"Burn," the festival-favorite documentary about Detroit firefighters, is having its Motor City premiere on Sept. 28 at the Fillmore Detroit.
The screening will be presented by the Detroit Free Press. It will include a question-and-answer session with "Burn" filmmakers Tom Putnam and Detroit native Brenna Sanchez as well as firefighters from the movie, hosted by Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson. Tickets for the premiere go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday.
"Burn" follows the lives of the city's firefighters and tells the story of the challenges they face in an arson-plagued, budget-beleaguered city, using cutting-edge techniques like helmet cans to convey the dangers that are a regular part of their job.
"Life for the guys we've been filming has been hard for a long time now. But it's gotten much harder in the past few weeks with layoffs, demotions, and a number of other challenges to an already difficult job," said Putnam via email on Monday. "So I can't imagine a better time for both the department and Detroit as a whole to see the film. Hopefully this will raise morale and give the guys some of the love we've been seeing as we've begun to show the film around the country."
The documentary won an audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. It also drew raves when it was shown in July to patrons of the Traverse City Film Festival.
And "Burn" so impressed "Rescue Me" star Denis Leary — who played a New York firefighter on the FX show — that he came on board as an executive producer.
In announcing the event, Free Press editor and publisher Paul Anger said in a statement: "We appreciate great story-telling — and we're pleased to help shed light on the risks and challenges Detroit firefighters face, day in and day out."
The event is part of the filmmakers' strategy to raise funds for the movie's national distribution.
"Making a film, especially a documentary that's basically an action movie like this one, is incredibly expensive. And so is releasing one," said Sanchez via email. "We're releasing the film ourselves so that we can make sure it's done correctly, gets in front of the people who need to see it, and gives as much money as possible back to the department since a portion of all our profits go to buy new equipment for the DFD."
According to Putnam and Sanchez, once the film's hard costs are paid, a portion of proceeds will go to the Leary Firefighter Foundation (founded by Denis Leary) to purchase gear for the Detroit firefighters. The firefighters have already received a $25K grant as a result of the film.
When: 7 p.m. Sept. 28 (doors open at 5:30 p.m.; film will be followed by a q-and-a session)
Where: The Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Avenue, Detroit;(313) 961-5451
Cost: $25-$50
More info: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday and will be available at 800-745-3000, livenation.com, ticketmaster.com or the Fillmore Detroit and St. Andrew's Hall box offices.
