When The Sky Turned Orange: Altadena’s Story Shines at Jordan Brand House
- MADE IN DENA
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
On Thursday, February 12th, under the iconic Jumpman logo at Inglewood’s Jordan Brand House, an intimate audience of a couple hundred people mingled excitedly as the screen glowed a hazy amber. I was among them, attending a private screening of When The Sky Turned Orange, a short documentary film executive produced by Issa Rae. The film’s title is no metaphor – it refers to the day the Eaton Fire of 2025 turned Altadena’s sky an eerie orange, heralding one of the worst wildfires in California’s history. This exclusive event, hosted by the Jordan Brand during NBA All-Star Weekend, wasn’t just a movie night. It was a communal reflection on tragedy and resilience, memory and hope, all amplified by the presence of major cultural forces like Jordan and Rae.
A Community’s Story of Resilience and Hope
When The Sky Turned Orange explores the human side of the Eaton Fire’s aftermath, focusing on Altadena’s historically Black community and how ordinary people stepped up as heroes. In the wake of the fire, Altadena residents literally became first responders – neighbors helping neighbors with “improvised relief efforts that transformed tragedy into mutual aid and solidarity”. The short film follows these unlikely heroes through the crisis, showing how the community came together beneath an apocalyptic orange sky to support one another. Through intimate, ground-level storytelling, we witness the courage, care, and creativity that blossomed amid chaos. We see parents, shop owners, pastors, and teens organizing food drives in parking lots, turning churches into supply hubs, and comforting each other in hotel lobbies. The film captures not only the physical rebuilding, but the emotional and spiritual fortitude that emerged when everything else was reduced to ash.
Crucially, When The Sky Turned Orange arrives one year after the Eaton Fire, serving as both a memorial and a rallying cry. The Eaton Fire killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, becoming California’s fifth-deadliest and second-most destructive wildfire on record. By spotlighting how community members mobilized to provide resources, support, and healing for families, the documentary ensures that this chapter of local history isn’t forgotten. It commemorates not just what was lost, but what was found in the aftermath: an unwavering spirit of “we got us”. As viewers, we’re left in awe of Altadena’s resolve – and inspired to ask how we, too, might turn pain into purpose.
Issa Rae’s LA Roots and Jordan’s Backing
It’s no coincidence that When The Sky Turned Orange was championed by Issa Rae, a native of Los Angeles who has long celebrated the stories of her city. Rae, best known for her hit HBO show Insecure, is an Inglewood native who “has predominantly featured the city and surrounding areas in her work”. She’s built a career on authentic, community-centered storytelling and has been outspoken about uplifting Black communities in LA. (As she once said about supporting local Black businesses: “if we’re not going to do it ourselves, nobody else will”.) In partnering on this film as executive producer, Rae is clearly “putting on” for her city once again – this time by helping Altadena’s voices reach a broader audience.
Rae’s company ColorCreative produced the documentary, with co-founders Deniese Davis and Talitha Watkins also onboard. They tapped first-time director B.P. Edwards – an Altadena native who lived through the Eaton Fire – to helm the project. Edwards witnessed firsthand how his neighbors mobilized when official responses fell short, and he felt compelled to document the “care, ingenuity, and collective action” he saw around him. Through ColorCreative’s Find Your People incubator program, Rae’s team gave Edwards the mentorship and resources to bring this story to life. “To me, B.P. Edwards represents the future of filmmaking,” Watkins said, praising his authenticity and commitment to community storytelling. With heavyweights like Rae backing an emerging local filmmaker, the production itself became an act of community empowerment – passing the mic to someone who is from the community being portrayed.
It’s also significant that Jordan Brand played a key role in elevating this film. Michael Jordan’s Black Community Commitment initiative (a $100 million effort to invest in Black communities) provided partial funding for the project. In fact, ColorCreative’s Watkins worked directly with Jordan Brand to secure production support. The result of this collaboration was on full display at the Jordan Brand House screening: a powerful local story amplified on a platform built by one of the biggest names in Black culture and sport. Seeing Jordan’s iconic jumpman emblem alongside Altadena’s story was deeply symbolic – a reminder that our communities’ struggles matter and deserve to be seen on the big stage. It felt like a new model of storytelling synergy: grassroots voices supported by global brands, all toward the common goal of uplifting Black communities.
Elevating Voices and Exposing Injustice
Beyond celebrating resilience, When The Sky Turned Orange doesn’t shy away from the hard truths of the Eaton Fire. The film places personal testimonies in the context of larger questions about racial and environmental injustice. We learn that Altadena’s Black community disproportionately suffered the fire’s worst impacts. West Altadena – home to many Black families and historically a Black middle-class enclave – did not receive timely evacuation alerts when the fire roared down the San Gabriel Mountains. While East Altadena (which is wealthier and whiter) was ordered to evacuate within an hour of the fire’s start, the largely Black west side heard nothing for nearly nine hours. By the time evacuation orders finally came, flames and choking smoke had already overtaken neighborhoods, and families were left to save themselves. Tragically, almost all of the fire’s 19 victims lived in West Altadena.
Watching the documentary, you can feel the anger and grief beneath the surface of the interviews. Survivors describe frantically calling neighbors and family members, loading elders into cars through ember-filled air, and wondering why help was so slow to reach their side of town. These stories illustrate, in human terms, what the statistics later confirmed: “Black Altadena residents disproportionately experienced damage from the conflagration”. It’s a gut-punch to realize that in a moment of natural disaster, man-made inequity cost lives. The film gives space for community members to voice these painful truths – to demand accountability and ask the question out loud: If this community hadn’t been Black, would the response have been the same?
In the year since, those voices have sparked real-world action. The outcry in Altadena led to a state civil rights investigation into whether the emergency response violated anti-discrimination laws. As I sat in the screening, I felt the weight of our community fighting for justice. But I also felt pride, because this documentary and others like it that were born from this tragedy are part of that fight. By capturing not just the blaze and ruins, but the bias exposed in its wake, the film is elevating community voices in the most powerful way possible – turning their lived experience into a call for change. It’s a testament to why representation behind the camera matters: an Altadena-raised filmmaker understood what angles of the story mainstream media might miss. When The Sky Turned Orange ensures those perspectives are preserved and heard. It transforms outrage into a narrative that can educate others about environmental racism and rally support for the survivors’ ongoing recovery and advocacy.
An Unforgettable Night at the Jordan Brand House
The setting of the screening itself added another layer of epic meaning to the experience. The Jordan Brand House – a huge sleek, culture-rich pop-up space in Inglewood – was buzzing with a unique energy. The walls were adorned with images of Black excellence in sport and culture, and here we were watching Black excellence in community action. Before the film rolled, there was a palpable sense of unity in the room. Many of us were from Dena or greater LA, and many had personally felt the Eaton Fire’s impact. MADE IN DENA (yours truly) was personally invited to attend by one of the heroic community members featured in the film, Krystal Lopez of Juicy Little Society. Surrounded by Machael Jordan's sneakers, basketballs, and memorabilia, including his classic Corvette, we greeted one another not just as film-goers but as members of a broader community that had come to bear witness.
As the documentary unfolded, I found myself glancing around. People were nodding in recognition at scenes of neighbors distributing clothes and food. Some wiped away tears during testimonies of a community that lost so much. It felt less like watching a movie and more like sitting in on a collective story circle – equal parts grief and healing. By the time the credits rolled, we broke into applause not just for the filmmaking, but for the community itself – for those on screen and among us who lived this story and sprung into action with whatever we had to work with.
After the screening, a brief Q&A and discussion reinforced how meaningful this moment was. Representatives from ColorCreative spoke about how vital it is for these stories to be told by the community. A Jordan Brand spokesperson highlighted why the company chose to support the project: because it aligns with their commitment to uplift Black voices and effect change. Audience members – including some fire survivors – expressed gratitude that major platforms like Jordan and prominent figures like Issa Rae would shine a light on Altadena’s struggle. One attendee noted that usually “our tragedies don’t get this kind of attention,” and how validating it was to see a local story treated with such importance. As we mingled after, under the neon Air Jordan signage, there was a shared sense that something special had just happened. A community’s pain had been acknowledged in a space usually reserved for pop culture celebrations. The screening itself felt like a small step toward healing – and a promise that Altadena’s story will not be overlooked.
The Emotional Power of an Orange Sky
The phrase “when the sky turned orange” reverberated in my mind long after I left the Jordan Brand House. There’s an emotional and symbolic power to that image which the film captures so effectively. For those of us in California, orange skies have become an unsettling new normal in the age of megafires. It’s the color of emergency – a sun blotted by smoke, casting everything in a surreal amber glow. In the documentary, that orange sky is almost a character of its own: ominous and beautiful, horrifying yet impossible to forget. One survivor in the film described looking up at noon and thinking it was dusk because the sky was so dark and orange. That image conveys more than any statistic could about how the world suddenly changed for Altadena on January 7, 2025.
The title When The Sky Turned Orange speaks to a specific moment when life was upended, but it also works as a metaphor for awakening and transformation. The sky turning orange marked the end of life as many knew it – but it also marked the beginning of a new chapter of community solidarity. In the film, under that orange sky, neighbors who barely knew each other became family. People found purpose amid panic, and strangers extended hands to one another. The color orange, often associated with warning or hazard, in this context became the color of togetherness. As I reflect on it, the sky’s fiery hue might have signaled danger, but it also illuminated the best in people. It forced everyone to see, in stark color, the truth of their vulnerability – and the strength of their unity. The documentary’s visuals drive this home: shots of residents encircling a distribution table with the smokey orange firmament above them feel almost poetic. It’s as if the heavens themselves bore witness to the community’s courage. Few film titles have felt as literal and as symbolic at once. When The Sky Turned Orange perfectly encapsulates both the disaster and the hope that followed – a moment when nature screamed for attention and humanity answered with love.
Continuing the Recovery – MADE IN DENA’s Commitment
As the founder of MADE IN DENA – a brand rooted in Pasadena and Altadena pride – I felt an immense sense of validation watching Altadena’s story receive this level of attention. Since the day of the fire, our team at MADE IN DENA has been on the ground, contributing however we can to the recovery and rebuilding of our community. We’ve volunteered with and supported Dena Relief and Neighborhood Survants, which were lifelines for countless residents in the immediate aftermath. We’ve highlighted heroes like Krystal “Miss Juicy Little” Lopez, who lost her own youth center to the flames but still set up weekly food pop-ups for survivors. We’ve supported Build Back Dena, a business resilience project that helped local entrepreneurs (including MADE IN DENA) get back on their feet after countless storefronts were reduced to rubble. In 2025, we published stories celebrating how “DENA chose each other,” shining a light on everyday people who put community first when it mattered most. In short, this recovery is personal to us. It’s been part of our mission to ensure that the narrative of Dena’s comeback is told with pride and honesty.
Seeing When The Sky Turned Orange affirmed that all those efforts and stories truly matter. The film is like a mirror held up to our community, reflecting not only our struggle, but our soul. It amplifies the very voices we’ve been trying to elevate through our blog and apparel – the voices of those who love “Dena” and refuse to let it be defined by tragedy alone. The documentary also broadens the audience for these stories, encouraging people beyond our local area to understand what happened in Altadena. And with Jordan and Issa Rae’s star power behind it, the film sends a message that the world is watching and cares. For the survivors still rebuilding homes and lives, knowing that their experiences are validated on such a platform can be deeply empowering. It says: you are seen, you are heard, and you don’t have to carry this alone. For us, to be in that room was to witness our community’s narrative being honored on a grand scale. It renewed our commitment to keep doing the work – to support fire recovery initiatives, to collaborate with organizations fighting for accountability, and to keep telling Dena’s story long after the news cameras have left.
Storytelling as a Catalyst for Healing and Action
When I think about the journey from the night the sky turned orange to the screening we just attended, it’s clear that storytelling has been a crucial thread throughout. Stories were what sustained us in the immediate aftermath – whether it was a survivor sharing how they escaped, a volunteer explaining why they stepped up, or a neighborhood elder recalling how Altadena had overcome adversity before. Each story passed along became a tiny beam of light guiding us through the darkness. Now, those individual beams have been collected and projected as a powerful beacon in When The Sky Turned Orange. The film demonstrates how telling our stories can lead to healing, by allowing people to process trauma and find meaning in it. It also shows how storytelling can spur action: the outrage and frustrations captured on camera is fueling investigations and reforms, and the solidarity on screen is inspiring others to volunteer or donate to recovery efforts. This is the beauty of documentary filmmaking at its best – it doesn’t just inform, it unites and ignites.
I left the Jordan Brand House feeling emotionally spent yet uplifted. The community charter bus ride back to the 626 was filled with reflection and hope. I kept picturing that final montage in the film: a mosaic of Dena residents rebuilding – still organizing, working together, advocating, and still doing the work. It struck me that recovery is not a singular event but a mosaic of many small acts of love and determination. By capturing those acts, When The Sky Turned Orange has ensured that the Eaton Fire’s legacy is not simply one of destruction, but also one of community renaissance. And it challenges all of us to consider our own role in that renaissance.
As readers of the MADE IN DENA blog, I urge you to seek out this short documentary when you can. Share it with friends and family, especially those who may not know what happened in Altadena. Let it move you – let it spark tough conversations about climate change, emergency preparedness, and racial equity. Most of all, let it remind you of the power of community. Whether you’re from Altadena or anywhere else, we all face moments when “the sky turns orange” in our lives – unexpected crises that test our bonds. This film shows that our best hope in those moments is each other. By amplifying one community’s story, When The Sky Turned Orange invites us all to imagine how we might respond with the same courage and compassion.
In the end, this isn’t just a movie about a fire; it’s a love letter to a community and a blueprint for communal care. It’s proof that when our stories are told authentically, they can transcend pain and kindle possibility. That Thursday night in Inglewood, under those red lights on that basketball court, a piece of Altadena’s heart was laid bare for all to see – and it was nothing short of incandescent. Let’s keep that flame alive: learn more, get involved in local recovery initiatives, and remember that even after the sky turns orange, a new day will dawn, guided by the light we share with one another.
We Are DENA!
