A new documentary featuring scientists from Oregon State University aims to prompt solutions to the ever-worsening wildfire crisis in the West.
“It’s a starting point to a conversation,” executive producer Ralph Bloemers said. “Even with a 78-minute film, you can’t cover all the ground and complexity that’s out there.”
The film, “Elemental: Redefining our Relationship with Wildfire,” includes footage from the 2018 Camp Fire in California, the 2020 Labor Day fires in western Oregon and 2021 fires in both states.
In addition to the two OSU scientists, Christopher Dunn and Beverly Law, the documentary features indigenous fire practitioners and experts in home and community safety.
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Another OSU scientist, Lisa Ellsworth, was an adviser on the film project.
Directed by Trip Jennings, the film focuses on how to keep homes and communities from burning during a wildfire. Showing — in a respectful way — versus telling people what they can do is very powerful, Bloemers said.
“They’re searching for answers, they’re angry, they’re grieving,” he said. “One of the best remedies is moving to action.”
Bloemers said the crew started the film in the wake of the 2018 Eagle Creek Fire, which destroyed areas in Oregon and Washington. After getting footage from the California fires in 2018, they were ready to roll out the then-48-minute film.
But then the pandemic hit, and the crew felt it wasn’t the right time to release the documentary. It worked out that they waited, because the 2020 fires in Oregon were able to make it into the film, as well as fires the next year in California and Oregon.
People who had lost their homes invited the film crew into their fire-impacted communities to see just how devastating things looked post-wildfire.
The film also features the work of Northern California’s Yurok Tribe, who has used fire to promote forest health for centuries. After hundreds of years, the Tribe is still using fire to keep their communities safe.
All in all, the documentary took five years to film and put together. Special screenings for fire communities and firefighters began earlier this year, and Bloemers said he has been overwhelmed with positive feedback. People are relieved to have a film that lets the public know what they’ve been through, so they don’t have to explain it, he said.
“Firefighters appreciate a film that shows the limits of what they can do,” he added. “It lets people reach their own conclusion.”
The director, Jennings, currently works on the PBS show “Weathered,” and the film is narrated by actor David Oyelowo ("Selma"). In addition to arranging interviews with scientists, Bloemers was the wildlife and timelapse photographer. The documentary is expected to hit streaming platforms late spring 2023.
It has been selected for 22 film festivals so far and has premiered in Portland, Eugene, Salem, Ashland, Florence, McKenzie River, Bandon, Coos Bay, Corbett, Bellingham and Grants Pass.
The documentary is now coming to Corvallis, and will be playing at Darkside Cinema, 215 SW Fourth Street, from Friday, Oct. 28 through Thursday, Nov. 3. Friday’s 6:30 p.m. showing will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.darksidecinema.com.
“It is an existential crisis facing the West,” Bloemers said. “What we tried to do is bring forward what the solutions are, and the actions people can take, and people are responding to that.”
Joanna Mann (she/her) covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.