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The shocking story told 50 years later by those who lived it.

It seems hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the earth shook Los Angeles shortly after 6 A.M. on February 9, at a rate of 6.5 on the Richter Scale. More than 60 people lost their lives in what has been recognized as probably the most “significant” earthquake in the history of the United States. The story is told in “Shaken; The Great Sylmar Earthquake.”

“It was a moment in time I will never forget, and even then we didn’t realize how important Sylmar would be to the world,” said Producer Bob Brill, who survived the quake as a 17 year old student of Sylmar High School. “It’s been my passion to bring this story to the world since not long after it happened. It was that mind blowing.”

Brill, who along with co-producer Edward Gusts (Magpie Film Company), brought together dozens of survivors along with experts to tell the story of what happened then, and what came later for the survivors and the world. The survivors were children of the Cold War and when the earth shook the common theme among them, “I thought we were being bombed by the Russians,” Brill himself says. “Nuclear attack, so I figured I would just roll over and die in bed.”

While the Brill Productions chief handled the quake story, Gusts (who was born long after the earthquake struck) handled the story of what came later. It is probably the more important part of the story as there were so many changes which took place spurred on by the Sylmar quake.

Using experts in fire and seismology, Gusts weaved the tale of how the region sprung into action to develop programs covering everything from Urban Search and Rescue to citizen projects to deal with quakes. The Fire After Earthquakes study was an eye opener. As one expert put it “Sylmar was a game changer.” These programs have been copies around the world.

The film is set to debut in February, 2021 for the 50th anniversary of the quake. Look for details upcoming.