CODE & RESPONSE (2019) at 9th Napa Valley Film Festival

2018 was one of the worst years on record for natural disasters-taxing governments, straining relief organizations and overwhelming communities as they attempt to rebuild. In the wake of these global catastrophes, a new type of responder emerges: the coder. 

CODE & RESPONSE follows coders around the world (Japan, Puerto Rico, California and Mexico) as they develop groundbreaking technologies to help first responders and communities become more resilient against the growing threat of natural disasters.The film not only explores the technology they are building, but also their motivation and inspiration for what they are creating. 

When Pedro Cruz couldn’t communicate with his Grandmother during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, he used his drone to see how she was doing. As he flew the drone to her house, he saw SOS messages painted on the street, which is what inspired his AI-driven technology, DroneAid. 

Growing up in the mountains of Washington State, Kenji Kato had first-hand experience with the threat of wildfires. His app, Wildfire Report, is designed to help both first responders and communities more accurately track the progress of fires and help find the safest routes to evacuate.

CODE & RESPONSE is directed by Austin Peck and produced by George Hammer. Peck’s credits include director of Gardeners of Eden, about Kenya’s David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the critically-acclaimed feature Tough Bond and “Big Picture,” the 11-episode investigative news series in VR. 

The documentary has been selected as one of two films to be a part of the Napa Valley Film Festival’s INSPIRE Program, a multi-school field trip where students will watch the film and take part in a Q&A on the films’ subjects. 

CODE & RESPONSE has won several awards in 2019, including Best Documentary—International New York Film Festival, Best Documentary Short Film Award - MINT Film Festival, The Gold Award Best Feature—Southeast Regional Film Festival, The Founders Award—North Beach American Film Festival, Official Selection—Golden Door International Film Festival and Official Selection—New Haven International Film Festival.