ASHES TO FILMS FILMMAKER PROGRAM

Applications for the 2026 A2F Filmmaker Program are now OPEN.

APPLY HERE

CREATIVE RECOVERY THROUGH FILMMAKING

The 2025 LA fires destroyed homes, businesses, communities, and lives. The Ashes to Films Filmmaker Program exists to help people affected by disaster heal through creative recovery. We believe that creating art is one of the most effective ways to heal and regain agency in the wake of disaster. Through our programs and film festival, we aim to highlight the power of creative recovery and stories of resilience.

Ashes To Films is a nonprofit that focuses on making sure disaster-impacted individuals and communities have access to creative resources as they heal. We focus on storytelling through the medium of film, and offer funding and other support to selected applicants. Once selected, A2F Filmmakers have access to A2F's network of support to create their own short films and tell their stories - in their own words.

Films do not have to be about disaster, and can cover any topic the filmmaker chooses, so long as the story has a theme of resilience - whatever that means to you.

We provide financial support, production support, resources, connections, and a place to premiere these films - at the Ashes To Films Festival. We are NOT a production company, but we ARE here to make sure our filmmakers succeed, complete their projects, and are ready to premiere at the A2F Festival.

WHO CAN APPLY

Anyone affected by the 2025 LA fires. Whether you lost your home or business, have/had smoke damage, were displaced, or had another significant impact, you can apply. Please note - proof of impact will be required and eligibility is determined by the Ashes To Films Team and Filmmaker Selection Committee.

2026 PROGRAM DETAILS

The Ashes To Films Filmmaker Program will take place from September 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027.

Final projects will premiere at the Ashes To Films Festival in January 2027.

Applicants will need to provide details about themselves, their impact, and their project.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE AUGUST 14th, 2026

The 2025 Ashes to Films Filmmakers

The Ashes to Films Filmmakers are storytellers whose lives were directly impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Each filmmaker received a grant and creative support from ATF and our partners to help create, produce, and shoot their own short films.

Their short films — made in the aftermath of loss — embody resilience, perseverance, and the power of creative recovery.

All projects premiered at the Ashes to Films Festival, January 9-11, 2026.

Jennifer Kim

Disaster Cats

  • Description Jennifer Kim is an L.A.–based writer, producer, and journalist whose work spans film, television, radio, and print. She wrote and produced the award-winning short Korean American Witches Society (Dances With Films premiere, Micheaux). A former teacher and journalist, she began her career at KCET-TV (PBS) and has contributed to  USA TODAY, NPR, and the Los Angeles Times. Jennifer’s screenwriting has been recognized by the CBS Writers Program, Austin Film Festival, and the ISA, where she won Grand Prize and was named one of the Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and UCLA Film School (MFA, Screenwriting).

    The daughter of disco-loving immigrants from North and South Korea who settled in Appalachian Ohio, Jennifer draws on her fish-out-of-water upbringing to blend comedy, tragedy, and whimsy. She is developing multiple projects, including a K-drama and is represented by IAG, Industry, and Amplified.

David Knott

Disaster Cats

  • David Knott is an Emmy-winning animation director, writer, and storyboard artist with over three decades of experience in television and feature animation. He began his career at Hanna-Barbera and went on to spend ten years at Disney TV Animation, where his credits include conceiving the main title sequence for Recess and designing the poster for Recess: School’s Out. At Disney, he storyboarded iconic episodes of Kim Possible, including the Ron and Kim’s first kiss. David later directed the pilot and first season of The Emperor’s New School and launched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as its pilot director. At Nickelodeon, he served as Supervising Director of Penguins of Madagascar, which earned both Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards. His recent work includes Co-Executive Producer on The Ghost and Molly McGee and Retake Director on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. A longtime Altadena resident, David narrowly avoided having to leave his cat Cleo behind during the Eaton Fire evacuation – an experience that connects him personally to Disaster Cats.

Judy Korin

Inventory

  • Judy Korin is a six-time Emmy nominee whose films have been supported by Sundance, the Catapult Film Fund, Film Independent, and Impact Partners, among others. Most recently, she produced the feature documentary Adrift with Rory Kennedy’s Moxie Films and served as consulting producer on Laura Nix’s Draw for Change: Democracy Under Siege.

    Her producing credits include Rebel Hearts (Sundance 2021, Max), The Great Hack (Netflix, 2019), The Lincoln Project (Showtime, 2022), and Bending the Arc (Sundance 2017, Netflix). The Great Hack was BAFTA-, Grierson-, and Emmy-nominated and made the Academy Award shortlist. Judy was also Creative Director for The Vow Part II (HBO, 2022). She teaches documentary filmmaking at California State University, Northridge.

Eric A. Dyson

Altadena: The Heart, The Art, The Soul

  • A native Angeleno, Eric A. Dyson has built a dynamic career in film and television, beginning with his training at Brooks Institute of Photography and early work with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. A longtime member of the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600), he has logged more than 40,000 hours on set, with credits including A Wrinkle in Time, Snowfall, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and seasons 1 and 2 of Man on the Inside.                            

    Transitioning into directing, Dyson’s award-winning short films—most notably Baby Steps, inspired by his family’s experience with addiction and generational trauma—have screened at the Pan African Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival. His work blends intimate storytelling with socially conscious themes centered on identity, resilience, and healing within the Black community. He is a Stowe Story Lab scholarship recipient and is developing his debut feature expanding the world of Baby Steps.

    https://www.ericdyson.net/

Maxwell Weidenfeld

The Home

  • Maxwell Weidenfeld made his directorial debut in 2024 with the music video Same Thing (For Mojo) by Hushmoney, which premiered at the Silver Lake Shorts Festival. He has also attended the LACHSA summer program for cinematic arts and was awarded a merit scholarship to attend Interlochen’s summer film program in Michigan.

    In addition to directing, Maxwell has worked as a production assistant and actor in a short film directed by Aelfi Oudghiri. He continues to develop his skills as a young filmmaker with a passion for storytelling and visual composition. He also co-hosts the podcast The Guardian, where every episode a different adult takes us little thirteen year olds to an R rated movie.

    Additional work can be found at https://maxwellweidenfeld.com

Elle Schneider

True Crime

  • Elle Schneider is a filmmaker and cinematographer from New York City whose work spans narrative features, documentaries, and music videos. A member of the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and the International Collective of Female Cinematographers, she writes about cinematography for ICG Magazine and has been featured in Vanity Fair, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and American Cinematographer.

    Her cinematography credits include The Food That Built America (History), 18½ (Starz), and My Life Is on the Line (Lifetime). She produced and shot That Guy Dick Miller (SXSW premiere) and contributed to acclaimed documentaries such as I Am Divine, Half the Picture, and Framing John DeLorean. As a director, Elle’s work has screened at Slamdance, Sidewalk, HollyShorts, and Tallgrass. She is a member of Film Fatales, the Alliance of Women Directors, and Women in Media.

    Transitioning into directing, Dyson’s award-winning short films—most notably Baby Steps, inspired by his family’s experience with addiction and generational trauma—have screened at the Pan African Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival. His work blends intimate storytelling with socially conscious themes centered on identity, resilience, and healing within the Black community. He is a Stowe Story Lab scholarship recipient and is developing his debut feature expanding the world of Baby Steps.

    https://www.ericdyson.net/

Kristen O’Meara

Eaton Alive

  • Kristen O’Meara is an actor with a film and television career spanning over 30 years.  She is also a content creator exploring her first independent film project through Ashes to Film. After losing much of her equipment during a difficult year, she was drawn to the fellowship as a chance to reconnect with her creative voice. Though new to producing her own work, she is channeling her energy into developing an original project that reignited her excitement for storytelling.

    Her recent acting credits include Hacks, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, St. Denis Medical, Matlock and 9-1-1. Additional work can be found atwww.imdb.me/kristenomeara and www.kristenomeara.com

Kerry Ann Reid

The Primal Scream Of The American Housewife

  • Born in the SF Bay Area, Kerry Ann Reid spent her early “adulthood” slumming around the experimental theater of NYC’s Lower East Side. She wrote, produced, and acted in theater and indie films. Meanwhile, Kerry Ann earned her writing degree, theater minor from Hunter College. Then she met a boy. A proposal, relocation, and pregnancy ensued. Although cheap Chardonnay at sunset T-ball is appealing, it would never be enough. Instead of surrendering to a life of negotiation with little people with poor impulse control, Kerry Ann found the UCLA Extension Program which led to the UCLA MFA Screenwriting Program, where she won the UCLA MFA Screenwriting Contest. Her scripts have placed top three in both Final Draft Big Break and Fresh Voices, as well as semifinalist placements in Screencraft, Diverse Voices and WeScreenplay. Kerry Ann has also co-produced three shorts and associate produced the upcoming feature I’ve Got You. When not writing, or sweeping the kid’s rooms for vapes, Kerry Ann writes YA and snarky comedies with a nod to the American social and political climate trying to reclaim our joy in this mess.

Seriina Covarrubias

She Fell From Space

  • Seriina Covarrubias is a Mexican American filmmaker and writer based in Los Angeles, originally from Arizona and raised in Alaska. Her debut feature, In-Between the Mountains and the Ocean, won eight awards at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, including Best Feature Film, Grand Jury Award, and the Doug Austin Humanitarian Award for Narrative. The film also recently earned Best Cinematography at the Silicon Beach Film Festival. Seriina recently dove into the world of vertical micro drama and is actively pushing the boundaries of the medium, experimenting with new ways to tell rich, cinematic stories in ultra-short form.

    She writes both bold adult coming-of-age dramas and sharp satirical comedies, often revealing societal dynamics that others overlook. Her work centers underrepresented voices with emotional honesty and fearless perspective. A member of the Alliance of Women Directors and the Chicana Directors Initiative, she brings the same discipline and precision to her creative work as a director, producer, and screenwriter that she developed through earning three black belts in Japanese martial arts.

Carter Hudson

Doula

  • Carter Hudson is an actor best known for his lead role in FX’s Snowfall, which ran for six seasons. Before that, he spent fifteen years performing Off-Broadway in New York City, appearing in numerous acclaimed productions including Lucy Prebble's "The Effect", "The Substance of Fire" and "Van Gogh's Ear". Most recently he appeared on Broadway in  "Good Night and Good Luck" opposite George Clooney.  His additional credits include Dear Edward on Apple+, The Wilds for Amazon Prime and American Horror Story.