Nia Golden Teases New Docu-Series “One More River to Cross” at SHV30

Filmmaker and vocalist Nia Golden gave attendees at the SHV30 Conference a powerful first look at One More River to Cross, her forthcoming documentary series exploring the human experience behind Montserrat’s volcanic crisis.

The 13-minute preview, screened on Thursday afternoon, featured selected clips from more than 30 interviews conducted so far. Golden’s work weaves together deeply personal stories of displacement, resilience, and creativity, set against the backdrop of one of the most defining periods in Montserrat’s modern history.

“People were still making life happen,” Golden said. “We’ve seen lots of images of ash eruptions and pyroclastic flows, but I want to express the full spectrum of how people lived from everyday survival to moments of joy.”

The series, still in production, aims to document the memories and creative responses of Montserratians who lived through the eruptions that began in 1995. But the timeline stretches further, with Golden now seeking additional photos and videos of life on the island between 1990 and 2000.

Golden’s presentation at SHV30 centred on voices that previously unheard sharing personal accounts of where they were on July 18, 1995. She highlighted stories of teachers and students dealing with school in the midst of eruptions, and lesser known ones of the people who built the first seismic stations, and the role of Antiguan fishermen in the crisis.

“From calypso to literature, our people turned to creativity not just to process trauma, but to stay connected. These expressions now stand as emotional archives of who we were and how we coped,” she explained in her abstract.

The series will also touch on the experiences of key workers, who struggled to balance duty to country with duty to family, as well as the experiences of children, some too young at the time to fully grasp the dangers unfolding around them.

One More River to Cross pays tribute to the support Montserrat received from CARICOM and the wider Caribbean community. “The solidarity shown by our neighbours during those years meant everything. It’s a part of the story that must be told,” Golden said.

Golden is inviting the public to contribute to the project by submitting archival content, photos, videos, or personal stories, that depict what daily life was like during the era.

She is also seeking sponsors to help fund the remaining episodes. Each of the ten planned episodes costs £1,500 to produce. Presenting sponsorship is available at £1,500 per episode or £10,000 for the entire series, while other sponsor tiers start at £500.

To learn more about One More River to Cross, contribute content, or become a sponsor, visit Nia Golden – Filmmaker