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An Oscar for a fire-singed Hollywood

The movie industry plans to help Los Angeles recover from wildfires with a spotlight on creative inspiration.

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The Hollywood Sign is seen in Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9.
  • By the Monitor's Editorial Board

The wildfires that have swept through whole communities in Los Angeles this month have kindled notable generosity. Disney and Google have pledged millions in relief and recovery funds. Several A-list actors have given from their private fortunes. Now the Hollywood movie industry is adding its own contribution.

On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its annual award nominations and plans to go forward with the Oscars ceremony March 2. But instead of showcasing songs from the movies during the event, the Academy will highlight the inspiration behind the music with personal reflections of songwriters.

“We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” wrote academy leaders Bill Kramer and Janet Yang. In other words, the city’s trials by fire will put a renewed focus on the essence of Hollywood.

“Rebuilding is not just about money,” Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, told The New York Times. “It’s about ingenuity and determination.”

Others have offered to revive the city’s creativity. “When it’s safe to reopen our offices in LA, we plan to offer YouTube production facilities to impacted creators and artists as they begin to recover and rebuild their businesses,” wrote Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, which is owned by Google, on the company’s blog.

When disasters strike in the world, Hollywood often isn’t far behind. In its more sober approaches to storytelling, it demonstrates the unique ability of film to evoke empathy. The movie “Patriots Day” offered a sensitive portrait of Boston’s response to the 2013 marathon bombing. In “The Impossible,” director J.A. Bayona depicted one family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami that struck Thailand. Like so much storytelling, these films touched audiences with the healing power of love.

“We must always celebrate the work that unites and defines us, makes us laugh, cry, think and aspire,” wrote Mary McNamara, a critic for the Los Angeles Times. “Especially in the midst of tragedy.”

Practicing generosity in response to the fires, notes Peter Hamby, a writer based in Venice Beach, said on the media company Puck, has cultivated a deeper sense of unity and comfort among Angelenos. By using the Oscars to honor the inspiration that drives creative works, Hollywood is helping its city recover what the late state historian Kevin Starr called “a sustaining connection ... between Southern California and the dream of better days.”

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