On the 13th of November 1985, the Colombian volcano, Nevado Del Ruiz erupted, killing more than 25,000 people.

In collaboration with STREVA, Lambda Films produced a series of 3 short documentaries. These films told the stories of the survivors.

This documentary trilogy has been awarded the Dynamic Earth Award at the Earth Futures Festival 2022.

The Production

The three documentaries explored a variety of personal narratives around the eruption of Nevado Del Ruiz. These included testimony from those that survived the devastation; those who lost loved ones or livelihoods, or were on the front line of the search and rescue.

To capture the stories, the Lambda Films team travelled around the volcano site to locations such as Manizales, Guayabal and Armero. Filming took place on the slopes of Nevado Del Ruiz, at altitude and in temperatures of 5° as well as in the homes and businesses of the survivors.

Portraits of the People
Remembering 1985

Earth Futures Festival

The Earth Futures Festival is an International Film Festival; it aims to raise awareness of the role of Earth Science in our sustainable future.

Dr Anna Hicks, British Geological Survey volcanologist and long-term collaborator with Lambda Films, entered the documentary trilogy in to the Earth Futures Festival in 2022.

The Dynamic Earth theme is concerned with understanding geological systems, active planet processes and rates of change in the geosphere at all scales. Remembering 1985 was then selected for the Dynamic Earth prize, beating over 190 films in the process.

Along with Dr Anna Hicks, below, we wish to thank the judges and panellists of the Earth Futures Festival for this documentary award.

Dr Anna Hicks
BGS Volcanologist

The Documentary

Remembering 1985

Since the production of Remembering 1985, The Lambda Films team have further collaborated with the STREVA (Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas) team. In 2018, we produced the Devil in Disguise series; a further three short documentaries about the devastating effects of volcanic activity.

You can watch the Devil in Disguise series on our website; A Glowing Cloud, A River of Rock & An Eclipse.