Day on Fire - 04 April 2010

Principal cast: Judy Kuhn, Alyssa Sutherland, Olympia Dukakis, Carmen Chaplin, Martin Donovan

Film notes: Five people cross paths in New York City on a day when a suicide bomber will set off an explosion in the midst of a busy street. In this independent drama from writer and director Jay Anania (Her Name Is Carla; The Girl Under the Waves), five separate portraits are drawn, then lives are brought into relation through a shocking day in the life of the city. A singer is working on an album of British folk songs with a jazz keyboardist (cameos from Judy Kuhn and John Medeski), in scenes that provide a kind of lyrical counterpoint to other events. A journalist from Palestine (Carmen Chaplin) is researching an article on victims of wartime violence, and is to interview a doctor (Olympia Dukakis). A Jewish fashion model (Alyssa Sutherland) is on a shoot. And a quiet man (Martin Donovan), who enjoys spending time in the park observing others, is making his way through the streets as if destined to encounter one of the women. All five characters will be affected by the aftermath of the bombing. The journalist and the model will meet accidentally but will mark one another’s lives profoundly.

Day on Fire was screened at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival as part of the "Visions" series, devoted to challenging works from new filmmakers.