Rebuilding Paradise

I think that by allowing us to have such a close contact personal contact with its inhabitants, the community of Paradise treated us to a gift. From the narrative point of view, it was an opportunity not only to convey the devastation and tragedy of an event like this, but also to delve deeper and grasp how this was a unique call to action. We’ve always had environmental disasters but now we’re having more than ever before. Whatever the cause, this would appear to be the new normal. And we, as a society, have to understand how to address it. I believe that one of the reasons why we were able to enlist the support of the inhabitants of Paradise was their gratitude to people who were really showing an interest in their story, even after the first ten days had gone by, and attempting to go beyond the initial crisis to understand what they were really experiencing. The media and public opinion always tend to shift their interest to the next crisis down the line, they said. They were convinced of this and resigned to the fact. We shot hundreds of hours of footage, including cellphone films, archive material and crucial contributions from local directors ready to collaborate with us and put their own projects at our disposal. We offered each other mutual support and I can say with certainty that never in my previous documentaries had I gathered so much material for viewing.

The experience made me understand the real meaning of the idea of “going forward.” It’s not as easy as it sounds. But in the end, that’s all you can do. During editing, we literally followed the emotional line of the survivors of the destination, structuring the film by observing their grief. They still find themselves at what’s known as the post-traumatic stress stage but I’m uill of hope for them. I feel so much respect and gratitude for this community, which allowed us to stay by their sides in such a touch challenge.