creative recovery starts here.

APPLY NOW

Applications are currently OPEN for the 2026 Young Filmmakers Program.

Click here for more information.

Born from the 2025 Los Angeles fires, Ashes To Films is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting artists and communities impacted by disaster.

We provide funding, mentorship, resources, and a platform to help rebuild creative lives through storytelling and showcase stories of resilience.

A man with glasses and a beard speaking into a microphone, wearing a jacket, in a dimly lit room with wine bottles visible in the background. Another man in a suit stands nearby, listening, in front of a banner with a tribal flame and film reel logo.

OUR MISSION

Ashes To Films honors the artists who kept creating when the world told them to stop, and the stories that echo that same relentless spirit.

While many relief efforts focus on rebuilding structures and meeting immediate needs, we know that creative recovery is just as essential.

Reconnecting people with their creative voices offers another kind of lifeline.

We aim to help rebuild lives and communities from the inside out by offering programs and resources to help filmmakers and artists impacted by the fires reconnect with their creative spirits through storytelling.

  • Our grant program offers resources, mentorship, and grants to selected filmmakers affected by the LA wildfires. These films will be showcased at the Ashes To Films Festival. The application window is closed for our first grantee class. Check our Filmmakers page for updates on our filmmakers and resources.

  • A free one-week intensive Filmmaking Workship in partnership with New York Film Academy Los Angeles for teens who lost their homes or were displaced by the LA fires. Students also received a $500 micro-grant from Ashes To Films to use towards their films. These films will be showcased at the Ashes To Films Festival.

  • We are a community of artists, filmmakers, writers, actors, crew, and more. We know that hardships affect all of us and many sectors of creative industries, and we strive to build a collective that shares information, resources, and opportunities. Join our newsletter to become a part of the Ashes To Films community.

DONATE

Ashes to Films Festival

One year after the fires, we celebrated resilience through storytelling.

Each year, our festival will serve as a showcase of films from the Ashes To Films grant recipients and our Young Filmmaker Program graduates, as well as other films of resilience.

Programming features screenings, panels, Q&As, and hosted receptions each day.

The stories on screen explore survival, healing, and rebuilding, and recognize the storytellers who have pushed through adversity to make their dreams a reality.

More info here.

How To Get Involved

  • A man dressed in a Superman shirt is teaching a class of young students, with a whiteboard behind him covered in colorful handwriting and a poster that says "Ashes to Films." The students are seated at tables, listening to the teacher.

    Volunteer

    Share equipment and expertise to help grantees complete their projects.

    Volunteer
  • Three young girls, two wearing caps, are working on filming with a professional camera outdoors as part of the Ashes to Films Youth Filmmaking Program.

    Donate

    Your contributions help filmmakers find their footing through creative output.

    Donate
  • Sponsor

    Sponsor

    Be a corporate-level sponsor for our film festival or provide in-kind gifts for programs.

    Sponsor
Logo of Quixote by Sunset Studios

PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS

Logo of the New York Film Academy with large white letters NYFA and smaller text indicating its location in New York and that it is a film school, set against a dark background.
Black-and-white cartoon of a woman with headphones, sitting at a desk with a laptop, microphone, and papers, in front of a computer screen with a map and the words "Live Broadcast."
A vintage film camera on a tripod surrounded by blue stars and sparkles with the text 'STAY in LA' and the slogan 'THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME'.
Logo for Seed & Spark featuring the words 'Seed & Spark' in black uppercase letters with an ampersand between them on a white background.
Title screen for 'mobygratis', a platform offering music for independent filmmakers, with a black background and white text.
Colorful swirling logo with the word 'SHARE' on a black background
Logo for Young Story Tellers featuring a blue speech bubble with three white horizontal lines
Black baseball glove resting on a wooden surface with a baseball inside the glove and a baseball in the background.
Seyfarth logo featuring a stylized black 'S' symbol and the company name in black text.

Support LA Filmmakers

By funding new projects and advocating for better support and policy changes for the working-class film community, we aim to revitalize local storytelling while ensuring those impacted by personal loss can find healing and purpose through artistic collaboration and expression.

DONATE