Amy Smyth | 2025 | 7 min.
2026 Official Selection
What if your home could be handmade—from the ground beneath your feet?
This intimate micro-documentary tells the story of Betty Seaman—a mother, builder, and teacher—who constructed her family’s cob home with her own hands. What began as a quest for affordable, sustainable shelter grew into a living classroom for resilience and community.
But when wildfires came dangerously close to consuming everything she had built, Betty was forced to confront the stark realities of life on a changing planet. Filmed while the Palisades fires were still smouldering, her story emerges as one of survival, adaptation, and the possibility of building back without using toxic materials.
Amy Smyth is a British-born filmmaker and photographer currently residing on a communal farm in Malibu, California. With over two decades of experience in photography, she transitioned into filmmaking to delve deeper into narratives that explore the interconnectedness of people, nature, and community.
Her work is characterized by an intimate, observational style that captures the nuances of everyday life and the resilience found within it. Working across a variety of media, she continues to tell stories that spotlight environmental leaders, inform people on the possibilities of regenerative living, and explore the healing power of storytelling.
