MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –
Source: Government of Canada – in French 1
The immersive cinematic experience Incandescence, created by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper for the National Film Board of Canada, transforms our understanding of wildfires. The feature-length documentary will have its world premiere at the 25th annual Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival in Toronto, which runs this year from October 15 to 20.
October 4, 2024 – Toronto – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The immersive cinematic experience Incandescence, which Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper created for theNational Film Board of Canada, transforms our understanding of wildfires. The feature-length documentary will have its world premiere at the 25th International Environmental Film Festival Planet in Focus, in Toronto, which takes place this year from October 15 to 20.
Wildfires are raging across the planet. As the seasons change, Incandescence interweaves stunning footage from the field with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation. Produced in collaboration with firefighters and affected communities, the film draws on ancient models embodied by fire: destruction, consequences, and rebirth. From the trajectory of bees to the aerial perspective of an osprey flying over the land, the Earth is regenerating.
Incandescence will be presented premiering on Saturday October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at the Paradise Cinema. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
About the movie
Incandescence, by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper (105 min)Produced and executive produced by: Shirley Vercruysse, Western Documentary Unit in Vancouver (NFB)Press kit: spacemedia.onf.ca/epk/incandescence
Every summer, wildfires burn in ever-increasing numbers of areas across the planet. Shrouding the sky in thick smoke, they reduce communities to ashes and leave nothing but debris in their wake. Incandescence weaves together immersive images captured on the ground and real-life stories. A variety of people speak out: Indigenous Elders, first responders, and ordinary people, all forced to react quickly to an ecosystem in turmoil.
As the climate continues to deteriorate, efforts to completely suppress fires have often failed, leading to more intense and widespread mega-fires. But there is another way forward. Indigenous Knowledge Keepers tell us that First Peoples have traditionally used prescribed burning to regenerate the land. As one speaker explained, fire is like a grizzly bear running for its life. But instead of fighting this insatiable beast, we can work with nature to transform the destructive force of fire into a force for growth and renewal.
As the seasons change, Incandescence has sprouted ancient patterns embodied by fire: destruction, consequences, and rebirth. Many plants and animals have adapted to use fire in their life cycles: some tree species need heat to release their seeds, and plants whose growth is activated by fire thrive by drawing their nutrients from the soil’s reserves. Celebrating the human and non-human experience, the film presents us with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation in the mosaic of the forest. From the trajectory of bees to the aerial perspective of an osprey flying over the land, the Earth regenerates itself.
And so, from this rich and intense cinematic experience, a breath begins to emanate: a feverish spirit rises from the ashes, carrying a vision of our modifiable future focused on community and resilience. Incandescence transforms our understanding of fire, transforming a catastrophe and a force of destruction into a luminous path open to renewal and hope.
The filmmakers
The documentarians Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper have been collaborating for over a decade on projects that explore our relationship to the climate emergency: Incandescence, an immersive and experiential feature film about wildfires; the award-winning feature documentary Metamorphosis, about the profound changes taking place in this time of environmental crisis; and Planet 911 (in post-production), about how to survive, thrive and transform the climate emergency from the perspective of women on the front lines of the crisis. Individual works by each filmmaker include Nova Ami’s Say I Do and Secrets, and Velcrow Ripper’s Scared Sacred, Fierce Light and Occupy Love.
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Lily RobertDirector, Communications and Public Affairs, ONFCell.: 514-296-8261l.robert@nfb.ca
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.