Lava Bombs film screening at the Madrid International Film Festival

The explosive documentary – Lava Bombs: Truths Behind the Volcano – is shortlisted in the Madrid International Film Festival for Best Feature Documentary and Best Director of a Feature Documentary and will be screened at the Hotel Nuevo Boston, Avenue de Aragón in Madrid at 18:10 on Wednesday September 6 2023.

The dramatic film from GeoTenerife and New Light Studio captures the emotional stories behind the crisis and response to the September 19 2021 eruption of the volcano in Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.

Lava Bombs reveals the stories behind the headlines and showcases the power of the major natural disaster through the voices of the local people impacted, emergency managers, scientists and politicians with spectacular aerial footage of the volcano in dramatic 4K.

The film has already received many accolades, including outstanding excellence at the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival and semi-finalist in the Dublin Movie Awards.

Sharon Backhouse, founder and Director of educational volcanic fieldwork specialists, GeoTenerife, was on the scene when the Tajogaite volcano erupted and mobilised her team to document events as they occurred, providing an intimate, authentic and intense record.

Scottish-based film director Alexander Whittle quickly arrived in La Palma and drove the narrative, interpreting numerous contributing film records through the eyes of a big screen director.

Film participant Jaime Salvador Diaz Pacheco, Assistant Professor, Physical Geography, University of La Laguna (ULL) and GEORIESGOS (GEORISKS) Researcher said, "The stories behind and beyond the volcano need to be told. Lava Bombs does this from a social perspective. It transports you to La Palma at the end of 2021 during the latest volcanic event in the Canary Islands that made international headlines. The documentary takes you deep into how everyone felt before, during and after this violent episode. This is a great resource to improve our resilience to catastrophic natural disasters and inform disaster management around the globe."

About GeoTenerife

GeoTenerife is a UK and Spanish company. Sharon Backhouse said: “We were heartbroken when we witnessed what was happening in La Palma and feel the real impacts of the disaster have not been fully understood. We have spent two years documenting the eruption and its aftermath because we believe so many lessons can be learned, so people living in areas of volcanic risk can be helped better. And we self-financed the film ourselves, to ensure we could have complete freedom over the narrative.

“Our second documentary, Lava Bombs 2: The Reconstruction, is out soon. La Palma is struggling to recover from the violent catastrophe it suffered, and it’s only when we tell real stories in the words of those directly affected that we understand the deep impact of what has happened. {{These films are our love letter to Palmeros, to make sure their voices are heard far and wide because headlines and promises are not enough: La Palma needs help.{{”

GeoTenerife is a science company that organises tailor-made field trips for international universities and schools, based at its historic headquarters in Tenerife. They run innovative training camps for young scientists in collaboration with local, national and international experts and institutions. The GeoTenerife camps combine educational elements with hands-on work experience in some truly privileged environments including the Teide National Park. They offer fully-funded scholarships for all their programmes and over the last decade have supported students from all over the world to train in the Canary Islands.
Further information:GeoTenerife website.

Behind Lava Bombs is an ongoing scientific research project funded by GeoTenerife. VolcanoStories is an open-access research initiative which brings together intimate testimonies, scientific research and educational resources relating to the 2021 eruption and captures regular updates on post-eruption life in La Palma. It includes 3D models of the volcano and lava flows and an interactive timeline of events. The project also fosters collaborations between GeoTenerife and local, national and international scientific institutions.

Lava Bombs film website

Lava Bombs Film Trailer

Ends

If you would like to attend the screening, please contact Sharon Backhouse via email sharonbackhouse@geotenerife.com or call mobile: +44(0)7793 063232.

Sharon Backhouse and Alexander Whittle will be at the screening and are available for interview on request. High resolution imagery and intensely dramatic B-roll drone footage of the volcanic eruption is available on request for broadcasters and multi-media specialists.
Issued on behalf of GeoTenerife by Tina Fotherby at Famous Publicity, email tina@famouspublicity.com and mobile: +44 (0)7703 409 622.