"What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft?"
Meher Mount
Your Friday photo…
Margaret Magnus, producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience, shares two lessons she learned during the three-year process of making the film.
These lessons turned out to be life lessons in following Avatar Meher Baba.
She is speaking with her co-director and cinematographer Ben Hoffman. They won an award for Best Directors of a Feature Documentary at the We Regret to Inform You film festival in December 2025.
In this behind-the-scenes photograph by Margaret Magnus, storyteller Perry van Houten, Senior Reporter for the Ojai Valley News, is being interviewed for the film. Filming are camera people Barbara Doux (left) and Ben Hoffman (right). The location is the Topa Topa Patio at Meher Mount.
“What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft in the making the film, Tree of Fire?”
Ben Hoffman, Co-Director, Editor & Director of Photography:
What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft in making the film, Tree of Fire?
Margaret Magnus, Producer, Co-Director & Writer:
What I learned, and this is proven to be true over and over at Meher Mount — everything happens in Meher Baba’s timing. So you may think a project takes too long. There are too many complications. There are obstacles. But they're really all part of His Divine plan, God's Divine plan. Because when it was time for the movie to be finished, that's when it was finished. Not a moment earlier and not a moment later. And that was the biggest thing I learned.
The other thing I learned in doing the film is — try your hardest and leave the results to God. It was my first time making a film. Things happened serendipitously that I didn't see at the time. But they turned out to be perfect and have perfect moments in the film. There were perfect coincidences that all contributed to make the film as good as it is.
Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience is a heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace. The tree’s survival becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites viewers to rediscover their own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.