On June 27 2014, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted and lava began flowing directly toward the center of Pahoa, a small seaside town on the big island of Hawai’i. Hard to predict and impossible to stop, the flow threatened to cut off the town’s main access road, which would leave the residents of this already isolated community to rely solely on one another.

Produced in conjunction by Gift Culture Media, Larkin Pictures and Pure Mother Love, Aloha from Lavaland is an award-winning documentary that explores what it really means to live in such an unpredictable paradise, and what the incident can teach the rest of the world about community, sustainability, harmony, and aloha.

Shot and produced by several Pahoa community members, Aloha From Lavaland offers a unique insider’s look at life in the midst of a slow motion disaster.

The documentary interviews dozens of Pahoa community members, with key interviews from notable community members and experts including:

Harry Jim, Hawaiian cultural expert and healer

Uncle Sam, Hawaiian community leader

Jen Rasmussen, local apiculturist, founder of Paradise Nectar Apiaries

Scott Laaback, local permaculture and sustainability expert

Samantha and Eiligh Rush, Sustainability Experts, Co-founders Purple Coop Farm

A percentage of the film’s profits will be donated to the Compassionate Eye Foundation to help empower those in developing nations advance toward further educational opportunities, basic health services and tools for economic success.