Each year, thousands of people from around the globe gather in a dusty windswept Nevada desert to build a temporary city, collaborating on large-scale art and partying for a week before burning a giant effigy in a ritual frenzy. Rooted in principles of self-expression, self-reliance and community effort, Burning Man has grown famous for stirring ordinary people to shed their nine-to-five existence and act on their dreams. SPARK takes us behind the curtain with Burning Man organizers and participants, revealing a year of unprecedented challenges and growth. When ideals of a new world based on freedom and inclusion collide with realities of the “default world,” we wonder which dreams can survive.
"An oasis of creativity blooms in Spark. Since we can’t all attend Burning Man, we can be thankful for Spark, which is probably the next best thing!"
Andy Webster, The New York Times
"Some of the most luscious Burning Man images I’ve ever seen. SPARK will have you aching to return!"
Gavin Borchert, Seattle Weekly
"Compelling! Fascinating artistic imagery."
Kerry Lengel, The Arizona Republic
"I was completely inspired by the movie, with a deep longing to be as creative as the people who create art for Burning Man."
Hilary Armstrong, The Huffington Post
"The film is gorgeous: a virtual carnival of images that reflect the spectacle that is Burning Man."
Marcia Franklin, Boise Weekly
"Provides a fascinating look into the inner circle of the event’s organizers. A worthy exploration of a unique phenomenon."
Marc Mohan, The Oregonian
STEVE BROWN, Director & Producer
Steve Brown is CEO of Ignite Channel, a producer of acclaimed films about arts, innovation and culture in our changing world. His first feature film, SPARK: A BURNING MAN STORY (2013), premiered at SXSW Film Festival in 2013 followed by a theatrical release. SPARK has been widely viewed on Showtime and Netflix before moving to popular video on-demand channels. He directed and produced CHASING EINSTEIN (2018), which premiered at CHP:DOX. He produced POACHED (2015) and TWINSTERS (2015), both of which premiere at SXSW, and OCCUPY THE FARM (2014), all released theatrically and now avaialble to stream. Steve has been a cofounder of multiple media and technology ventures. He graduated from Stanford in physics.
JESSIE DEETER, Director & Producer
Jessie Deeter is a seasoned documentary producer, director and journalist who recently produced Revenge of the Electric Car, which debuted at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, had a successful theatrical run and aired on PBS's Independent Lens in April 2012. She was the Producer of Who Killed the Electric Car?, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was then released by Sony Pictures Classics. Deeter directed and produced Death by Fire, a documentary that was the premiere of PBS's FRONTLINE season, airing nationally in 2010 and 2011. Deeter has a Masters from UC Berkeley's journalism program and spent nine months in Oman, Morocco and Tunisia as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010-2011.
ALEC LORIMORE, Executive Producer
Alec Lorimore has produced many of the most commercially sucessful, critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary films of all time, including the 1998 IMAX mega-hit Everest, which generated over $140 million in worldwide box office, making it the highest grossing documentary film ever released at that time. He was nominated for a Best Documentary Academy Award in 1995 for The Living Sea and again in 2000 for Dolphins.
CHRIS WEITZ, Executive Producer
Chris Weitz is a leading film producer, writer, director and actor. He directed A Better Life, a story about a father's love and everything a parent will sacrifice to build a better life for his child, nominated for an Oscar in 2012. Weitz previously directed New Moon, based on the second novel in the best-selling Twilight series, which has grossed over $700 million worldwide. He also adapted and directed the Oscar-winning epic fantasy adventure The Golden Compass, which was released by New Line Cinema and has grossed over $350 million worldwide. Weitz previously co-directed, with his brother, Paul, the award-winning hit film About a Boy, adapting the screenplay from the Nick Hornby novel for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Weitz is also known for his work with his brother on the American Pie franchise of comedy films.
ANDREW GERSH, Editor
Andrew Gersh is a documentary editor based in Berkeley, California. His work has appeared on PBS, ABC, MSNBC, National Geographic, Discovery, Turner Broadcasting, the BBC and Channel 4, UK and in theaters worldwide. He is a Sundance Documentary Edit and Story Lab Fellow. He began his editing career on staff at WGBH Boston, working on many groundbreaking series for PBS, including NOVA, FRONTLINE and the ten-hour WGBH/BBC co-production on the history of ROCK & ROLL. Recent work includes Ask Not (San Francisco International Film Festival, MoMA NY, national PBS broadcast on Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens), National Geographic Explorer: Inside Guantanamo (Emmy nomination for Best Documentary, 2010) and the feature documentary Ready, Set, Bag! (Los Angeles International Film Festival). His latest film, The Revolutionary Optimists, was awarded the Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and opens in theaters nationwide in 2013.
JOHN BEHRENS, Director of Photography
John Behrens is a cinematographer who photographs independent features, television, documentaries and live music. He is the owner and operator of Point Beach Productions, a production and effects company for the motion picture and television industry. Behrens has also served as a high voltage consultant for Discovery Channel's MythBusters. His film credits include Revenge of the Electric Car, Death by Fire, Miss Representation, and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.
THERESA DESAUTELS, Associate Producer
Theresa Desautels is a documentary filmmaker with a strong background in social justice. She works as a shooter, editor and producer. Theresa has helped produce feature documentaries for PBS FRONTLINE, short documentaries for festival circuit, videos for online classes, music videos, and commercials for restaurants and bars. Theresa holds a BA in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College in Ohio, as well as a certificate in Film Production from Prague Film School in the Czech Republic. Her thesis film, Hungry For Health, about food deserts in Cleveland, was awarded the 2010 Audience Choice for Short Film, at the “Show Me Social Justice” film festival in Warren, MO.
IGNITE CHANNEL PRESENTS
A SPARK PICTURES PRODUCTION
“SPARK: A BURNING MAN STORY”
EDITED BY ANDREW GERSCH
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN BEHRENS
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY JOACHIM COODER
ORIGINAL SONG “LET IT GO” BY MICHAEL FRANTI
ORIGINAL SONG “WE RIDE” BY MISSY HIGGINS
MUSIC SUPERVISOR AMINE RAMER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS DAVID CHANG ROBERT ZANGRILLO KONSTANTIN OTHMER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER THERESA DESAUTELS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ALEC LORIMORE & CHRIS WEITZ
PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY JESSIE DEETER
PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY STEVE BROWN