Rebuilding Paradise

Early in the morning of November 8, 2018, a spark flies into the parched brush of the Sierra Nevada foothills. With little warning, flames are everywhere. Fierce diablo winds shower burning embers as house after house becomes a violent inferno. Propane tanks explode as desperate citizens grab their most precious possessions and jump into their vehicles hoping to escape. With unfathomable, harrowing footage, Academy Award–winning filmmaker Ron Howard pulls the viewer into the driver’s seat to experience the terror and the helplessness of devastated refugees from a town with the ironic name of Paradise. Eighty-five lives are lost in what ultimately becomes the most destructive wildfire in California’s history. Over the course of a year, survivors from Paradise cope with shared trauma, displacement, and uncertainty about the future. Yet slowly, with sheer grit and determination, they begin to rebuild their lives and redefine the meaning of home. Rebuilding Paradise is a testament to the power of the human spirit from one of our most gifted filmmakers. (Sundance Film Festival)