Fil-Canadian Nova Ami, co-director of “INCANDESCENCE,” explores an immersive, experiential feature documentary about wildfire; the film will have its U.S. Premiere at 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 13 & 14

We began thinking about making the film after we personally experienced our town being engulfed in the wildfire smoke from a fire that was hundreds of miles away and realized that everyone, everywhere, is beginning to feel its effects. Last summer even New York City was engulfed in wildfire smoke that grounded planes.  

Wildfire has so many layers and so much complexity that we were really drawn to such a multifaceted experience. We wanted to explore fire as a character itself. We also wanted to follow the land through the seasons and people through the years after a fire. The film also looks at how wildlife and domestic animals are impacted by fires. And we wanted to bring that part of the story in as well.

Incandescence offers an immersive, firsthand experience through communities impacted by wildfires, an exploration of our relationship to fire and how that relationship is impacted by the changing nature of our planet. Through this experience we hope to inspire empathy, deeper levels of understanding and action.

The last time we came to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, for the world premiere of Metamorphosis in 2018, there were massive mudslides as the forest was destabilized by the Thomas Fire. This almost closed the festival down. This year again, our film arrives in times of disaster and climate chaos.

We hope Incandescence can play an important role in reflecting back and deepening our understanding of the wildfire crises we are facing.

What was your timeline, from creating the concept, building your crew and resources before you started filming?  When did you start and finish filming, and editing the film?

We first started to talk about making the film in 2018. We filmed over several seasons in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, and finished editing and completing the soundscape in late 2024. 

How do you feel about the recent Southern California wildfire? How do you think it could have been avoided or less devastating?  People in Pacific Palisades are saying the relief aids could have done better by examining the geographical area of exits ahead of time. Do you know anybody, friends or relatives, who has been impacted by it?

Our heart really goes out to everyone impacted by the wildfires. It’s a very sensitive time there right now. We are honored to be bringing a film to California that reflects the experiences of the community but also projects forward, showing the kinds of experiences that will happen as time goes on, as it can take many years to move through the stages and aftermath of a great fire. At this moment in time, it’s important to understand what people might be going through right now and what they need, and to really think about our relationship to fire. 

When these stories of wildfire are covered by the news, once the fire is put out we don’t hear anything further about it. In Incandescence, we filmed throughout the seasons and through the years: we go back to the communities that were impacted and find out how they’re dealing with it. For people impacted by fires, seeing these stories of loss and resilience could be cathartic and offer a deeper understanding of what the community will be going through, the challenges of trying to rebuild, if you can rebuild; dealing with trauma; and for people whose neighbors’ houses burned down, the concept of survivor guilt and what that feels like. We look at the world of helpers, that can be incredibly inspiring, the incredibly hard-working firefighters, volunteers who rescue animals, the mutual aid that springs up, and also the regeneration of life that can come after a fire.

The film also explores the world of the firefighters themselves, who we really need to treasure and support these days.

How do you think we can avoid these megafires in the future with regards to proper preparation, better aid from the community and the city?

As we experience more and more climate events such as megafires, we can direct our attention to how to preserve and protect our communities and prevent future events from happening. We can look at building our communities as a path to sustainability. Supporting each other, knowing each other, sharing ideas. In the immediate aftermath, being able to provide mental health support for those directly impacted, housing and living support for those who are displaced. And moving into the future, working together with Indigenous practices with the land, re-building and constructing with fire-resistant and sustainable materials, fuel mitigation and moving away from using fossil fuels. Crisis can bring out the best in us, as we learn to work together for our own survival.

INCANDESCENCE will be playing at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on the following dates and theatre locations.  

Thurs 2/13 – 9:20 AM – Film Center Aud 5 Fri 2/14 – 6:20 PM – Film Center Aud 5

For tickets, please log on to www.SBIFF.org