All Its Name Implies

Fire, Ash, and the Resilience of Paradise

In the early morning hours of November 8th, 2018, a faulty electrical tower in rural Northern California sparked what would become known as the Camp Fire. Exceptionally dry and windy conditions spurred the fire towards the small town of Paradise, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Before the day was done, eighty-five residents would lose their lives, and Paradise would be almost completely destroyed by the most deadly and destructive wildfire in the recorded history of California.

All Its Name Implies, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Ev Durán, highlights the unflinching resilience of the people of Paradise and their unwavering desire to rebuild their beloved community. Durán himself was raised in Paradise, and his loving knowledge of his hometown provides an intimate look at what makes the community special, both before and after the fire. The film features emotional interviews with nearly forty survivors of the inferno, and includes harrowing footage of the flames, captured by frantic evacuees as they desperately tried to navigate the gridlocked streets and escape with their lives. All Its Name Implies follows the stories of many of these survivors as they attempt to move forward with their lives in the aftermath of such unprecedented disaster. The power, generosity, and determination of the human spirit is on full display as the Paradise community tackles challenge after challenge in this ever-evolving new reality.

One of Durán’s primary goals is to raise money for the town of Paradise and the surrounding areas through rentals, sales, and live screenings of the film. The vast majority of money raised is donated to causes that directly benefit the people of Paradise.

About The Production

During the annual wildfire season, the people of Paradise, California have grown accustomed to hazy skies and large plumes of smoke on the horizon. It is simply a reality of living in a heavily forested region. There had been a couple of close calls in the past, and most residents have had to evacuate at least a few times over the years. Folks often referenced “the big one” that was considered an inevitability by many. On the morning of November 8th, 2018, the big one arrived.

That morning, Ev Durán and Monique Birtwell awoke in their Glendale, California apartment. A couple, they had both been raised in Paradise. Durán, an Emmy Award-winning producer, cinematographer, and editor, and Birtwell, an actress, both always considered Paradise to be home. Each of their mothers still lived in the town, along with countless other family members and friends. As they prepared for work, it became clear from the frightened social media posts of friends and family in the Paradise area – something was very wrong.

As the situation in Paradise worsened, Durán and Birtwell spent the morning trying to get in contact with friends and family members to ensure they had successfully evacuated. After a particularly emotional call from Durán’s uncle, who had very narrowly escaped with his life after driving his melting car through a literal tunnel of fire, the couple hurriedly drove north to be with their loved ones.

There was much uncertainty in the days immediately following, but the tremendous scope and totality of the devastation became more and more evident by the hour. Realizing that the town would soon be swamped by outside camera crews and the international press, and believing wholeheartedly that there should be at least SOMEONE from Paradise chronicling the damages, Durán was desperate to get into the town with his camera. If he proved successful, Birtwell suggested he use the footage to create a documentary film on the subject, and the initial idea of All Its Name Implies was born.

Durán was first able to enter Paradise on November 24th, about a week before the town reopened to the public. Though he was able to capture some footage of the destruction, the day was nearly too overwhelming for him. He visited his mother’s home, which was completely destroyed, as was his childhood family home, his uncle’s home, Monique’s mother’s home, all of his friends’ homes, their families’ homes, his elementary school, and countless other structures. Durán would return to Paradise with his camera four more times before Christmas.

As Christmas approached, Durán was still unsure about what he was hoping to accomplish with his footage. Other documentary films on the subject were being announced, including several with big names and studios attached. Despite this uncertainty, while in Aptos, California celebrating Christmas with his family, Durán decided to conduct his first on-camera interview with a survivor: his mother, Susan Davis. Durán credits the emotional power of this interview with convincing him that he could create a feature-length documentary film on the subject, told from an inside perspective of the town.

The next day, Durán received an email from Rick Silva, the Managing Editor of the Paradise Post, the local newspaper. Silva was forwarding the contact information for a man who felt strongly that someone should interview his neighbors to help shine a light on their generosity in the aftermath of the fire. This family had taken in almost fifty evacuees and helped shelter them on their property. Durán travelled to meet them, and the momentum built from there.

Over the coming months, Durán and Birtwell drove from their new apartment in North Hollywood up to the Paradise area almost every single weekend, both to visit their families and friends but also to continue capturing footage and conducting interviews. Durán made a Facebook page for the film, now officially titled All Its Name Implies, and requested any photos and videos of the evacuation that people would be comfortable sharing. The response was overwhelming, and Durán slowly began to piece together the structure of the film.

While working on the film, there was no operational budget. The entirety of the production was self-funded by Durán, until the filmmakers received some very fortunate news: The Paradise Rotary Foundation very generously granted Durán $15,000 to help finish the film. This money was a huge invigoration, allowing Durán to purchase the rights to music and stock footage, in addition to many other necessities.

The final large shoot for the film took place on August 23rd, 2019, when the Paradise High School football team returned to play a game on their homefield for the first time since the fire. Durán and Birtwell were joined by a talented team of cinematographers, and the day was a tremendous success.

In the months that followed, Durán edited the film, working late every night and through nearly every weekend in an effort to get it complete in time for a Christmas premiere.

On December 20th, 2019, the film was first shown in public at the El Rey Theatre in Chico, California, a neighboring city to Paradise. Tickets were made available on a by-donation basis, and one hundred percent of the money raised was donated to charities that benefit the people of Paradise. The show was a tremendous success and received a standing ovation. Several weeks later, the film screened in Paradise, and was similarly well-received. Again, all money raised was donated to charities.

Durán continued to make some tweaks to the film, and made the final cut on March 9th, 2020, and the film was made available on Vimeo On Demand. While it was a difficult decision to release the film online (thereby hurting its eligibility with some festivals), Durán ultimately decided to do so in an effort to continue raising money for the town; the majority of money raised from each rental and purchase of the film is donated back to Paradise. To date, All Its Name Implies has raised over $10,000 for the town.