Film Screening Fuego by Richard Cabral at the Margo Albert Theatre (SUNDAY)

FUEGO is a haunting and lyrical journey through loss and resilience in the aftermath of the 2025 Altadena fires.

Written, Directed, Produced, and Performed by: Richard Cabral

Produced by: Anthony L. Gilardi & Andrea Porras Madero

Director of Photography: Robert Benavides

Co-Producer: Robert Benavides

Edited by: Arthur James

1st A.C.: Joseph “Jojo” Sutera

Grip: Saket Raut

Production Sound Mixer: Christian Flores

Gaffer: John Moriarty

Production Assistant: Luis Garcia

UPM: Audrey Del Prete

Colorist: Santiago Padilla

Still Photography: Adrián Villalobos Cabral

When the 2025 wildfires ravaged Altadena, actor Richard Cabral and his family were among those who lost everything. With Fuego, his directorial debut, Cabral transforms personal loss into collective remembrance. Blending cinematic imagery with poetic narration, he revisits the scorched landscapes to honor the victims and survivors—particularly those from working-class and minority communities often overlooked by mainstream coverage. Both intimate and universal, Fuego stands as a cinematic elegy of mourning and renewal, a testament to the resilience that rises from the ashes.

Screening will be followed by a panel discussion and reception.

Fuego photography exhibition by Adrián Villalobos Cabral will be on view at the Margo Albert Lobby Gallery February 12-28, 2026.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

When the fires came, I watched everything I built, everything that held my memories, turn to ash. My home in Altadena was gone. But what stayed was the silence after, the faces of my neighbors, the stories of those whose pain wasn’t being told. The headlines spoke of Palisades and celebrity homes, but the families like mine, the ones who didn’t have cameras pointed their way, were burning too.

Fuego was born from that silence. It’s a way to remember what we lost, not just the houses or the things, but the people, the histories, the invisible threads that made our communities whole. I wanted to create something that holds space for grief, for the people who will never be named in the news, for the places that won’t be rebuilt the same.

This film is not about tragedy alone; it’s about transformation. Through spoken word and image, Fuego turns loss into memory, and memory into action. It’s an offering to my neighbors, to my city, to anyone who’s ever stood in the ashes and still found beauty in the smoke.

Directing this piece was my way of healing, of reclaiming narrative. Because when the fire takes everything, the only thing left to do is tell the story.

Richard Cabral is an Emmy-nominated actor, writer, and producer making his directorial debut with Fuego. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, his life and artistry have been shaped by lived experience, resilience, and a deep commitment to storytelling rooted in community, memory, and healing. Best known for his roles in American Crime (ABC), Mayans M.C. (FX), and End of Watch, Cabral has built a career bringing raw authenticity and humanity to complex characters, often reflecting the worlds he knows intimately.

As a spoken-word poet and storyteller, Cabral has written and performed pieces that explore loss, identity, redemption, and the unspoken histories of marginalized communities. His artistic evolution has led him behind the camera, where he continues that mission—using film as a tool for remembrance and collective healing. Fuego marks his first step as a director, a deeply personal and poetic visual tribute to the invisible stories behind disaster, displacement, and the power of memory.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Plaza de la Raza