“Burn” takes doc audience award at Tribeca

April 30, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

Burn

Audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival selected Burn, a documentary on Detroit firefighters directed by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez, as one of the recipients of its audience awards.

For the first time ever the New York fest gave out two audience awards, one for narrative and one for documentary. The narrative winner was Any Day Now.

Burn took home a cash prize of US$25,000 and a piece of artwork, Jacobs #16 “Blue Skies,” courtesy of Peter Dayton and Winston Wächter Fine Art.

Executive produced by actor Denis Leary, Burn introduces audiences to Detroit firefighters who oversee a city plagued by the highest arson rate in the country, abandoned buildings that regularly go up in flames, and a budget crisis. The doc also features the city’s new fire commissioner Donald Austin, who shakes up the system.

“It’s gratifying to see audiences respond so overwhelmingly to these world premiere films,” said Nancy Schafer, executive director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Both films strike uplifting and hopeful notes, and we look forward to them continuing to garner strong audience reaction long after the festival is over.”

Added Putnam, “We are so grateful for this honor and we hope it will help raise the profile of the film and let people know what’s going on in Detroit and across this country.”

Tags: Brenna Sanchez, Burn, Dennis Leary, Heineken audience award, Tom Putnam, Tribeca Film Festival 2012