early 2026.
According to a post on entertainment industry blog Deadline, “the film centers on teenagers Abby (Duplass) and Matt (Jacobs). When Abby’s boyfriend unexpectedly drops out of the high school play, she is forced to help outlier Matt step into the role opposite her. Over the course of a long night wandering their small town, the two examine their futures and unearth surprises from their past.”
Other cast members include Daveed Diggs, most famous for his Tony Award-winning turn as both Lafayette and Jefferson in the original cast of “Hamilton.” It’s rounded out by Jeffrey Self, Kim Shaw, Leonardo Nam and William Atticus Parker.
Among the shooting locations in Bangor were the Bangor Opera House, home of the Penobscot Theatre, which Aselton and her producer, actor and screenwriter husband Mark Duplass have been longtime patrons of. Scenes were also shot at 2 Feet Brewing, a Columbia Street bar and restaurant. Aselton’s sister, fellow Mainer Mary Budd, helped scout locations.
The co-owner of 2 Feet, Nok-Noi Ricker, said she was sworn to secrecy about the project until it was officially announced in Hollywood trade publications.
“We were thrilled when they picked 2 Feet Brewing to be a part of it,” Ricker said. “It was wicked fun. The crew showed up and they were wicked professional and super nice. It took about five hours to shoot what I was told would be a three minute part of the movie. I love that Katie is a Maine native from Millbridge and that they shot it all in Bangor. Too cool.”
Aselton has directed films including “Mack & Rita” and “Black Rock,” the latter of which was also filmed in the Down East town of Harrington, not far from where she grew up in Milbridge. She is also well known for her on-screen roles, including a lead role in the popular FX comedy “The League” and in films and TV shows such as “Bombshell,” “Book Club,” “Legion” and “Our Idiot Brother.” She is a 1996 graduate of Narraguagus High School in Harrington.
Mark Duplass, who wrote the screenplay for “Their Town,” is an acclaimed producer and screenwriter of film and television, including productions like Netflix documentary series “Wild, Wild Country,” and HBO series “Room 104” and “Togetherness.” He is also an actor, appearing in shows and films including “Tammy,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The League,” “The Mindy Project” and an Emmy Award-nominated role on “The Morning Show.”
Aselton and Duplass filmed their first feature film in Maine 20 years ago, with “The Puffy Chair,” shot in Milbridge for a budget of $15,000. It went on to win an Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
