Out of the Ashes

Synopsis

On January 7, 2025, wildfires fueled by 100 mph winds tore through Los Angeles, scorching 40,000 acres, destroying 16,000 homes, and displacing more than 100,000 people. But statistics cannot measure the loss of a hand-painted red front door, an antique violin or a child’s bedroom. Out of the Ashes uses cutting-edge spatial technology to document the devastation and the human stories within it. The seven vignettes in Out of the Ashes are synecdoches for so many others, describing the memories of the lives lived in those homes, births celebrated, grief and family members mourned. The destruction captured in this documentary begs the audience to ask, “What place was this? What people lived here?” and “What will come from OUT OF THE ASHES?”

Statement

As immersive artists who grew up in Los Angeles, we are unified in our commitment to share the stories of our friends, neighbors, and community who have been devastated by one of the greatest disasters to ever befall our city. Since the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles Fires, deadly urban-wildland fires have happened around the world, in South Korea, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Turkey, Greece, France, Spain & Portugal. 2026 has been a record-breaking year with fires across Africa, Asia and the U.S., all running above historical fire averages. The World is burning. We will not forget. We will reflect, memorialize and imagine a renewed Los Angeles. Our hope is that by sharing the stories from our city, it will help the world understand the cost of climate change. Out of the ashes is a vessel for our grief, a celebration of our resilience and an inspiration for ways forward.

Credits

Director

Rory Mitchell, Nonny de la Peña

Production

MERCANTILE (Rory Mitchell), Emblematic (Nonny de la Peña)

Running Time

26'

Language

English

Country

USA

Main Cast

Adisah Grimes, Karl Baumann, David Low, Esther Margulies, Ana Medina-Whirledge, Ted Porter, Melissa Rivers, Emily Viglietta, Courtney B. Vance

Screenplay

Rory Mitchell, Nonny de la Peña

Music

Morgan Whirledge, Timothy Tomas Garcia, Ben Mekler

Art directors

Natalia Pavlova

Lead developers

Miller Klitsner, Arvin Tehrani

Designer

Karl Baumann

Artists

Adrianna Polcyn, Yu-Jie Huang, Charlie Pepper Kemp, Ashley Buschorn, Jet Olano, Mary Matheson, Isaac Landon Cohen, Mike Caronna

Technical team

4DV.ai, Trey McNair

Sound

Tim Gedemer, Harry Risoleo