LOVE, TOM - TOM DOUGLAS and MICHAEL LENNOX INTERVIEW

Part scripted, part confessional, the Award-Winning Country Singer- Songwriter Tom Douglas offers a heartfelt message of hope in the new personal performance film, Love Tom.

LOVE, TOM is a letter of hope to a desperate world from legendary, award-winning country singer-songwriter Tom Douglas. While it’s a film about songwriting and the creative process – it really, it’s a film for anxiety addicts, underdogs, underachievers, true believers, never-say-die-ers, keep on try-ers, the broken hearted, can’t-get-started, optimistic pessimists.

Directed by Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Michael Lennox, and written by Tommy Douglas and Tom Douglas, the film is based on Douglas’ much-lauded 12-minute acceptance speech given at the 2014 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, offering a message of hope. Spanning a 30-year career, Douglas shares personal anecdotes as the backstory for his most famous songs. The Academy Award, Golden Globe and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter is known for writing hits for country’s biggest names including Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and more. LOVE, TOMs howcases performances of some of his most memorable songs, including “I Run To You” (Lady A), “Grown Men Don’t Cry” (Tim McGraw) and “The House That Built Me” (Miranda Lambert).

In conjunction with LOVE, TOM the film, Douglas will be releasing a companion album, Inspired by the Motion Picture Love, Tom on Monument Records. The album features many of Douglas’ beloved co-writers and friends, including Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Lady A, Chris Janson and Collin Raye. The 10-song project is out on Feb. 24, alongside the film. The first release off the album, “Van Gogh,” is now available.

Tom Douglas is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter. Douglas has written countless well-received songs for a wide range of artists, including: Keith Urban, P!nk, Luke Bryan, Celine Dion, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, Kane Brown, George Strait, Chris Janson, and Collin Raye among others. In 2011 Douglas’ song, “Coming Home” received an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. In 2014, Douglas was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, subsequently receiving a Grammy Nomination for his song “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” recorded by Tim McGraw. Some of Douglas’ recent work includes “Drunk Girl” recorded by Chris Janson, which received the 2018 MusicRow Award for Song of The Year. He also penned the song “Dear Hate” recorded by Maren Morris and Vince Gill, earning the Grammy nomination for the 2019 Country Song of the Year.

Michael Lennox is an OSCAR nominated and BAFTA winning film director from Belfast. He has directed numerous award-winning films, one of which is the OSCAR nominated ‘Boogaloo and Graham’. Michael’s directorial debut feature film ‘A Patch of Fog’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival starring Stephen Graham and Conleth Hill. Michael directed hit Channel 4 / Netflix comedy DERRY GIRLS, written by Lisa McGee, for which he took the Best Director Comedy Award at the 2018 RTS Craft and Design Awards. DERRY GIRLS is Channel 4’s biggest comedy launch in fifteen years and the biggest series ever in Northern Ireland. He also directed series two and the upcoming series three. DERRY GIRLS was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the 2019 and 2020 BAFTA Television Awards.

Love, Tom Premieres Thursday, February 24th Exclusively on Paramount+

I spoke to Tom Douglas and Michael Lennox about this deeply personal film and what it was like taking it from the stage to the screen.