Directors: Giulio Gobbetti, Jan Stöckel

In 1995 the volcano in Montserrat exploded with catastrophic consequences. Many years have since passed, but Celeste vividly remembers the eruption. She lost her life’s work: the shop she owned on the island’s capital. Today, there lays an ash-coated ghost town. Yet, much like the regrowth of vegetation across the land, the community has a new-found vitality. Mappie hikes with us through the rainforest: “The volcano does good and bad,” he says. “People thought Montserratians would have left. But I’m staying.” Yet, the active volcano lurks menacingly in the background. As everyday life unfolds, the most awaited day of the year arrives - St Patrick's day. Will people fill the streets, resilient? Or will they remain empty, signalling a community broken beyond repair?

This film is part of a combined programme with: The last Azorean whalemen. Both show island life, history and culture on two different islands in the Atlantic Ocean.