I was eighteen when I first heard the story of the Mann Gulch Fire. Driving with a friend one evening, he reached for an aux cable and told me he’d just discovered a fantastic new song. He hooked in the cable to play Cold Missouri Waters by the band Cry, Cry, Cry. I was blown away. What a story! What emotion! I had to find out more.
I began devouring everything I could on the Mann Gulch fire, from the official fire report of the incident to Norman Maclean’s masterpiece, Young Men and Fire. I was moved as I learned about these men and their fate, and knew I needed to tell this story.
Thirteen Crosses is a documentary about the Mann Gulch fire and my tribute to the men who died that day. We will be using its narrative to explore how wildfire fighting has changed over the years and explore the personalities of Smokejumpers.
Our documentary will use a mixture of live-action interviews and animated recreations of the event. We will tell the story of the Mann Gulch Fire in a captivating new way, creating an immersive and emotional experience for the viewer. We want to explore who smokejumpers are, their personalities, and their elite training. We also want to explore how this event changed our understanding of fighting wildfires, the lessons, and the mistakes.
When I set out to create this film, I knew that it needed to impact the wildfire community more than simply existing directly. That’s why we have pledged to donate all profits of this film to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a fantastic charity that helps wildland firefighters and their families across the country.
We are excited to bring this film to life and share this story with everyone. Please follow our progress here and stay tuned for more updates as they come!