Editor’s note: This statement was provided by the Picture House Regional Film Center. The Pelham Examiner publishes statements in the form received as a service to the community.

Dear friends and neighbors,

At the heart of The Picture House Regional Film Center is the shared cinema experience. It is a place to convene with community members where we watch, laugh, listen, feel, and reflect on life through the powerful words written by screenwriters, expressed by actors, directed by filmmakers, in worlds and on sets designed, built, lit, and shot by hundreds of individuals. It takes a village to make a movie, and right now that village is burning.

It is impossible to think of cinema without picturing Hollywood and the surrounding metropolitan area in Los Angeles, California. The Picture House in Pelham was built in 1921, which also marked the decade when Hollywood’s film industry first began to flourish. Without Hollywood, it’s unlikely that The Picture House would exist at all.

What we have been witnessing the past few days has been nothing short of devastating. For all those who have lost their homes, businesses, schools, houses of worship and entire town centers, we, the Board Members of The Picture House would like to express our solidarity with the people of Los Angeles, and the first responders who are working tirelessly, risking their lives to help prevent further damage.

The following organizations are in need of resources, and we urge members of the Pelham community to consider making a contribution: the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund, and the Pasadena Community Foundation.

With deep gratitude,

The Board Members of the Picture House Regional Film Center