Burn

Action packed doc on the Detroit firefighters risking their lives to save a city written off as dead

Burn Engine Company 50 is the impoverished fire department battling the fires raging across Detroit. No fire crew in America is so busy, or so under-resourced. Detroit's population has halved, leaving behind 80,000 empty houses. And now arsonists are having a ball, starting over 30 fires a day. With incredible cinematography following the firemen deep into the infernos, a powerful motown soundtrack and a riveting narrative, it's a thrill ride not to be missed.


WINNER: Audience Award - Tribeca Film Festival 2012

Burn (2012) on IMDb

The Producers


Tom Putnam's short films and features have played more than 400 film festivals and have been released worldwide. He produced the acclaimed documentary Marwencol, winner of Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and two Independent Spirit Awards. His short films include Broadcast 23, which premiered at Sundance, and Tom Hits His Head, one of the most widely seen short films of all time. He also was named “One of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker magazine.


Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez head TBVE Films, a full-service production company geared toward commercials, PSAs, narrative features, and short- and long-form documentary projects. They direct, produce, crew, shoot and cut.

Making The Film


On November 15, 2008, veteran Detroit firefighter Walter Harris was killed battling a blaze in a vacant house. A few weeks later, NPR ran a story about Detroit firefighters and the city’s increasing load of abandoned homes. Filmmakers Tom Putman and Brenna Sanchez, a native Detroiter, asked themselves a seemingly simple question: "In a city full of 80,000 vacant structures, why would anyone risk his life for one?" We knew there was a story there. We pitched the idea to every production company, studio, and cable network; they all loved the project but said the same thing - that our ambitions were too high, and that there was absolutely no audience for a firefighter series or film. We didn't take no for an answer. Today, Burn may be one of the largest films funded entirely by charitable donations.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more info see our Cookies Policy