Land of Fire

Land of Fire takes us on a journey through the Canadian wilderness, through remote areas of British Columbia where dark shadows of the past lurk in the forests. It is a land whose arteries are roads along which young women disappear. People struggle in vain to save their villages and families from vast forest fires. Lonely cars wander through a dark landscape like predators hunting prey. Only the faces of those who have disappeared witness what happened from the posters along the road.

No matter who we talk to here, everybody has a direct experience with violence, knowing somebody who died in a fight or went missing. People often turn to mythology and rituals in search of answers, they believe that when something bad happens to a person, the spirit leaves for the bush and the body keeps wandering the world without purpose.

We travel to a place that stands on ruins of the old world, a world of magical creatures of the wild that was destroyed long ago. The film is an abstract insight into phenomena of loss, grief and dimensions of living in a place struck by violence and wildfires.

Land of Fire follows a family seeking justice for their sister‘s and daughter’s murder, another family is struggling with the legacy of a community’s dead respected figure. Through the prism of often tragic personal experience the film delves into the interconnectedness of human existence, the clash between modernity and ancient lore, and the profound challenges faced by individuals seeking solace in the wild.

Fires subdue entire valleys, figures by the roadside illuminated only by passing cars look like ghosts, people dance around the fire in remembrance of the dead, and men venture into the woods to hunt bears. Can you find a place of healing in this dark forgotten world?