New Documentary 'Un volcán habitado' Explores Human Impact of La Palma Eruption
The documentary Un volcán habitado, which explores the human impact of the 2021 La Palma eruption through personal digital archives, is embarking on a free screening tour across the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands film scene is finding a powerful new way to process collective trauma. The feature film Un volcán habitado (An Inhabited Volcano), directed by José Víctor Fuentes and David Pantaleón, is now beginning a tour of the islands. Part of the Tiempo de memoria, memoria en el tiempo (Time of Memory, Memory in Time) program supported by the Canary Institute of Cultural Development, the film offers a unique look at the 2021 La Palma eruption. Rather than a standard news report, it focuses on the human side of the disaster.
The documentary is built from digital messages exchanged between a group of friends while the volcano was active. This personal archive captures the immediate experience of the catastrophe, moving from the initial shock to the difficult process of dealing with loss. The film follows a growing trend in Spanish non-fiction cinema, which uses private records to turn individual stories into a shared historical record.
Free screenings begin tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Espacio La Granja in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The film will then travel to the Teatro Guiniguada in Gran Canaria on Tuesday, April 28, and finish at the Auditorio Insular in Fuerteventura on Wednesday, April 29. For the Tenerife and Gran Canaria screenings, attendees should book tickets online or at the venue box offices. This initiative highlights the role of public institutions in making important stories accessible, providing a space for reflection on the geological risks of island life.