Members of MPI’s staff recently attended an exclusive Los Angeles screening of Paradise Abandoned: Inside the Pacific Palisades Fire, the newest mini-documentary from longtime MPI filmmaker Rob Montz. The event brought together Pacific Palisades residents, one of the film’s key subjects, and members of our filmmaker community for a candid look at a disaster many in the room had lived through but had never fully seen examined.

Rob grew up in the Palisades, and his family home was destroyed in the fires—an experience that gives the film a grounded, deeply informed perspective. In the documentary, he returns to his hometown and traces how a series of human failures led to one of the most overlooked elements of the catastrophe: the second day, when the community was effectively left without support. The screening was followed by a charged Q&A with Rob and Alan Feld, the first person to report the fire, and many local residents expressed surprise at what the film objectively surfaced.

MPI’s connection to the project runs far deeper than attendance at the screening. Rob has been part of the MPI network for over a decade and has shared, “I wouldn’t have a career without MPI. That initial grant gave me the opportunity to basically teach myself filmmaking and make a calling card.” In his mid-twenties, he approached MPI with only a philosophy degree, a day job, and the conviction that he could make a film about North Korea. MPI backed that instinct, and the result was Juche Strong, shot partly inside North Korea and later used as a launchpad for his investigative series for MPI. The visibility he gained through MPI helped lead to work with Reason, various media outlets, and eventually the founding of his own production company, Good Kid Productions. Along the way, he participated in MPI writing, editing, and cinematography workshops—and now he’s giving back to the filmmaker network that helped launch his career, with Good Kid Productions hosting ten MPI interns over the years.

That collaboration continued on Paradise Abandoned. Several MPI interns contributed directly to the project: Benjamin Crain and Brandon McDowell provided animation, Todd Patten edited, and Cole Humble supported the research. Brandon’s work is especially prominent—he created the evocative sequence depicting Rob’s mother and their family home, a moment that anchors the emotional core of the film.

Today, Rob continues to refine his craft through Good Kid Productions, with several new investigations underway and early discussions about a possible sequel to the Palisades story. His longstanding relationship with MPI highlights how our programs, workshops, and professional community open doors for filmmakers at every stage of their careers. The screening served as both a celebration of Rob’s work and a reminder of how the MPI network continues to support filmmakers well beyond their first project.