Ashes to Films Nonprofit Sets Short Film Festival, Filmmaker Cohort

Ashes to Films, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit arts organization established in the wake of January’s wildfires, has unveiled its first cohort of fire-affected filmmakers who will receive grants and other support to help craft a short film.

Ashes to Films was created by industry veterans who were deeply impacted by the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires that left more than 30 people dead and more than 13,000 homes destroyed. The backers of Ashes to Films aim to harness the idea that creativity and the arts help people heal after intense trauma.

“Ashes to Films exists to prove that hope doesn’t burn; dreams don’t burn—and neither does creativity,” said founder Shiloh Strong, a photorgrapher and filmmaker who lost his own home to a wildfire years ago.

Ashes to Films has raised some $85,000 to date and has lined up such notable backers and partners as Quixote, Blackmagic Design, We Make Movies, Echobend Studios, Samy’s Camera and the New York Film Academy. Alyssa Dudek, an alum of the Creative Coalition, has signed on as executive director. “Supporting artists in Los Angeles is supporting the city’s future,” Dudek said.

Ashes to Films’ first group of filmmakers are Seriina Covarrubias, Eric Dyson, Carter Hudson, Jennifer Kim, Judy Korin, Kristen O’Meara, Kerry Ann Reid, Elle Schneider and Maxwell Weidenfeld. The nine participants “represent a diverse group of adults and teens who lost homes, schools and communities to the fires. Their films explore resilience, imagination and recovery,” Ashes to Films said. They will receive production equipment, soundstage access and mentorship.

The short films will premiere at the Ashes to Films Festival set for Jan. 7-11, to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the blazes that changed the face of the Altadena area and the Palisades forever.

Earlier this summer, Ashes to Films awarded scholarships to teen filmmakers who completed a week-long intensive and filmed their projects on the Universal Studios backlot.

“We are proud to be an early supporter of Ashes to Films and the talented filmmakers they are empowering through our donation of equipment and access to our facilities,” said Sean Griffin, senior VP of sales for Quixote. “These filmmakers deserve to be treated like VIPs, and we are excited to roll out the red carpet for them.”

Aspiring fire-affected filmmakers are invited to submit works exploring themes of resilience for festival consideration by Dec. 1. More information can be found at AshestoFilms.org.

(Pictured: Harper Secada-Borrego, an Ashes to Films Young Filmmaker, directs a scene at Universal Studios)