WHERE WE PLAYED
Voices From the Fire
In January 2025, devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles.
Through firsthand interviews, children reflect on what they experienced, what they lost, what they carried with them, and how their lives have been forever changed; while simultaneously holding onto hope for what comes next.
short documentary
Where to Watch
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San Jose International Short Film Festival
October 23, 2026 @ Theater 5
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Bushwick Film Festival
October 9, 2026 @ Williamsburg Theaters, Brooklyn
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Flickers' Rhode Island Film Festival
August 7, 1pm @ Rochambeau Library, Rhode Island
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Burbank Film Festival
August 4 @ AMC 16, Los Angeles
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Indy ShortsFest
July 25, 2026 @ Living Room Theaters, Indianapolis
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Dances with Films: LA
June 23, 6pm at the TCL Chinese Theater, Los Angeles
In the wake of the fires, much of the conversation focused on what had been lost: homes, schools, and a sense of stability. What felt missing were the voices of the children living through it. Rather than speaking about them, we wanted to listen to them. So we set out to create a space where kids and families could share their experiences in their own words.
What we found was not only grief, but resilience, optimism, and humor. Even in the aftermath of tragedy, these children continue to imagine, adapt, and grow. Their stories reminded us that they are not just witnesses to disaster, but rather, they are participants in the future being shaped around them.
Our hope is that this film encourages audiences to think about the world we are leaving for our children. It will be their world. They deserve to have a voice in it.
Updates
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San Jose International Short Film Festival
Where We Played to screen October 23rd.
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Bushwick Film Festival
Where We Played to screen October 9th.
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Hollywood Times
Documentary, Where We Played: Voices from the Fire, Lets Children Tell Their Own Story
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Variety
Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell’s L.A. Wildfire Doc ‘Where We Played: Voices From the Fire’ to Screen at Oscar-Qualifying Festival
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Burbank Film Festival
Where We Played: Voices From the Fire to screen on August 4, 2026.
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Indy ShortsFest
Where We Played: Voices From the Fire to screen on July 25, 2026.
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TRAILER: Where We Played: Voices From the Fire
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Rabblerouse News
“No Politics. No Stars. No Sh*t.” It’s Time for Dances With Films 2026 : Must-watch documentaries.
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Broadway World
WHERE WE PLAYED: VOICES FROM THE FIRE to premiere at Dances with Films
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Selig Film News
DIRECTORS NAT WOLFF and AUSTIN CAULDWELL’S POWERFUL DOC SHORT “WHERE WE PLAYED: VOICES FROM THE FIRE” WILL MAKE WORLD PREMIERE AT THE 28TH DANCES WITH FILMS
The Team
Nat Wolff
Writer/Director/Actor/Producer/musician whose short film Youngest was a Hollywood Shorts Film Festival favorite and praised by Filmmaker Magazine. As an actor, his credits include The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Palo Alto, The Kill Team, Amazon’s The Consultant.
Director 
Austin Cauldwell
Los Angeles-based Writer/Director/Actor/Acting Teacher. His short film Idyll, which he wrote and directed, premiered at Florida International Film Festival earlier this year and was an Official Selection at Fantasia Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. As an actor, he has worked on stage, most notably opposite Edie Falco in the Off Broadway production of The True. His TV credits include Switched at Birth (ABC Family), NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, and Monster.
Director
Mina Sundwall
Actress/Producer and President of Zenosyne Media. As an actor, her credits include Lost in Space, Legends of Tomorrow, God of War: Ragnarok, Maggie’s Plan, and more. As a producer, she works in development of films and proofs of concept, including Austin Cauldwell’s Idyll (2025), Jessica Barr’s Do You Remember When I Left You Behind, Gamble, Youth, Jane Anonymous, It Takes a Village.
Producer
Eliza Paprin
Actress/Writer/Producer who studied film as a Dean's Scholar at Emory University. She is the creator/lead of Not Like Other Girls on YouTube. Other credits include: Lola, Black Girl Day Off, Take Your Time, and Midtown Moments. With her passion for film extending behind the camera, she has served as an Associate Producer on Austin Cauldwell’s Idyll and Rachel Kinzler’s This Means Goodnight.
Producer
Julia Pitch
Director and DoP. She has directed work for commercial clients such as Spotify, Ford, Verizon, Peloton and Starbucks. She was an additional Cinematographer on On the Record, a feature documentary about the Me Too movement that went to Sundance in 2020. Her visual sensibilities are influenced by her fine art background, and she studied Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Cinematographer, Producer