Skip to main content

Netflix Original Series 'Fire Chasers' to Premiere at Sept. 5 KCET Cinema Series

Fire Fighter Pointing at Fire
Support Provided By

As part of this fall's KCET Cinema Series, KCET will host the world premiere of the Netflix original documentary series "Fire Chasers" in partnership with the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Film Festival.

Launching on Netflix this fall, "Fire Chasers" follows the brave men and women of Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department whose mission is to battle the flames that erupt most ferociously – in both populated and natural areas – during fire season, which threaten wildlife, natural terrain, and tens of thousands of homeowners. Climate change, altered vegetation patterns and an increase in fire-prone landscapes have multiplied those crises, forcing firefighters across the state to confront epic disasters that cost lives and millions of dollars in damage, and cause a massive scarring of the earth.

Alongside the stories of the Cal Fire and LA County Fire teams are those of new recruits training to join their brothers in the blaze; the women who’ve chosen to train at “Fire Camp” while serving time at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Corona, altering their life’s direction by opting to become “swampers” (firefighters in charge of tools and equipment); and California artists Jeff Frost and Andrea Dale, who document the apocalyptic-looking damage in photos and artifact retrieval. "Fire Chasers" is a gripping, dramatic look at the vigilance and valor that come with trying to stop nature’s most unstoppable force.

The screening event, which is the only public screening prior to the series launch on Netflix this fall, will take place on Tuesday, September 5 at 7 p.m. at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Following the screening of the first one-hour episode, KCET Cinema Series Host and Deadline.com Chief Film Critic Pete Hammond will moderate a Q&A panel discussion about the film and the issues around fire prevention. The fall KCET Cinema Series is sponsored by Deadline.com, the official media sponsor for the series.

KCET Cinema Series celebrates its 12th anniversary at the historic Aero Theatre in 2017, kicking off the Fall series with Steven Soderbergh's "Logan Lucky."  See the Fall schedule and purchase passes to the fall series.

Learn more about California's relationship with fire and stories related to fire prevention.

Support Provided By
Read More
A bald person adjusts his football uniform.

Early Screening: Inspiring Tale of 59-Year-Old Linebacker Mike Flynt in 'The Senior' at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 26, with a Q&A with actor Michael Chiklis and producer Mark Ciardi immediately following the screening.
Two people look at something in the distance in horror.

Mystery Comedy 'Wicked Little Letters' Stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley: Early Screening at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 19, with a pre-recorded Q&A with director Thea Sharrock shown immediately after the screening.
A person wearing glasses flips through a book at a desk.

'One Life' Portrays the Heroic Deeds of Nicholas Winton: Early Screening at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 12, with an in-person Q&A with KCRW host and THR editor Kim Masters, whose mother was one of the children rescued by Nicholas Winton.