An Austrian Filmmaker Who Documented the L.A. Wildfires Hopes His Film Will Start Conversations
Austrian filmmaker Lukas Marxt has made an experimental documentary about the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, using long, steady observational scenes rather than news-style coverage or explanatory interviews. He hopes the film will prompt viewers to consider “pyropolitics”: the political and geopolitical forces connected to fire, climate change and the destruction it causes.
Marxt was in California when the fires began and, after speaking with affected friends and residents, decided to document the events while taking care not to obstruct people helping or evacuating. The film follows a progression from the sound of fire to scenes within it and its aftermath; it includes footage of firefighters and a shelter. Its title refers to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C climate goal, and it is due to premiere at DOK Leipzig on 27 October before screenings at the Viennale and IDFA.
In short
- Lukas Marxt’s film documents the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
- Its observational style avoids narration and talking heads.
- The filmmaker hopes it prompts discussion about climate politics.
Explained simply
Wildfires in Los Angeles can spread through homes and neighbourhoods, forcing people to evacuate and putting firefighters and emergency services under pressure. Their effects continue after the flames pass, as residents face damaged homes, temporary shelter and the work of rebuilding.
Lukas Marxt is an Austrian filmmaker whose work observes real places and events through carefully composed scenes. The Paris Agreement is an international climate pact that includes a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; the film’s title refers to that goal.
“Pyropolitics” is a way of considering how decisions about climate, land and public safety shape the causes and consequences of fire. The idea connects a local disaster such as the Los Angeles fires with wider political choices and climate change.
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