The efforts needed to fight wildfires are mighty, with firefighters and volunteers, including incarcerated volunteers tasked with extinguishing what could possibly take weeks to finally quash. Inspired by his own grandparent’s story of being imprisoned in the Japanese American incarceration camps during the 1940s, writer, director and producer Robin Takao D’Oench returns to HollyShorts Film Festival with his 4th short film Fireline – a film that concerns itself with the lives of incarcerated wildland firefighters as lead Otto grapples with the challenges of prison life and his desire to connect with his daughter against the backdrop of a forest fire. The film highlighting the pivotal role played by prison labour in California’s firefighting efforts and the limited opportunities for those individuals to pursue careers in firefighting upon reentering society. Ahead of HollyShorts 20th anniversary, set to take place from 8th to 18th August at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Robin tells us more about this rarely talked about subject matter.