Ondi Timoner on How Her Altadena Fire Doc Aims to Help Heal and Stop Foreclosures 

Veteran documentary filmmaker Ondi Timoner and her wife, Morgan Doctor, were working on a film in Budapest when they got a phone call informing them their home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Altadena had burned to the ground in the Eaton Fire. It was Jan. 7, 2025.

Timoner, known for docus like “DIG!,” “We Live in Public,” “Last Flight Home” and most recently “All God’s Children” had lived in the home for 14 years. The director lost all of her physical possessions, including her film equipment and hard drives containing footage from past films, as well as cash, jewelry, valuable paintings and her son’s artwork. But despite the traumatic loss, when Timoner returned to LA she decided to film her and Doctor’s return to their nonexistent dwelling. The director teamed with producer Maggie Contreras and cinematographer Elle Schneider, and her nephew, Eli Timoner.

Together, over a six month period, the small crew captured what the aftermath of the fires looked like for Timoner and her neighbors, many of whom had their generational wealth wiped out overnight and were now at risk of being displaced and losing their homes permanently. Timoner also filmed with Altadena community organizer Heavenly Hughes and the nonprofit organization My Tribe Rise as they attempted to restore the lives of those in need during the aftermath of the catastrophic fires.

The result of Timoner’s efforts is the 38-minute documentary “All The Walls Came Down,” which captures the resilience and solidarity of a community determined to rise again. The director uses her personal loss as a way into a larger story about a community rallying together in the wake of the fires. The doc also chronicles how the Black community of West Altadena is being pushed out despite still making mortgage payments on houses that are no longer standing.

“I am so glad I did film when I returned to the ruins of my home, despite really feeling hopeless and overwhelmed,” says Timoner. “It gave me the material with which to transform the experience from an utter nightmare which we are still living through, to something that can protect and heal. We made the film fast and kept it a short film to try to help an urgent situation in my town.”

In September, “All The Walls Came Down” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. On Sunday, the film will screen at the Sun Valley Film Festival, where Timoner will receive the Impact Award. (The short doc is eligible for an Oscar nomination, which Timoner has never received.)

Since the doc’s debut, it has been used to raise financial and tangible resources, such as Airstream trailers for families who lost homes. Working as a team with My Tribe Rise, Timoner has held screenings of the doc for financiers and organizations that can help Altadena and its struggling residents.

“All The Walls Came Down” has shown me the true power of filmmaking – giving me the opportunity to turn an unimaginable tragedy into a rallying cry and a shield to protect the town and its most vulnerable,” says Timoner. “It’s felt like practicing alchemy to tell my intimate story of grief and loss in order to get help for my neighbors to keep their land and rebuild.”

Currently Timoner and her team are working to get the film out to help build signatures on a petition to stop the foreclosures in Altadena.

“We have reached over 1000 signatures and we are just getting started,” says Timoner. “We ask Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature to issue an immediate moratorium on mortgage payments, interest accrual, foreclosures, and evictions for all residents impacted by the Eaton Fire of January 2025 until claims against Southern California Edison and related insurance issues are resolved.”

On Jan. 7, the Los Angeles Times will release “All The Walls Came Down” on its documentary platform.

“We want to continue to use the film as a way to help the community heal from such a traumatic event that spanned from the Palisades to Altadena,” says Timoner. “We also hope to raise bridge funding to aid Altadena families in need in their recovery.”