Max Walker-Silverman discusses his new film, 'Rebuilding'

"WALKER-SILVERMAN: This is a story about a wildfire only in the most basic sense. What I mean by that is that it's a story about all the things that happen afterwards to recover and reimagine and move on. And the film tells a story of a group of people who all wind up thrown together in a FEMA camp sharing very little but that they've all lost everything."

"WALKER-SILVERMAN: Well, I think there's a part of this story that's about the individual becoming part of a community. You know, I guess, growing up in Colorado and anywhere in the rural West, there's kind of a celebration of the tough individual who can figure it out alone. And it's a myth, you know, of course, and it's a sorry myth because it leads people to solitud"

Rebuilding follows a group of people in dry, mountainous western Colorado after a wildfire. The survivors converge in a FEMA camp, sharing little beyond their losses. Dusty, a cowboy and rancher, copes with losing his ranch and the gradual loss of control over his life. The story focuses on recovery, reimagining, and the slow processes of regrowth and rebuilding. Themes include the tension between rugged individualism and the necessity of community, and the emotional, social, and physical landscapes altered by wildfire. The narrative emphasizes waiting to see what survives, the uncertainty of regrowth, and the collective adjustments required to move forward.

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