A film inspired by B.C.sa国际传媒檚 wildfire seasons makes its world premiere Saturday, Sept. 16, in Vernon.

Dragon Fruit is a short sci-fi independent film from West Kelowna writer-director J. Brown.

The film follows a single mother trying to survive in a violent and dystopian world as she desperately tries to grow a small dragon fruit plant to sell it for cash.

It explores the sacrifices people make for a better life, and what happens when that tenuous work-life balance is upended by a demanding side hustle.

Starring Yvonne Chapman (Street Legal, Kung Fu), as the mother, the film explores the sacrifices a person must make to work for a better life. The smoky, apocalyptic world the mother and her son live in was inspired by British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 annual wildfire season sa国际传媒� well known to Brown who was born and raised in West Kelowna.

sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e from the Okanagan, you know the eerie orange hue the world gets when the smoke rolls in,sa国际传媒� said Brown, whose parents were still on evacuation alert as of Sept. 10 due to the McDougall Creek wildfire.

sa国际传媒淚t literally feels like a sci-fi movie, but whether itsa国际传媒檚 a wildfire or a pandemic, we all still have to go to work tomorrow. I think thatsa国际传媒檚 an interesting jumping-off point.sa国际传媒�

Turning that inspiration into a multi-year film production, however, was a Herculean task.

sa国际传媒淥ne member of our cast called it sa国际传媒楾he Lord of the Rings of short films,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� he said with a laugh. sa国际传媒淥nce the ball started rolling, it just got bigger and more complex, and a 12-page script turned something much more ambitious. Luckily, people got excited and wanted to help, or Isa国际传媒檇 still be spray-painting props in my bathroom.sa国际传媒�

The team was shot-through with Okanagan talent.

From the beginning of production, Brown was joined by Jen Araki as producer sa国际传媒� friends since they were children at Glenrosa Elementary School. Araki and her husband, actor Dylan Playfair (Letterkenny, The Mighty Ducks, from Fort St. James), supported Dragon Fruit through their production company Crystal Mountain Films.

When it came time for music, Brown again leaned on childhood connections, recruiting KSS grad Shawn Penner, as composer.

sa国际传媒淭he film has very little dialogue, so the music has to do the talking. What he came up with is incredible,sa国际传媒� said Brown.

Dragon Fruitsa国际传媒檚 World Premiere will take place at The TV Fest in Vernon at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the historic Vernon Towne Theatre. Free admission, 19+ only.