A scene from Altadena: The Heart. The Art. The Soul, from documentarian Eric Dyson.
Photo courtesy Ashes to Films
Cypress Park—After fires ravaged Los Angeles a year ago, a new nonprofit emerged to help survivors find healing through storytelling.
Ashes to Films awarded grants to first-time and veteran filmmakers affected by the fires, giving adults and teens the chance to write and produce short films drawn from their experiences.
Those projects will premiere at the Ashes to Films Inaugural Film Festival, running Jan. 9–11 at the historic Huron Substation in Cypress Park. The festival includes screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and opening- and closing-night gatherings.
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The nine films explore wildfire loss from a range of perspectives, including community, family, and survival. Some of the films include:
Altadena: The Heart. The Art. The Soul, by Eric Dyson, examines how the Eaton Fire threatened Altadena’s Black arts and cultural legacy.Disaster Cats recounts the true story of a house cat that survives the Eaton Fire and reunites with its owner 32 days later. Co-directors Jennifer Kim and David Knott were both displaced by the fire. Kim is still unable to return home. Eaton Alive, directed by Kristen O’Meara, follows a family living in an RV on their burned lot while navigating post-fire realities. O’Meara lost her home to the fire and is currently living in an RV with her husband on their burned lot.
Ashes to Films says it plans to continue the festival annually and remain focused on supporting Los Angeles–based artists affected by extreme adversity.
The original version of this story was generated by an AI system and then reviewed and edited by Jesús Sanchez.
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