🆕 Latest Updates

11/01/2025

Mona and Janis's interviews were a huge success! We spoke for hours on end about creativity in extreme conditions, Chinese vs. American generational traumas, the healing nature of collaboration, and the various layers of human consciousness. All production included, it was a 17-hour work day.. but not a minute of it felt like labor. Spirits all around are high, and before the kids had to fly back to Berkeley we celebrated with some ice skating and a traditional Nanjing meal 🤤

10/27/2025

What a trip!! We are in the middle of filming our major sit-down interviews of our main film characters in Washington DC, as well as pending (funds needed) trips to capture footage in Israel, California, China and Ukraine as our story is taking us there for a more intimate look of what they are going through while they create. We have already completed two concept film trailers that you can watch below,  and we are doing some post work of the footage we’ve already captured at Burning Man, while still being in full production. Soon we'll be able to start really digging in to the editing process, and hopefully can hire some help!

❤️ The Story

Nothing lasts forever but the flame that makes life worth living. Chaos and all. Set against the surreal backdrop of Burning Man 2025, Die, Mona, Die!! follows Mona and four fellow artists as the biggest storm in a decade tears through Black Rock City. From heartbreak and dust, they rise again, building art in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Art that is ephemeral, lasting only a week. This is a story of us all, what makes you keep going when you go through life’s storms? This is a story of dancing with the storm and coming out stronger. This is a story about art, loss, purpose, and the fire that refuses to go out. This is a story that doesn’t see the light of day unless you help us make it happen. Let’s make this world kinder, brighter and more open-minded together.

🦄 What Makes Die, Mona, Die! Unique

• Human stories at the heart: Mona, along with artists from Ukraine, North Carolina, and Israel, share intimate reflections on creativity, resilience, and transformation.
• Epic visual spectacle: 27-foot dice, the Black Cloud, the “Resilience” gallery, and Nova Heaven angels—all captured before, during, and after the storm.
• Spiritual and universal themes: The documentary transcends Burning Man stereotypes, exploring impermanence, purpose, resilience, community, grief, and rebirth in ways anyone can relate to.
• A cinematic metaphor for life: The storm becomes a mirror of the challenges we all face - and the choices we make to rise, rebuild, and create meaning.
• Previous documentaries on Burning Man seem to have focused mostly on history, information, building and adversity of its environment. We take a deeply human approach front and center, expanding personal stories into societal themes people deeply relate to. We believe we have a competitive advantage here. 

🙌 We Can’t Do This Without You

Your support brings this story to life. Every contribution helps us continue filming, capture these ephemeral artworks, and share the universal human stories behind them. Whether it’s $5 or $500, your donation fuels the fire of creativity and resilience, and makes this project possible.

💵 Where’s the Money Going?

• Travel & logistics: Visiting artists in the U.S. and internationally, including receiving interviews from the US, Ukraine, China, and Israel.
• Production costs: Cameras, crew, equipment, and post-production.
• Editing & sound design: Crafting the final documentary, including concept trailers, interviews, and festival-ready edits.
• Distribution & outreach: Submitting to film festivals, paying distributors to get us to Netflix, Amazon, any SVODs we can secure - sharing the story online, and reaching global audiences.

🎥 About the Team

💫 Join Us

• This is still a concept trailer, a glimpse of the journey as it unfolds. Come with us as we capture art, courage, and the spiritual pulse of the desert.
• If you’d like to support in other ways—corporate matching, sponsorship, or event partnerships—reach out anytime at diemonadiefilm@gmail.com.
• For larger, tax-deductible contributions through our non-profit, contact us directly to help bring this story—and many more like it—to the world.
• Thank you for helping us share stories that inspire, challenge, and remind us what it means to be human.
• Film website: https://watchmonadie.com/