New Mexico filmmakers highlight the struggles of Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire victims
Nov 19, 2024
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – After the largest wildfire in New Mexico's history ripped through the state, people in northern New Mexico are still suffering the aftermath. A local film team is working to showcase their struggles.
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More than two years after the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire ripped through northern New Mexico, a local film crew is working to showcase the struggles of those in San Miguel County. “It seems many of the stories we hear are how local needs and concerns have been disregarded in the whole process from the time the fire started to now,” said Scott Campbell, producer of “Mora is Burning”.
KRQE News 13 reported on the filmmakers last year when they announced the project with a trailer. Now, they are preparing a screening for part of the film. The film will show what the community has gone through from the fire to the aftermath, and the struggles of dealing with FEMA. “This type of disaster is something that every state and nearly every, you know, many, many rural communities are going to be facing in the future,” said Campbell.
Part of why the film isn't complete yet is because of the hoops residents have to jump through to get federal assistance “So and it's sad, as filmmakers, you know, we would have hoped we would be done with a film about this. And it would be, you know, a complete story,” said Director David Luis Leal Cortez.
The 45-minute cut will air in Taos for a special screening on Friday. The filmmakers hope this is a way to tell the stories of a community that feels forgotten by the government that caused their hardships. “We need to see an evolution of the response and to the recovery response,” said Campbell.
The filmmakers said they hope to have the film complete by the third anniversary of the fires. For information on the screening this Friday, you can follow the link here.