Gods of Fire
Director
Keith Maitland
Producers
Megan Gilbride
Keith Maitland
Type
Documentary Feature
Status
Development
Fire was humanity’s first technology—our shield against the dark, the spark to our society, a bridge to the gods. Who controls fire, controls destiny. GODS OF FIRE explores the hidden solution to wildfires—how we can use the technology of war to negotiate peace with our burning planet.
Synopsis: It began with Prometheus, whose name means “foresight.” He defied the Olympians giving humanity the forbidden spark of fire. In Polynesian myths it was Māui who deceived the gods to bring forth the flame of life. Sacred, dangerous, transformative—what was taken from the divine has never been fully controlled by humankind. In the 20th century, a new Promethean gift arrived: spy satellites. Born of Cold War espionage, they gave humanity a god’s-eye view of Earth—and the power to turn vision into action. Volcanologist Dr. Darrell Herd recognized their potential. In the 1980s he warned of an eruption in Colombia using satellite data; his foresight was ignored, and 23,000 lives were lost. In the 1990s, Vice President Al Gore enlisted Herd to join a secret CIA program that adapted defense satellites to detect wildfires at first spark. For 18 months, this system worked—alerting communities before flames became infernos. Then politics intervened. The program was shuttered. Today, the world’s most advanced satellites still orbit above, scanning Earth every ten seconds, their data locked away as fires ravage our world, this hidden history reveals a solution abandoned just as the crisis deepens. Now a new spark rises: private ventures launching constellations of satellites. Less powerful than billion-dollar military systems, but open to the public, they offer hope for collaboration across political divides, uniting homeowners, insurers, and governments against a common foe. This is GODS OF FIRE, a clarion call acknowledging man’s elemental plight and a call for action around wildfire prevention.
DIRECTOR — Keith Maitland: Keith was named one of Variety’s “10 Documakers to Watch.” In 2016 he released TOWER, earning him three awards at SXSW, and nominations for Gotham, PGA and Peabody awards. TOWER was short-listed for the Academy Award, and won the Emmy for Best Historical Documentary. Keith’s latest doc, DEAR MR. BRODY debuted at Telluride, Tribeca and SXSW and is streaming on HBOMAX.
PRODUCER — Megan Gilbride: Megan is a two - time Emmy - winning producer of fiction and non - fiction films.She produced Maitland’s TOWER and DEAR MR.BRODY.Her documentaries have broadcast on Independent Lens, POV, Apple TV +, Netflix, and Max.Her fiction feature, LOVERS OF HATE, premiered in Sundance’s US Dramatic Competition, was released by IFC, and was nominated for a FIND Spirit Award.