Across the west, wildfires have never been more destructive. Oregon’s record-breaking 2020 wildfire season killed at least 11 people, destroyed more than 5,000 homes and businesses, and burned over 1 million acres of land. Today’s fires are vivid and deadly evidence of the new wildfire realities that can no longer be ignored.
Built to Burn explores a pattern of growing fire risk emerging from a confluence of factors – decades of aggressive fire suppression, increasing development in fire-prone areas, and a longer, drier wildfire season due to climate change. Even so, these wildfires can be fires of choice or of chance. We can have good fires or bad fires. Can we ready ourselves to truly manage fire, or will we continue the status quo and scramble in disbelief? Either way, the fires are coming.
Courtney D. Campbell
Director
Courtney Campbell is a documentary filmmaker from Portland, Oregon. His background in international policy and human rights informs his view of documentary filmmaking. He believes in creating non-fiction films that can spotlight issues, inspire or drive change and have an urgency and need to be told now. His first feature documentary, Don’t Shout Too Loud, premiered at the BendFilm Festival in 2013 and is held in the libraries at some of the top universities worldwide. He recently completed his second feature documentary, Built to Burn, which explores Oregon’s record-breaking 2020 wildfire season.