The lives of incarcerated wildland firefighters are the subject of Robin Takao D’Oench’s exhilarating short FIRELINE. The story follows Otto as he grapples with the challenges of prison life and his desire to connect with his daughter against the backdrop of a forest fire. The film highlights the pivotal role played by prison labor in California’s firefighting efforts and the limited opportunities for these individuals to pursue careers in firefighting upon reentering society.
This film was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and was part of the official selection at HollyShorts, and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program – an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers. Rising Voices was created in collaboration with Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films. This incredible short film has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars®.
After being denied parole, an incarcerated wildland firefighter desperately tries to call his daughter while his crew combats a fire. Amidst the chaos of the field, an accident forces him to confront the true extent of his obligations. Starring Bobby Soto (The Tax Collector, Flamin’ Hot).
Robin Takao D’Oench is a Japanese American writer – director – producer from NYC. He is motivated to tell compelling, cinematic, and culturally diverse stories. TADAIMA, inspired by his family’s experiences during the Japanese American Internment, received a certificate of commendation from the city of San Francisco and won top awards at the Philadelphia Asian American FF, DisOrient Asian American FF, the Social Justice FF and the Forum of Law, Culture and Society. The film screened at over a hundred festivals and events, was acquired by Comcast-Xfinity, Seed & Spark, Full Spectrum Pictures and is included in the Densho: Japanese American Legacy Resource Guide. HERE COMES FRIEDA, a dystopian sci-fi set in the backdrop of a climate disaster, screened with Slamdance, Hollyshorts, Boston Sci-Fi, Phillip K. Dick FF and was acquired by Gunpowder & Sky and WatchDUST. HARD, a queer coming of age story, premiered at the Martha’s Vineyard African American FF and received an Audience Choice award from NYC Shorts and a First Prize Alternative Spirit LGBTQ Award from FLICKERS Rhode Island International FF. Robin is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment and Verve Talent & Lit Agency.
Producer Fiona Hardingham is a 2023 Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow and was awarded the 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Producer’s Grant for ‘Smoke Country,’ an Australian feature by director/writer Rosie Westhoff that interweaves the climate crisis with an intimate portrait of a family displaced by wildfires.
This phenomenal film has qualified for the 2025 Oscars®.
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