INDEPENDENT STREAK

which made me rethink my decisionsalong with the sudden financial instability that led to my abrupt move from Los Angeles to Utah

"Like that wasn't enough, another series of unexpected circumstances gushed at me like awhirlwind. It felt like every aspect of my life started to fall apart one by one,with an unanticipated heartbreak."

RisingLikeaPhoenix ? Director Krushan Naik & "Resurgence"

By Rachel Galvin

Upon hearing the story of Ryan Devriesrecovering from an accident while canyoneering,filmmaker Krushan Naik found some kinship.

DeVrieswent from feeling at home in the great outdoorsto almost giving it up due to the accident.But eventually,with support,he wasable to work his way back into enjoying the sport he loved. Naik related to thisand ended up creating adocumentary called 'Resurgence' about what happened to Devries. Naik said,"Hearing the story for the first time made me reflect on all the eventsthat occurred and were simultaneously taking place in my life asan international student back then.After moving to the statesin 2019 and navigating life in aforeign land,the massive wave of socio-political turmoil and unrest during the worldwide pandemic pushed me to deal with unimaginable uncertainties From the science vs politicsvs religious clashes,to the Black LivesMatter movement and the racial tension around it, all of it made everyday life on the edge,especially asan International student.

"Then came ashocking regulation (which wasthankfully later revoked) for non-immigrant studentsto leave the country if the universities decided to remain online for the fall 2020 semester because of the pandemic,

"Next," he continued,"the people'sresponse to the presidential elections and the attack on the Capitol added to the uncertainty of the future of 'aliens' like me in the states All of it had driven me to aspace of complete uncertainty that felt like adark abyssfrom which I never saw myself resurging.All my planshad backfired,dreamswere shattering,the future had never looked so uncertain,and every day wasanew challenge in an alien world buried under snow for weeksand weeks. Isolation,depression,anxiety, helplessnessand fear put me through an existential crisis.But,I persisted and resurged! Somewhere around that time,I even came up with aquote, 'There isno story without suffering; afriend of mine even printed that and gifted it to me in aframe to keep myself motivated,not give up and keep hustling.So,when the time came to make afilm,I decided to make 'Resurgence' because it had the perfect arc that showshow to rise back from your ashes,no matter how hard life hitsyou I felt like aPhoenix with a hopeful,optimistic and cheerful ending!"

Naik shot the whole film in Utah in multiple locations. The interviewswere shot first,then the B-roll,which took about four months,he said. Editing took from about November 2021 to May 2022.

Asked the most difficult part of doing the film,he said,"The film was challenging on all levels My biggest challenge was logistics and finance while making 'Resurgence' after enduring the pandemic.On the physical end, it demanded intense commitment, and hiking the canyons with a heavy backpack and a slipped disc was challenging, sometimes extremely painful.But,I just kept pushing and decided to do it all by myself. Living in LosAngeles during the Pre-Production and Production stage,I made multiple tripsto Zion National Park, Utah,to shoot with athree-camera and lights set up and simultaneously record sound Because the wall ? where the incident occurred ? wasalong strenuous hike/repel deep in the canyon, carrying non-essential itemswasout of the question, which meant no heavy film equipment. So,I had to think of alternative ways to get pro-quality footage that would later complement the interviews captured on AlexaMini and Canon cameras. Luckily, in the fall of 2021, Apple released the ProRes Codec for iPhones, which allowed capturing substantial quality,so I recorded the B-Rollson my phone.The downside was that it consumed aridiculousamount of storage space on asmall device,so I didn't have the luxury of keeping the camerarolling all the time; it had to be motivated/intentional."

He added,"The weather also added to the logistical challenge. The summer and fall season of 2021 wasrough for the areas in and around Zion, as occasional unusual storms forced me to reschedule time and again.Because of this,most logistical decisionswere also last minute,hindering collaboration with peers willing to volunteer"

Money wasalso an issue,when he needed to hire more professionals.He explained,"There were occasionswhen I would leave for Zion after overnight planning and assembling every piece of equipment the next day on immediate notice.The driveswere exhausting,12-14 hourslong,followed by shoot/work the next day. Sometimes,I would call my sister and mother back home in

Indiato stay awake while driving at night. On one occasion,I wasgoing back to LAwith all the equipment,racing away from astorm,which covered most of the southern Utah route in the snow,stopping everyday life the following day.

"On my last trip to Zion,while shooting the B-rollsin the canyon,the plan to get out of the canyonsbefore sunset viaashortcut backfired (somewhat). The hike wasstrenuous,and I,being an unprofessional climber, had to be supported with a rope during my climb out when we unexpectedly hit a steep mountain.After which,we lost sunlight and our track,too,resulting in athrilling final few hours. Allegedly,amountain lion followed us,forcing usto use whistlesand simultaneously rushing toward the main trail,which,I must admit,wasexciting.

"With lodging and boarding,because I couldn't afford ahotel,I slept on a yoga mat at night and ate PB&Jsandwichesand frozen food for breakfast, lunch and dinner to save money It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I gave everything in me,emotionally,physically and mentally to make this film and almost died three times during its production process: twice while dozing and driving,and once while nearly becoming the alleged mountain lion'sdinner. But,all in all,it wasan exciting and retrospective experience that made me nothing but even more resilient and got me pumped up for the next one."

"Resurgence" wasshown at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, where it won an award for Best College Documentary It hasbeen in several other festivals,including the Oscar®/Academy Award® qualifying St.Louis International Film Festival.

Naik'sfirst film wasan animated short,nominated for the ViewersChoice Awardsat the 24 FPSInternational Animation Awards2012,Mumbai.

He holdsaMaster'sin Film & TVProduction from LoyolaMarymount University and adiplomain 3D Animation and VFXfrom when he wasin India He also had an advertising agency working with Bollywood celebrities and the best of film and fashion industry artistsfor seven years.

For moreinformationonNaik,visit www.krushanaik.film.