BURN Documentary

BURN is a 10 part documentary series that chronicles the evolution of 10 young adults during the span of 6 months. The project was created by Quaran Ahmad, an artist and student from Chicago, Illinois. Our team interviewed ten people in the beginning of the year, and we will be interviewing the same people once more in May. Within the BURN documentary, we aspire to explore dreams, fears, hopes, and livelihoods in relation to time. This concept was inspired by Quaran's childhood experiences in his neighborhood church, Christ Universal Temple, where he and his mother would participate in a yearly event called "Burning Bowl". The project premiered on April 2nd, 2023, with new episodes launching every consecutive Sunday on our YouTube channel. Every episode will feature commentary from different individuals we interviewed. After our 10 episodes are released, we will take a short hiatus, and then return with new episodes that will update the audience with the current whereabouts of the 10 subjects featured in the earlier episodes. The BURN documentary holds the metaphorical flame that lives within all of us. In this documentary we aspire to convey the dreams, fears, and hopes of each of our interviewees. The evolution of the mind and soul is expressed through two separate interviews with ten people. In these two interviews, we follow the lives of said ten people at the first month of the new year into the depths of spring. Throughout the interview process we show where each person is in life, the development of themselves and their art. BURN is focused on empathy and mundanity. We are all perfectly average. We hold ourselves to high standards and compare ourselves to one another. The BURN documentary allows us to accept ourselves and others for who we are in the present rather than racing towards impossible standards of the future. With this grant, the BURN production team will be able to create an immersive screening experience for artists, students, and patrons alike to enjoy the continuation of the documentary. We are looking for the opportunity to create a beautiful festival-type event where our 10 subjects can exhibit their talents in front of a large crowd, create a supplementary networking space, and provide a safe space for every person.