F. David Roth

Follow the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

When the mysterious Iris Peterson arrives at a rundown motel in Chicago, she brings with her mementos of a perverse family secret that put into motion a series of nefarious events. Now, as Anthony fights to save his brother Darius from a life of indiscretions and a terrified Nellie attempts to exorcise the demons of her past, games are played by a cast of characters so twisted it is impossible to predict who will be left standing at the end of it all, and who among them will ultimately find the redemption that each of them so desperately seek.

When a shy girl, secretly in love with her rocker-grrl housemate, meets an unbalanced heiress on the run, anything could (and does) happen in BRUSHFIRES, the latest production from Chicago-based film group Split Pillow. As the three women negotiate the dangerous relationships among them, the seven women directors weave a sensual tale of suspense. Drawing inspiration from the poem by Jessica Wilbur and the surrealist parlour game, The Exquisite Corpse, each director selected a word or phrase on which to base her segment, and the seven chapters of the film bear their individual marks. This impressive experiment in filmmaking emerges as a sensitive tale of young desire, loss, and love's confusion.