Director of apocalyptic Sundance film lost home in LA fires

by Andrew MARSZAL

Driving up to the Rocky Mountains for the Sundance premiere of her new movie would be a joyful experience for Meera Menon -- if she weren't leaving behind the scorched rubble of her Los Angeles home, where much of it was filmed.

In a cruel example of life imitating art, Menon's indie zombie apocalypse flick "Didn't Die" is all about how survivors of loss and disaster find the strength to cope through community, good humor and sheer resilience.

It has taken on a brutal new context and meaning thanks to the Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes -- including her own.

The film's producer and editor, who lived near Menon and her co-writer husband, also lost their house, just days after sending the final cut to Sundance.

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"The four of us really lost everything. But we're still here," said Menon.

"We loved it so much. I mean, it can't be overstated -- Altadena was our dream, our home was our dream home," she added, in a tearful voice.

The first part of the film -- in which survivors podcast to an ever-dwindling human population -- was shot in New York state.

But Menon and husband Paul Gleason filmed several key scenes a year later in their Californian living room.

These include a brutal zombie attack -- and several sweet moments of a couple and their baby living there in earlier, happier times.

"There's snippets in the film that capture that home that is no longer. And the most poignant are these flashbacks with the family," said Menon, whose own three-year-old daughter appears in "Didn't Die" as an infant.

It means the film itself has become a memento of sorts -- evidence of the beloved place where their daughter grew up.

"That community and the neighborhood... so beautiful right by the mountains," said Menon.

"Having the film capture this place for us, at that time, is grounding in some way. Because it just reminds us that it wasn't a dream."

- 'Daunting' -

Menon fell in love with the zombie genre after directing an episode of the hit TV show "Fear The Walking Dead."

It felt like the perfect metaphor for a film about rebuilding a world hit by disaster after disaster.

The real-life catastrophes Menon had in mind when writing "Didn't Die" with Gleason were the pandemic and strikes that have recently upended their industry.

Now, in the wake of the still-burning fires, some in the industry have called for Hollywood's glitzy award season to be toned down or even scrapped.

There was even speculation that Sundance might be canceled, though festival bosses decided to press ahead after speaking with filmmakers like Menon.

"I don't know what the right thing to do is," admitted Menon, whose premiere is set to go ahead on Tuesday night.

"For me, it's just very helpful to move forward and have work in the world, and still be enjoying some aspect of our filmmaking life, despite all of this."

Organizers of the Oscars, less than two months away, have promised to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and the resilience of Los Angeles at their ceremony in March.

While appreciating the gesture, Menon said the "daunting" prospect of rebuilding their lives will take many years, wherever they end up relocating.

"I don't want people to move on from this too quickly either. We have such short attention spans in this world," she said.

"I hope people still do carry this in their hearts throughout this whole season."