A Dedication to Unveiling

“Unveiling is the story of life. A man’s quest for identity, for realism, for truth. This is by far the most unique film I have ever worked on. The depth and dimension interspersed with the story, reality and imagery will leave viewers speechless.” — Rocco Michaluk

Rocco Michaluk is the executive producer on Unveiling, a film that has been in production for years and will finally be premiered this Saturday, February 3 at the Columbus Theatre. “[I’m] extremely excited and honored to be a part of this life-altering film and event,” he said.

The film is a biopic that revolves around a man tracking down his biological mother, and the possibilities beyond. William DeVogue is the subject at hand. His correspondence with me ended with the words, “I wanted to write this film to get answers to the other questions that I am seeking.”

When you Google the name “William DeVogue,” you’re faced with what seems to be obvious skepticism. The articles have titles like, “RI man says he believes Bob Dylan is his father,” “48-Year-Old Rhode Island Man Claims to Be Bob Dylan’s Illegitimate Son,” and “Bob Dylan Is My Father said William DeVogue,” with every last one creating an obvious distance within the headline. This did not stop William DeVogue.

Adam Carbone, the lead actor, said, “I feel like Unveiling will help a man find truth and [move] closer to finding out who he really is. It’s either that or Bob Dylan is on an episode of ‘Maury,’ and I don’t see that happening.”

DeVogue’s belief that Bob Dylan is his father is widely documented. After more than a decade trying to track down his biological mother, DeVogue found her. But what he didn’t find was a clear answer as to who his father was. After piecing his mother’s life together, listening to her stories and ruling out possibilities via DNA tests, DeVogue settled on one possibility.

It was reported by multiple sources that Bob Dylan’s camp has made minor comments about the situation, simply claiming that Dylan “has no recollection” of the people or events described by DeVogue. One Twitter user created the handle @DeVogueSkeptic to argue with DeVogue through social media about the merits of his story. This did not stop William DeVogue.

Unveiling has been in production for at least four years, and the project has clearly evolved during that time. Originally, DeVogue was working on a documentary called Not Forgetting Tina, revolving around the same story and the questions it created. A video preview of the documentary remains on William DeVogue’s Youtube channel. The video begins with the quote, “At the time you discover and understand the meaning of your own existence is when life fulfillment can truly begin,” (attributed to DeVogue himself) and ends with a reference to Dylan’s Don’t Look Back documentary. In the frame, DeVogue stands by a train track, and drops cue cards that face the camera, one by one. The six cards fall and the entire message becomes clear: “Father? / The answers / my friend / not blowin’ / in the / wind.” That was five years ago. The Kickstarter for that documentary failed. This did not stop William DeVogue.

The doc slowly developed into Unveiling, a dramatized true story with the logline “Uncovering the past. Discovering the present.” The dedication to this belief is intriguing in itself. The fact that this dedication has resulted in a film is absolutely fascinating.

The Unveiling premiere will begin on Saturday, February 3 at 7pm at the Columbus Theatre in Providence. The premiere will be accompanied by live musical performances from Duke Robillard and Sunny Crownover. An art exhibition featuring artwork from over 25 artists will round out the evening, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Portsmouth Art Guild to benefit the continued development of youth within an artistic community. Tickets are available at unveilingthefilm.com