FIRELINE tells the story of an inmate firefighter desperately trying to call home while battling a wildfire with his crew.
Today, 30% of CalFire Fire Dept. is supplemented by prison labor despite no clear pathway to employment upon release. FIRELINE is a tribute to the unsung heroes on the frontlines in the battle against climate change.
The film stars Bobby Soto (The Tax Collector, Flamin’ Hot) and is produced by Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices Program.
Robin Takao D’Oench
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. TRESPASSERS, a monster horror short produced by 20th Digital Studio premiered with “Bite Size Halloween” and is currently streaming on Hulu. Most recently, Robin’s latest film, FIRELINE centering on Incarcerated Firefighters was produced by Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices Program. 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.
Director Statement
My grandparents’ incarceration in Japanese American Internment camps during World War II remains to be at the foundation of my creative core. My grandfather, “volunteered” for military service in the 442nd Regiment, an all-Japanese-American unit that would become the most decorated regiment in the history of the US military. Inspired by my family’s history perseverance and pride in the face of institutional oppression in my work are themes I look to explore in my work.
FIRELINE was written and developed with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices Season four. Prompted with a theme that explored “A vision of the future of work,” I drew from the past and pulled inspiration from Chinese American Railroad workers, Irish indentured servants, and an entire American labor system that originated from American slavery – and looked to frame this exploitation in a modern setting.
Today 30% of CalFire is supplemented by inmate labor despite no clear pathway for employment within the fire department upon release from jail.
FIRELINE is an examination of the prison industrial complex, labor exploitation, aggressive climate change but framed against a human story of a father trying to reach out to his daughter. A meditation on fatherhood, I wrote this film at the same time as I became a new parent to baby girl earlier this year.
A film about second chances redemption and perseverance against the odds. FIRELINE depicts an exploited labor force on the front lines of the climate change battle. A tribute to the least expected heroes. The film looks to recognize the sacrifices incarcerated firefighters make to shorten their sentences to return to their loved ones with the hopes of rejoining their communities.
Director:
Robin Takao D'Oench (Tadaima, Hard, Here Comes Frieda, Trespassers [Bite Size Halloween])
Writer:
Robin Takao D'Oench
Producer:
Fiona Hardingham, (All I Ever Wanted, The Mason Ring, Our Sister) - Dany Sanchez Lugo, (Soft Sounds of Peeling Fruit)
Talent:
-Bobby Soto, "Otto Reyes" (The Tax Collector, Flamin' Hot, Narcos) -
-Joshua Caleb Johnson, "Shawn Davies" (The Good Lord Bird) -
-Fabian Alomar, "Primo" (Mayans, This Fool, Flamin' Hot) -
-Ming Jue Hu, Cinematographer (Quest for Craft, My Nights Glow Yellow, Ba) -
-Yufei Skylar Zhang Skylar Zhang, Editor (My Nights Glow Yellow, Broken Drawer, The Words of Cayetano) -
-Kunda Yu, Composer (Hard, Sister) -
-Kimberly Matela, Production Designer (Listen, The Garden Left Behind, Trespassers) -
-Celeste Leizer, VFX Supervisor (Here Comes Frieda, Sin Fondo) -
-Simon White, SFX Supervisor (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, American Horror Stories, Loot) -
-Matthew Maisto, Casting Director (Insecure, Hard, 80 for Brady)
Year Released:
2024
Country:
U.S. A.
Length:
00:13:24
Reviews:
Top Award at HollyShorts Film Festival, Qualifies for Oscars
Indeed’s Rising Voices, in partnership with Emmy® Award-winning writer, creator and actor Lena Waithe and her company Hillman Grad Productions and 271 Films, is back with its fourth season. Indeed knows that while talent is universal, opportunity, especially in the film industry—is not. Unequal access in the film industry is particularly harmful due to film’s significant role in shaping societal attitudes and perspectives, and that’s why this program focuses on providing new opportunities to discover, invest in and amplify stories created by BIPOC filmmakers. Click to read more…
What consumes us? Drives us? Fuels us? It is an all-encompassing question contained within those individual means to describe anything we’ve set our hearts upon with all-out intent to see come about. Whether it is something small or otherwise monumental, the ways in which we choose to pursue the goal will be determined by the sheer level of will, perseverance, and belief in attaining it, much less how much it MEANS to us to see the result we’re seeking. When the circumstances arise that seem to place nothing but obstacles in our path on the way TO achieving it, will we possess that fortitude to still see it happen? For incarcerated wildland’s firefighter Otto (Bobby Soto), his sole intent is to successfully gain his parole approval and finally get back to his daughter Maya (Luciana Elisa Quinonez). But, will imprisonment and the specter of quickly spreading wildfires prevent him from doing so?
Next, my Mind:
The basic, unyielding yearning for reuniting with family runs into the barriers of ongoing internment and raging flames while also illustrating affecting degrees of both confinement of soul and opportunity through this 14-minute short film created by writer/director Robin Takao D’Oench, producers Fiona Hardingham and Dany Sanchez Lugo, plus executive producers Constanza Castro, Domenica Castro, Naomi Funabashi, Travis Ing, Rishi Rajani, and Lena Waithe. A fourth project that manifested through the richly productive platform that is Indeed‘s “Rising Voices” initiative, the film will have its upcoming screening as an official selection for the 20th Anniversary HollyShorts Film Festival running August 8th-18th at the renowned TCL Chinese Theater, Los Angeles, and should do so with what this critic hopes is the requisite impact on viewers, not only for its baseline story in support of acknowledging the importance of California’s prison laborers and their contributions in the arena of firefighting, but also the value they represent and battle for once released and are then attempting to find careers in the field outside of prison. Click to read more…
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). Click to read more…
Otto’s (Bobby Soto) life in county jail hangs in the balance. After being denied parole and unable to make a call to his daughter, he borrows a secret mobile phone from fellow inmate Primo Alomar (Fabian Alomar) to try and make contact. Otto’s call goes to voicemail, but an alarm abruptly interrupts his message. A fire has been spotted near the hillside, and Captain Barnes (Darin Cooper) rushes Otto, Primo, and their friend Shawn (Joshua Caleb Johnson) out to help fight the flames. The sweltering heat of the disaster rises, and survival is no guarantee for Otto and company.
Fireline is not your run-of-the-mill jail drama. Writer/director Robin Takao D’Oench’s short film juxtaposes the harsh realities inmates face in county jail with the more hopeful possibility of reintegration into society. It’s a refreshing perspective that D’Oench has chosen to examine. Everyone is afforded their humanity, even those whom society might be quick to dismiss on a whim. Click to read more…
OLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Dedicated to the incarcerated wildland firefighter, Robin Takao D’Oench’s short film Fireline tells the story of Otto Reyes (Bobby Soto), a prisoner in the care of the state of California. Otto is part of California’s firefighter program, which allows inmates to receive training, a paycheck, and favorable recommendations for early parole. Unfortunately, Otto’s parole request is denied, and his captain exclaims that he could really use him this fire season.
Frustrated by the decision, Otto tries to call his daughter to deliver the bad news, but the prison phones aren’t working, and his team is needed for an extended fire. Luckily, Otto is able to snag a phone without notice, and he desperately tries to call his daughter before the fires get worse. Click to read more…
Writer and Director Robin Takao D’Oench talks about his short film ‘Fireline’ to play at this year’s 20th anniversary Hollyshorts Film Festival
The efforts needed to fight wildfires are mighty, with firefighters and volunteers, including incarcerated volunteers tasked with extinguishing what could possibly take weeks to finally quash. Inspired by his own grandparent’s story of being imprisoned in the Japanese American incarceration camps during the 1940s, writer, director and producer Robin Takao D’Oench returns to HollyShorts Film Festival with his 4th short film Fireline – a film that concerns itself with the lives of incarcerated wildland firefighters as lead Otto grapples with the challenges of prison life and his desire to connect with his daughter against the backdrop of a forest fire. The film highlighting the pivotal role played by prison labour in California’s firefighting efforts and the limited opportunities for those individuals to pursue careers in firefighting upon reentering society. Ahead of HollyShorts 20th anniversary, set to take place from 8th to 18th August at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Robin tells us more about this rarely talked about subject matter. Click to read more…
OSCAR Spotlight: FIRELINE directed by Robin Takao D’Oench’s shares an untold but essential story
Fireline has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars.
The role prison labour has in combating forest fires is rarely highlighted in the media, but with Robin Takao D’Oench’s gripping short FIRELINE, they are put firmly in the spotlight. The drama follows incarcerated firefighter Otto Reyes (Bobby Soto) as he desperately tries to call his daughter against the backdrop of an uncontrollable wildfire.
This action filled short packs a lot in its concise running time, taking the audience through an array of emotions from beginning to end. The firefighting scenes are as nail-biting as one can expect, matching bigger features with a Hollywood budget, but behind the bravado is a very human story of a man simply wanting to connect with his daughter. Click to read more…
Robin Takao D’Oench’s electrifying short FIRELINE has qualified for the 97th Academy® Awards
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®. Click to read more…
Inside FIRELINE: A Conversation with Director Robin Takao D’Oench
Firstly, explain to us the plot of Fireline.
Following denial of early parole, an inmate firefighter desperately tries to call home on an important day while his crew combats a wildfire. Today 30% of CalFire Fire Dept. is supplemented by prison labor despite no clear pathway to employment upon release; FIRELINE is a tribute to the unsung heroes on the frontlines of climate change.
What inspired you to want to tell a story about incarcerated firefighters?
FIRELINE was written and developed with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and Indeed’s Rising Voices Season four. Prompted with a theme that explored, “a vision of the future of work,” I drew from the past and pulled inspiration from Chinese American railroad workers, Irish indentured servants, and an American labor system that originated from slavery – set in a modern context. A tribute to the least expected heroes. The film looks to recognize the sacrifices incarcerated firefighters make to shorten their sentences and return to their loved ones. Click to read more…
