PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST 2026 REVIEW! It feels like the days are getting hotter and hotter, just like in the Twilight Zone episode where the sun beats down, sending the Earth closer towards a fiery oblivion. Phoenix, Arizona, is already known as “The Valley of the Sun” since it’s so scorching hot, but the summer heatwave has made it a dangerous spot to live in. Filmmakers Nita Blum-Reddick and Jonathan Pickett’s short film documentary A New Inferno showcases just how hot it can get when paramedics race every day to save the lives of heatstroke victims using a radical new treatment: ice and cold-water immersion therapy.
The film follows firefighters Jason Smith, Roy Lewis, and Jake West as they deal with record-breaking temperatures. In 2024, a staggering 608 people in Maricopa County died from heat-related illness, with many homeless and drug-addicted people being especially vulnerable to the heat. When the film shows someone suffering from heatstroke on the ground, unable to even say their name, you can’t help but feel for them.
“..paramedics race every day to save the lives of heatstroke victims…”
These firefighters genuinely care about the people whom they race to in ambulances to save and are shocked themselves that all it sometimes takes is a blue bag with some ice and cold water to do the trick. I also enjoy the little moments of levity, when the guys talk about Nick Van Exel hitting threes with Kobe, or two firemen bound on the rooftop over the insanity of it all and see an ambulance race off to save more people. This 16-minute doc is heart-pounding, while being timely with all of the fires happening more often around the world due to climate change.
A New Inferno screened at the 2026 Palm Springs International Shortfest.
"…This 16-minute doc is heart-pounding, while being timely with all of the fires happening more often around the world due to climate change."
