A Childhood on Fire

When Nick Hurndon was six years old, he and his two older brothers were set on fire by their white stepfather in their San Francisco home. Now in his early 40s, Nick is a retired Marine and is raising two sons that are about the same age he was when he was set ablaze. This is a film about father figures, the effects of abuse and how one man is interrupting a cycle of violence so that his two children thrive.

A Childhood on Fire was commissioned by The Guardian’s Documentaries division and debuted in 2019. The film was screened at Aesthetica Short Film Festival, SFFILM Doc Stories, and at DOC NYC, where it received a Special Mention for Cinematography.

Credits

Director & Producer: Jason Hanasik

Executive Producers for The Guardian: Charlie Phillips & Jacqueline Edenbrow

Executive Producer for The Filmmaker Fund: Minette Nelson

Cinematography, Sound & Editing: Jason Hanasik

Supervising Editor: Abbi Jutkowitz

Original Score: Nicholas Pavkovic

Sound Design: James LeBrecht

Audio Post Production: Berkeley Sound Artist

Re-Recording Mixer: James LeBrecht

Sound Effects & Dialogue Editor: William Sammons

Production Designers: Daniel Goldstein and Jason Lahman

Special Effects Supervisor: Jason Lahman

Archival Materials: Nick Hurndon and Sgt. Kevin Miller

Color Correction: Jason Hanasik

Title Design: Josh Silverman

Additional Support: The Filmmaker Fund