Fire Talker
Set in 1912 in Rabun County, Georgia, an illiterate Appalachian faith healer is taught to read by a young black boy. She pays him with the only thing she owns, her gift of healing. She talks the fire out of his father’s burn, but in doing so, she puts them in jeopardy in a time of segregation and overt racism. Her jealous daughter stirs up a search party, while she begs her husband to stop them, as a white man, he is the only one with any power to do so. (20 min. short film)
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Mary Emily DealWriter
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Susan G. ReidDirector
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Mary Emily DealProducer
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Susan G. ReidProducer
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Olubajo SonubiProducer
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Ly BoliaProducer
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Mabel TylerKey Cast"Elizabeth"Mr. Robot, Just Beyond, Dweller, Good Behavior
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Eric GravezKey Cast"Randall"The Blacklist, Person of Interest, Bedtime Stories, Homicide City
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Ford NelsonKey Cast"Samuel"Empathy (2023), Black Cobra Strikes Back (2024), and Our Thoughts and Prayers (2024).
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Olubajo SonubiKey Cast"Josiah"Abigail, and Fawn as an actor. He is also a casting director known for Freedom Hair, Legacies, Cobra Kai, Dynasty and more
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Xander SonubiKey Cast"Charlie"
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Tony VaughnKey Cast"Elderly Charlie"Stranger Things, Women of the Movement, Queen Sugar, Meet the Browns, Tulsa King
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Mary Emily DealKey Cast"Meldonna"Atlanta, P-Valley, Robbie Ain't Right No More, The Wages of Sin
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:20 minutes
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
Susan G. Reid is a nationally recognized director, writer, producer, coach, and teacher of actors. She is a Producer on the feature film, Rejuvenation, available on Amazon Prime and Tubi. It was led by Tom Luse, Executive Producer of The Walking Dead. Her directing and writing work focus on social justice topics including her short film, Superpower, which screened at the Richmond International Film Festival and the Indie Shorts Film Festival. Her short screenplay, In the Dirt, has been recognized as a finalist at numerous festivals and is a Quarterfinalist in the STOWE Story Labs Inaugural Short Film Production Grant. Other recent directing work includes Baying in the Night and Fire Talker. Current work is focused on the short film, Bicycle Face.
An Assistant Professor in TV/Film Directing for Georgia State University’s School of Film, Media and Theatre, Reid is an active member of the arts community where she is a leading industry expert and consultant in entertainment, having worked extensively as both an agent and a casting director. In collaboration with Shine Retreats, London, she developed acting and directing workshops which she leads yearly in Umbria, Italy. In addition to workshops and professional industry events, Reid also works with Houghton Talent Agency as a special advisor to talent. A former Vice President and Head of the TV/Film Division at Atlanta Models & Talent, Inc. and Casting Director for Fox Casting, she holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She was a past participant in the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab.
Other directing film credits include Food Justice, a collaborative media piece that documents food inequality, combining resources from Georgia State University, Syracuse University and Clark Atlanta with local not-for-profits Free99Fridge, Food4Life and GSU’s Panther Pantry; the short film Sighted, winner of the Spotlight Short Film Awards; Artscape 2021, which aired on ATL PBS. Streaming media projects include: Mami Confessions and Nine, winner of BroadwayWorld.com Best Director of a Stream.
Additional teaching experience includes work for academic institutions such as Kennesaw State University, Columbus State University, University of West Georgia and High Point University. Her other professional and community efforts involve positions as the Artistic Associate and Education Director at both Aurora Theatre and Theatre in the Square. She served on the School Advisory Council in the Marietta City School System and volunteered with the YWCA using theatre skills to teach alternative coping mechanisms for victims of domestic violence.
Director Statement
My mission is to advocate for the empowerment of all artists, bringing to life stories of equity and community. I believe in providing a safe, inclusive space for open conversation, where actors push boundaries as they seek truth and honesty in their work, bringing stories to life authentically.
Our writer, Mary Emily Deal, had a personal connection with this story as her great-great grandmother was a faith healer. Thus, Fire Talker was our opportunity to shed light on that subject while also reversing the common trope of the “wise woman who teaches the poor boy” to read. Here, the exchange of gifts is freely given out of respect and kindness. Charlie thinks nothing of offering to teach Meldonna to read. Ultimately, the friendship allows for him to seek her help when his father is hurt. Fire Talker is a universal story which defies our presumptions of age and race and gives full focus to humanity and the power of love and friendship.