Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey, was filmed over two decades beginning in 1972. It follows the belief-defying voyages of the brothers Blair as they adventure deeper and deeper and deeper still, into the mystical islands of Indonesia.

Punan Dayak tribe member

Inspired by seminal naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace, the two intrepid and good-natured filmmaker brothers, Lorne and Lawrence, start their journey aboard black-sailed schooners helmed by infamous pirates - the Bugis - in search of Goldie’s Bird of Paradise.

Goldie’s Bird of Paradise

Among other spectacles, we witness the pair descend into an active volcano, be healed by a Neigong master with psychokinetic abilities, struggle through dense jungles searching for elusive nomadic tribes, track down Komodo dragons, and process intimate encounters with the vanishing masters of tribal wisdom, during a time ‘when the Indonesian archipelago offered isolation for Neolithic cultures and their indigenous beliefs.’

Dangerous, thrilling, chilling, sublime, the five part series is a sprawling epic odyssey that would be impossible to recreate today - mostly due to the decimation of the lands, species, and cultures that once were. The brothers never make the journey feel exploitative, and are in fact, quite conscious of the negative colonial impressions their presence could impart, remaining modest, appreciative and respectful throughout. You sense they are in just as much awe of the surrealness they are experiencing, as the audience is watching it.

One of the most fascinating accounts of anthropological history on record.