THERE ARE REGIONS OF THE PLANET THAT REMAIN HIDDEN FROM US.
The Aleutian Islands—they belong to the most remote and unexplored places on earth. And so it goes without saying that vast sections of the chain have never been explored by surfers.
In this film, five brothers hitch a ride on a first-of-its-kind boat expedition, and voyage into a mysterious region in pursuit of a dream.
Explore below to journey behind the scenes of the film and get info on upcoming showings.
WATCH THE TRAILER
FILM TOUR
We’ve toured 11 stops on the West Coast, and in early 2025 we’re taking it to the East Coast. The film will be available to watch online in Spring 2025.
| Date | City | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
Emerson Theater |
Bozeman, MT | It was awesome |
Imperfects |
San Diego, CA | Sold out |
La Paloma Theater |
Encinitas, CA | Sold Out |
Rivian Theater |
Laguna Beach, CA | Sold Out |
Dreamland |
Malibu, CA | Sold Out |
Terra Nova High School Theater |
Pacifica, CA | Sold Out |
Hook Fish Co. |
Mill Valley, CA | Sold Out |
Seager x Capo |
San Juan Capistrano, CA | It was awesome |
Mollusk Surf Shop |
Santa Barbara, CA | Complete |
Field Day Coffee |
San Luis Obispo, CA | Done |
Rio Theater |
Santa Cruz, CA | Full House |
| Early 2025 |
East Coast, USA | Coming Up |
SUPPORTED BY
The Search for Volcano Island posed unique challenges from the start. Ben prepared for the voyage long before departure.
He laid plans to film from a boat, in the surf, paddling into rugged shorelines, and flying drones at high altitude to capture the landscapes from above, not having much of an idea of what he would encounter.
Once the footage was gathered, Ben and collaborator Brian Davis worked on the story and stylistic approach to weave the story. The post production process spanned nine months, and included illustration, animation, and compositing.
THE MAKING OF
ORIGINAL SCORE
Matt Costa is a Laguna Beach, California based songwriter with a storied career that includes early records on Brushfire records “Songs We Sing” and “Unfamiliar Faces” that have become standbys.
He has recently entered into the world of scoring films. This is our second film working along side Matt to create an original score. In this film ‘The Search For Volcano Island’ he features a synth driven approach that pulls you through the lost worlds in which the film takes place, evoking mystery and discovery along the way.
Original Soundtrack coming soon.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nick Foster joined the brothers on the trip and documented the journey. His approach to photography is raw and focused. “Rarely will I go through my photos and make edits. I find myself capturing the feelings of life as they happen in front of me. This trip was unique and challenging in many ways.”
On this project, Nick turned his attention toward the slow paces of being on a small boat for many days, as well as turbulent events along the way, shooting film on a Contax G2, Fuji 6 x 4.5, and a Super8.
ANIMATION
Jordan Serra brought Ben Weiland’s artwork to life for a number of scenes within the film. Jordan is a multidisciplinary artist who often finds himself working as an illustrator and animator. His simple yet stylized approach to animation has helped to add a visual language that anchors our films.
When he’s not animating, you can find him riding his bike around LA, shooting photos, walking his dog, and embarrassing his girlfriend with his dumb sense of humor.
PAINTED ARTIFACTS
Ty Williams is a mixed media artist focused primarily on the sea and the coastline as his subject.
While filming in the Aleutians we found fully intact sea glassed bottles on a remote beach. We passed them to Ty and he took his paint brush to them, resulting in rare, one of a kind found artifacts. You can find them in our shop.
