3, 2, 1 …

Director Statement

On December 30, 2021, my friends, family, and I fell victim to the Marshall Fire. This fire destroyed over 1,000 homes. And then the next day, I only saw celebratory posts on social media about the New Year. Of course there was a part of me that understood that not everyone was from my hometown, not everyone had heard about the fire, nor had everyone had to care about it. But I felt devastated and betrayed. Why wasn’t everyone talking about this? Why were we expected to just move on after such devastation? Why was the world ignoring us? And that was when I was inspired to tell my story.

Everyone wants to believe that things like this happen but won’t happen to them. I used to think that way because I didn’t want it to happen to me, how could it? But then it did, and it was a reality check. At this rate, if we don’t actively work to fight climate change, then it will impact every single one of us. And this was the message that I wanted to convey.

Through aesthetic editing, match-cuts, parallel lives/worlds, and colors I expressed this message by portraying the life of someone who is facing the reality and consequences of climate change versus someone who actively chooses to ignore it. This way I could tell my story about the Marshall Fire while also connecting to audiences that haven’t dealt with a disaster like this before. Connecting to the wider audience means that my message can be seen and understood by more people. I am hoping that this film can reach the audience that it needs to to help spread this story and the awareness it brings.