A documentary examining the Eaton Fire’s impact on Altadena’s historically Black community will have its world premiere Saturday, June 27, at the Dances With Films festival in Hollywood, festival organizers and the filmmakers announced.
“Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined,” directed by Pasadena resident Hrag Yedalian and produced by Brandon D. Lamar, president of the NAACP Pasadena Branch, is among 17 documentary features selected for the festival’s 29th edition. The 63-minute film is one of nine documentaries making their world premieres at the event, according to the festival’s published lineup.
The screening is set for 11:30 a.m. at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, 6925 Hollywood Blvd. Dances With Films LA runs June 18 through June 28.
The film centers on Altadena, where the Eaton Fire ignited on Jan. 7, 2025. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire burned 14,021 acres, destroyed 9,418 structures, damaged 1,073 others and killed 19 people before it was fully contained on Jan. 31, 2025. West Altadena’s historically Black neighborhoods were among the hardest hit.
The documentary explores how the fire threatened decades of generational wealth, homeownership and community-building in a neighborhood long regarded as a haven for African American families seeking opportunities denied elsewhere.
While Pasadena historically enforced redlining policies restricting Black homeownership, Altadena became a place where African American families could purchase homes and build family wealth across generations.
But today, many residents fear that their legacy is at risk.
“Altadena represents a remarkable chapter in California’s history,” Yedalian said in the release. “This film examines what is at stake when a community that has spent generations building stability and opportunity suddenly faces the prospect of losing it.”
According to the release, the film includes interviews with former state legislator and former Pasadena mayor Chris Holden; Pasadena Unified School District board member Patrice Marshall McKenzie; Pastor Thomas Bereal of Abounding Grace Ministries; Dennis Robinson, grandson of Olympic medalist Mack Robinson; and Rose Robinson, daughter of Mack Robinson and niece of Jackie Robinson.
Additional interviewees include community artist Keni Arts; Emeka Chukwurah of Rhythms of the Village; lifelong Altadena residents Dawn Moore and Rand Vance; Jasmin Shupper of Greenline Housing Project; and John Williams of The Center for Restorative Justice.
Lamar, a fourth-generation Altadenan and founder of Project Passion, has led the NAACP Pasadena Branch since 2024 and organized the Dena Relief Drive after the fire.
The documentary serves as both a historical record and an examination of challenges facing Altadena as residents rebuild, arriving amid ongoing regional conversations about equitable recovery and displacement.
Founded in 1998 by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent, Dances With Films presents independent films at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre each summer.
Tickets are available at danceswithfilms.com.
