Peter Facinelli’s new film is more than just a thriller about escaping a massive forest fire. Ablaze it also serves an important purpose, the director-star tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“Every other week, there are some fires in the news,” says The Twilight and Sister Jackie alum, 49. Ablaze (in theaters Sept. 29 and given an interim deal by SAG-AFTRA) is “intended to provide a detailed account of one family’s experience through this. Because a lot of times you read about it, but you don’t really see what they’re actually going through.”
The “harrowing journey” taken by the family at the center of the film – played by Facinelli, Fiona Dourif, Lance Henriksen and Asher Angel – invites audiences to consider natural disasters in the news from a personal angle.
“You start to see in detail how these fires affect individual families,” says Facinelli, who co-directed the indie with screenwriter Nick Lyon. (Ron Peer co-wrote the screenplay.)
“They’re just this middle-class American family that’s got bills to pay, they’ve got all this [typical] problems,” he says Ablazehis characters. “But there’s no bigger problem you can have than when your life is on the line. And then all those minor problems go to the side and it becomes, ‘How can we survive this?’ ”
He repeats part of the dialogue from the film which is also the central point: “Things can be replaced, but people cannot.”
Peter Facinelli and Lily Anne Harrison welcome first child together: ‘Happy Labor Day’
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/peter-facinelli-on-fire-092823-1-bf5d0afceb08414a89dd3aca8e8015b9.jpg)
Fiona Dourif and Peter Facinelli in “On Fire”.
Courtesy of Cineverse
Ablaze it serves as a rallying cry to “remember that, to know what’s important,” Facinelli adds. And if the fire prevention techniques the movie family uses to protect their house educate the audience as well, all the better.
“October is fire protection month,” he points out. “It also helps that this film is coming out at a time when it can remind people of what they can do to prevent fires.”
Of course, Ablaze it had to reflect recent real-life news regardless of exactly when it hit theaters. The “really heartbreaking” wildfires of August 8 in Lahaina, Hawaii are on Facinelli’s mind as he discusses this all-too-relevant story.
Maui wildfire death toll rises to 106: ‘Nothing can prepare you for what I saw’
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(699x0:701x2)/peter-facinelli-on-fire-092823-45a02c6bc2d94dd5a0216931c086e766.jpg)
Peter Facinelli in “On Fire”.
Courtesy of Cineverse
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We were trying to raise money for the fires in Maui,” he says, revealing that he will appear in an upcoming episode Danger from celebrities! His charity of choice: The American Red Cross supports the Hawaii Wildfire Fund.
Ultimately, Facinelli hopes Ablaze it is received as more than just entertainment. “There is a message of hope and a tribute to those heroes who put their lives on the line. But eventually you hope it stops, [that audiences] the question: ‘What can we do to solve this problem?’ ”
Ablaze it’s in theaters now.
SAG-AFTRA approved a tentative agreement for Ablaze since the film is released by Cineverse, an independent distributor not affiliated with AMPTP.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education