Where Heaven Meets Hell
Four sulfur miners working at an active volcano in Indonesia search for meaning in their daily struggles and triumphs. This intimate portrait chronicles their attempts to escape the social ills that haunt their community.
Where Heaven Meets Hell follows the lives of three of the nearly 500 sulfur miners working in Kawah Ijen, a spectacular active volcano in Indonesia. Sulfur is a vital component in the production of sugar, rubber, cosmetics, and matches — products used worldwide. The mining process, however, is grueling and extremely dangerous. Several times a day the miners haul loads of nearly 200 pounds along a treacherous 2.5-mile path, while engulfed in billowing clouds of toxic sulfur dioxide gases.
This intimate portrait chronicles their attempts to escape the endemic poverty, and lack of education that haunts their community. Drawing strength from their families and their Muslim faith, the miners search for meaning in their daily struggles and triumphs.
The film is a study of endurance and the sustaining power of faith, love, and family through desperate times; universal themes that resonate throughout the world today. Each character weaves their own unique story, as Where Heaven Meets Hell draws us into their world and paints a moving portrait of the hardships they face. It highlights the humanity, humor, and commonalities shared by people and workers everywhere, while shedding a light on a little known corner of the globe.