22-05-2025
‘Big Rock Burning,' Documentary On Devasting L.A. Wildfires, Being Shopped In Cannes
EXCLUSIVE: Buyers in Cannes are getting a look at a documentary on the L.A. wildfires directed by Conscious Contact CEO David Goldblum, a resident of the Big Rock community in Malibu that was devastated by the runaway blazes.
Production just wrapped on Big Rock Burning: An Untold Story of the 2025 LA Fires, executive produced by actor Mark Hamill, Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel (Icarus), Secret Sauce Media founder Julie Parker Benello, Trevor Burgess (The Dating Game, The White House Effect), and Marilou Hamill.
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'The film captures the raw aftermath of a harrowing night when residents were left to fend for themselves after officials deemed the area too dangerous to enter,' notes a release. 'With no help coming, neighbors turned into first responders — some fighting back flames with garden hoses, others forced to flee through walls of fire.'
Goldblum, who narrowly escaped his own home 'with nothing but his life, began filming within days, determined to preserve the stories of survival, loss, and unanswered questions.'
The Palisades Fire erupted January 7 in extreme Santa Ana wind conditions, 'spreading at an unprecedented rate of five football fields per minute,' tearing through Pacific Palisades, and parts of Topanga and Malibu. The Eaton Fire broke out to the east that same night; it took more than three weeks to completely extinguish the wildfires, which destroyed over 60 square miles — an area larger than the city of San Francisco. 'In the weeks leading up to the disaster,' the release states, 'multiple warnings from scientists and fire officials went unheeded. Fire hydrants ran dry. Resources were stretched thin. Communication broke down.'
'People are grieving, but they also want accountability,' Goldblum said in a statement. 'How was a city like Los Angeles so catastrophically unprepared for something we were warned about again and again?'
Over two dozen fire-impacted residents contributed to the film, 'offering firsthand accounts of the fire and its aftermath.'
Big Rock Burning is being produced by Goldblum and James Costa (The Dating Game, Welcome to Chechnya) through his Bird Street Productions. Co-producers include Jyoti Drummond, Colin Drummond, and Wade Major, who also lost their homes in the fire. Additional funding support was provided by the Around The Table Foundation.
Goldblum's recent producing work includes Grassland, executive produced by Common; Sell/Buy/Date, executive produced by Meryl Streep; and Uvalde Mom, which premiered at SXSW.
Big Rock Burning is now in post-production and is being fast-tracked for distribution, per producers. 'The documentary explores not only the devastating impact of climate-driven disasters but also the question: what happens when a community is left to burn?'
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