WHERE WE PLAYED: VOICES FROM THE FIRE to Screen at Indy Shorts

Fresh off its World Premiere at LA's Dances with Films, 'WHERE WE PLAYED: VOICES FROM THE FIRE', an impactful doc on children's experiences of the 2025 LA wildfires, will screen at the 6th Indy Shorts Film Festival presented by Heartland Film Festival on Saturday, July 25th at 2PM. The film will screen as part of the block Spotlight: Children's Resilience, short films that highlight the incredible resilience and unwavering spirit of children as they overcome challenges and find strength in unexpected places.

In January 2025, devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles. Through firsthand interviews, children reflect on what they experienced, what they lost, what they carried with them, and how their lives have been forever changed; while simultaneously holding onto hope for what comes next.

Co-directed by Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell, the film was produced by Mina Sundwall and her company Zenosyne Media, along with Eliza Paprin and Julia Pitch, who also served as Cinematographer. The film was edited by Ben Schwaeber.

According to Wolff and Cauldwell: 'In the wake of the fires, much of the conversation focused on what had been lost: homes, schools, and a sense of stability. What felt missing were the voices of the children living through it. Rather than speaking about them, we wanted to listen to them. So we set out to create a space where kids and families could share their experiences in their own words.

What we found was not only grief, but resilience, optimism, and humor. Even in the aftermath of tragedy, these children continue to imagine, adapt, and grow. Their stories reminded us that they are not just witnesses to disaster, but rather, they are participants in the future being shaped around them.

Our hope is that this film encourages audiences to think about the world we are leaving for our children. It will be their world. They deserve to have a voice in it.'

According to Teri Kinne, film writer/critic for the Hollywood Times: 'The film's restraint is one of its greatest strengths. It never asks the children to relive their trauma for the camera. It asks them to remember. There is a difference, and it allows their honesty to come through without feeling manipulated or performative.'

Nat Wolff is a writer/director/actor/producer/musician whose short film Youngest was a HollyShorts Film Festival favorite and praised by Filmmaker Magazine. As an actor, his credits include The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Palo Alto, The Kill Team, and Amazon's The Consultant.

Austin Cauldwell is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, actor, and acting teacher. He recently wrote and directed his short film Idyll, which premiered at Florida Film Festival in April 2026. As an actor he appeared in numerous credits on stage, film, and TV.

Mina Sundwall is an Actress/Producer and President of Zenosyne Media. As an actor, her credits include Lost in Space, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, Legends of Tomorrow, God of War: Ragnarok, Maggie's Plan, and more. As a producer, she works in development and production of films and proofs of concept, including Austin Cauldwell's Idyll, Ally Ioannides's Sack of Bones, Youth, Jane Anonymous.

Eliza Paprin is an Actress/Writer/Producer who studied film as a Dean's Scholar at Emory University. She is the creator/lead of Not Like Other Girls on YouTube. Other credits include: Lola, Black Girl Day Off, Take Your Time, and Midtown Moments. With her passion for film extending behind the camera, she has served as an Associate Producer on Austin Cauldwell's Idyll.

Julia Pitch is a Director and DoP signed at Six Twenty Six. She has directed work for commercial clients such as Spotify, Ford, Verizon, Peloton and Starbucks. She was an additional Cinematographer on On the Record, a feature documentary about the Me Too movement that went to Sundance in 2020. Her visual sensibilities are influenced by her fine art background, and she studied Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Indy Shorts Film Festival

Nonprofit arts organization Heartland Film, Inc. will host the ninth annual Indy Shorts International Film Fest (Indy Shorts) to exclusively showcase short films (40 minutes or less in length) from July 21-26, 2026, with in-person screenings in Indianapolis and virtual. All winners will play encore screenings at the Heartland International Film Festival the following October. An Academy Award-qualifying film festival in all three categories (Live Action, Documentary, and Animation short film categories), the winner of the Narrative, Documentary, and Animated Grand Prizes will qualify for Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, granted they meet all the other requirements needed to qualify. Short films featured at Indy Shorts/Heartland over the years have gone on to be short-listed, nominated, and winners of Academy Awards. In recent years, 39 programmed short films have been nominated with 10 going on to win Oscars.

'WHERE WE PLAYED: VOICES FROM THE FIRE' will screen on Sunday, July 25th at 2PM at the Living Room Theaters, 745 East 9th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202.

Need more Los Angeles Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...